Movie Review – The Mountain Between Us

The first in (I hope) many mini movie reviews. These are totally random, and could be old, new, or anything in between….

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Idris Elba/Kate Winslet

Genre: Drama/Romance

TW: plane crash, animal death

I enjoyed this a LOT more than I thought I was going to. I bailed on it when it was on television, because it looked too angsty. I guess that must have been my mood at the time. Who knows.

Then I saw the end of it and enjoyed it enough to watch the whole thing on Netflix. And I noticed some familiar themes.

Peril (plane crash)
Forced proximity
Insta-love
Unbelievable rescue
Only one bed!
Shelter in a storm
Third act break up
Last minute dash!

And I realised, this is a ROMANCE! Not a drama, not a suspense film, but a ROMANCE, with snow and a cougar (I don’t mean Kate Winslet) and an improbable rescue and a wounded hero and – and – and…

Anyway, with heavy hitters like Winslet and Elba, you’re bound to get solid acting in what is actually a very simple film about survival and blossoming love. They don’t over-egg it, which I loved, but give spare, sympathetic, vulnerable performances. A little light on the chemistry but overall, whole thing was surprisingly easy to watch (apart from the cougar death, but at least that happened off-camera and was very quick.)

Definitely one to watch on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Yes, there were some unbelievable elements but the only real quibble I have was at the very end, when they cut off the final scene too abruptly, in my opinion. But that’s a tiny issue in an otherwise entertaining film.

BLURB: Kate Winslet and Idris Elba star in this suspense drama about two strangers who become stranded on a remote, snow-covered mountain following a plane crash. Forced to trust each other to survive the extreme elements, they begin a perilous journey through hundreds of miles of wilderness, each discovering a strength they never knew possible.