The Mountain Between Us

Release date: 6th October 2017/Watch the trailer here

One look at the poster for The Mountain Between Us and you could probably accurately guess the entire plot, right down to the ending. It’s the sort of film that prides itself on its straight-forward, almost old-fashioned method of storytelling, with not a single surprise to be found along the way.

After the cancellation of their flight due to bad weather, two strangers – photojournalist and bride-to-be Alex (Kate Winslet) and neurosurgeon Ben (Idris Elba) – decide to board a charter flight instead. Tragically, their pilot suffers a stroke mid-flight and the plane crashes, leaving Alex and Ben stranded on top of a remote, snow-covered mountain with no one but each other and the deceased pilot’s pet labrador for company. The rest of the plot more or less goes without saying: Alex and Ben must overcome their differences and numerous obstacles in order to survive, and somewhere along the way (of course) they fall in love.

It’s all utterly predictable and completely far-fetched, but it’s also inoffensive enough for this not to feel like too much of a problem. Winslet and Elba make for likeable leads, and their chemistry is just believable enough to not induce too many eye-rolls at the cheesier moments – and seeing as this is what the film hinges on, it’s just as well.

There’s nothing in particular that’s bad about The Mountain Between Us, but the problem is that there’s nothing all that good, either – aside from the scenery, which is absolutely stunning. Still, it’s almost refreshing to see a film that’s so unashamed in how much of a people-pleaser it’s aiming to be, with just enough adventure and romance to leave a decent proportion of cinema-goers at least moderately satisfied. By the time the end rolls around (which, truthfully, takes a little too long), you find yourself caring whether or not they survive and if they’ll end up together after all, and that in itself means that The Mountain Between Us has ultimately succeeded in what it set out to do.

★★★