Throughout much of history, the concept of exploration and adventure has been a white man's game. Going all the way back to the days of Alexander the Great and up to the colonialist movements, European powers have viewed the rest of the world as places to be conquered and tamed. To hell with the natural beauty of the landscapes, or the thousands/millions of indigenous people. Even a relatively young nation like the United States tried to muscle its way into the land grab fray through the belief in Manifest Destiny. To see that Tenzing shows less interest in the white man's burden and more towards those whose stories have often been unfairly overlooked is an achievement on its own.

This is the story of the first successful summit of Mount Everest, possibly one of the final natural wonders of the world to be conquered by man. Throughout the 20th century, European nations turned it into a fierce yet friendly game, with sides taking turns year after year. George Mallory (whose reason for climbing the mountain was simply "because it's there") led the charge for the British, while the Swiss fielded their own expeditioners. From the beginnings of the pursuit in 1921 through the '40s, each side inched closer and closer to the top, always turning back because of poor weather, inadequate equipment, or sheer exhaustion.

The one constant throughout, from his childhood meeting with Mallory on one of his first summits to his adult years as a sherpa, is the titular Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok). From his earliest days as a boy in Tibet, Tenzing never saw Everest as an adversary to be overcome. She is a heavenly mother figure known as Chomolungma, perpetually looking down and offering blessings to the Tibetan and Nepalese people. She is present in all aspects of his life, which Australian director Jennifer Peedom and screenwriter Luke Davies track sporadically across the film.

The focal storyline is the 1953 summit where Tenzing is the head sherpa for the British team led by Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe), an army man who is treating this expedition like a siege. His top soldiers are a collection of British climbers, as well as a standoffish New Zealander named Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston). Along with over a dozen local Sherpas under Tenzing's command, the group makes the perilous journey up the mountain, possibly never to return.

Having cut her teeth on several mountain-focused documentaries over the past few decades (2008's Miracle on Everest, 2015's Sherpa, and 2017's Mountain, narrated by Dafoe), Peedom has a deep interest and skill in illustrating the terrifying beauty and majesty of Everest. The various smaller white peaks are blindingly bright, while the permanent ice sheets creak and crack as the crew traverses over them. There’s documentary-esque realism to the proceedings as filming took place on portions of Everest. Cinematographer Stefan Duscio incorporates drones and widescreen photography to create grand imagery that is best enjoyed on the big screen. It's too bad that will be an extremely tough format to see the film in once it lands on Apple TV following a week-long cursory theatrical run.

As the two outsiders amongst the stiff-lipped British, Hillary and Tenzing form a bond. It also helps that they're the best climbers, their immense skills being the only reason they narrowly avoid certain death when an ice sheet collapses beneath their feet. An audience member behind me let out a deafening shriek equivalent to that of a jump scare in a horror movie. It was an apt reaction, as the camera plunges in right behind them as they dangle for their lives. Then again, we all know how this story turns out.

That feeling of inevitability borders on mundanity throughout much of the runtime as we flip back-and-forth between the 1953 timeline and the notable chapters of Tenzing's earlier life. While rendered with authenticity through their use of local actors and dialogue, there's still a feeling of sameness as Tenzing overcomes the trials and tribulations of life. And when sandwiched between the thrills of mountain climbing, these smaller-scaled scenes leave a lot to be desired. Fortunately, composer Rebekka Karijord finds the emotional throughline with a soaring score.

Most of that rote is to be expected in a film titled after the main historical figure, along with being produced by their heirs. Make no mistake, this is a story that deserves to be told, especially when Everest has now been successfully summited on over 13,000 occasions, which threatens to trivialize the immense endeavor by those who blazed the trail. Like Chomolungma to its people, Tenzing Norgay is what connects all those climbers, imbuing them with the kind of courage and tenacity that makes humans do incredible things.

This review was originally published from the Canadian premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Apple TV will release Tenzing in select theaters on October 09th, followed by its streaming premiere on October 16th.