Ro's Recz

The Rescue is one of the most emotional and positive movies I have seen, far beyond even the climbing movies I have recommended in the past. Like many movies I have watched recently, it is on National Geographic and available to watch on Disney+.

The Rescue is about the incredible story of the mission to rescue 12 Thai children and their soccer coach from a flooded cave. The story was big a couple of years back, and it was on news outlets all over the world. The Rescue uses a combination of footage taken at the time as well as a recreation of scenes to tell the dramatic story.

The Rescue was made by Elizabeth Chai Vasarheyli and Jimmy Chin, a power couple in the world of documentaries. They produced the film 14 Peaks, as well as Free Solo.

The Rescue does a great job of exploring how the kids and the coach were saved, and just how much preparation and effort went into the mission. The rescue teams went through every contingency plan to see what the best option was, before ultimately deciding on one of the riskiest plans (but which was the only viable option due to the weather). While I remembered the kids getting out eventually, I didn’t realize how much uncertainty there was about whether the mission would be successful and how touch and go the situation was.

The Rescue Recommendation Rating: 5

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for