The Himalayas Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo, Cho Sung-ha. Directed by Lee Seok-hoon. Not rated. Opens Friday.

Without the massive budget of a Hollywood movie like Everest or the genuine you-are-there footage of a documentary like the recent Meru, Korean mountain-climbing drama The Himalayas, based on the real-life exploits of mountaineer Um Hong-gil, instead relies on overwrought melodrama to fuel its awkwardly paced two-hour running time. At the core of the movie is the friendship between the veteran Hong-gil (Hwang Jung-min) and his younger protégé Park Moo-taek (Jung Woo). Hong-gil teaches the less experienced climber patience and skills, and the two end up summiting many of the highest peaks in the world (some depicted in hasty montages). Far too much of the movie takes place on the ground, though, and even the climbing scenes focus more on emotional bonding (and later, emotional devastation). There’s a lot of crying and wailing for a movie about hardened adventurers, and it eventually drowns out any potential excitement.