Checked out the new wilderness survival movie The Mountain Between Us. I say wilderness survival when I guess I should also call it an unconvincing romance… so unconvincing, I didn’t realize it WAS a romance until the end of the movie where it kept refusing to end. Because our lovely couple hadn’t decided to stop nattering around and get together.
The movie stars Idris Elba and Kate Winslet as strangers who decide to charter a plane when all commercial flights are grounded due to weather. Turns out there’s a reason for that… and maybe hiring “about-to-have-a-stroke” Beau Bridges as the pilot wasn’t a good idea either. The plane crashes and Elba, Winslet, and the pilot’s dog have to survive the frozen wilderness long enough to A) find civilization, B) argue enough to annoy me, and C) fall in love, I guess.
Primary problem, they argue and hate each other enough that any romance seems more like boredom or desperation. Second problem, as a wilderness survival movie, it’s ok but a little too full of coincidences and conveniences.
The movie does look good – it’s very evident Elba and Winslet were filming on location in some very cold mountains and deep snow. As actors, both are very good usually and are convincing as a couple people who kind of don’t like each… not so convincing with the falling in love part.
So, yeah, come for the ok wilderness survival and stay for the unconvincing romance? Or just stay away. There’s much better of each genre out there. Though, to be fair, if you were more clued-in on what kind of movie this was, maybe it’d be more interesting… or at least maybe the end wouldn’t be so insufferable.
Score: 65