Dir. Jennifer Peedom · 2026 · 126 min · on Apple TV
Tenzing is a biopic of Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa climber who reached the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953. Genden Phuntsok plays the title role, Tom Hiddleston is Hillary, and Willem Dafoe plays the expedition leader, Colonel John Hunt. Luke Davies wrote it. Jennifer Peedom, known for her mountain documentaries, makes her first narrative feature.
The film is not told in a straight line. According to the reviews, it moves between the 1953 expedition and Tenzing's earlier life, from his youth in a Himalayan village to his work as a guide. The first act sets up that double timeline and the question of whether a Sherpa can win a place on a British expedition at all.
The lead is the first thing critics praise. Reviewers describe Phuntsok as quiet and expressive, and several say he carries the film. The pairing with Hiddleston gets similar credit: the two are written as men who come to respect each other, not as instant friends, and Tenzing is not sidelined in his own story. That is the film's real argument. The Everest story has usually been told from the other rope.
a lovely ode to an inspirational figure
William Bibbiani, TheWrap
The mountains are the other draw. Critics single out the location work in Nepal and New Zealand and call the photography immersive. One calls it a handsome travelogue, and another says the settings often lift the film above its formula. Dafoe's Hunt is described as a man shaped by the prejudices of his era rather than a villain.
The reviews agree on the problem more than they disagree on the film: it is conventional. Words used include formulaic, classical and by-the-book, and the underdog beats are familiar. Some critics find the flashbacks interrupt the climb, and others find the life story summarised too quickly. The women in the story, Tenzing's wife Dawa and the expedition secretary Jill Henderson, are described as underwritten.
Looper's verdict is that it does little wrong but lacks the extra spark to push it further, and Micropsia calls it classical, noble and not particularly original. Neither is a complaint about the craft; both are a warning not to expect surprises.
It is also a lightly fictionalised account, and critics note that it smooths rough edges. If you want the full historical record, a well-researched book will serve you better. Early critical reaction was warm overall, with a few mixed reviews and none hostile. That is why the score sits where it does: a film that does little wrong and stops short of the extra spark.
It suits anyone who likes old-school adventure and wants a steady, family-friendly film for an evening (it is rated PG for mild peril, according to one review). It is less likely to suit viewers who want a harder or more tragic mountaineering story. One critic notes that it has less conflict and loss than many other Everest films. Another points out that a small screen takes something away from the scale of the landscape, so give it the biggest screen you have.
Apple TV, from 16 October 2026. It also had a limited cinema release from 9 October in some territories, according to the reviews below. Availability varies by country, so check your local listings.