movie review the mountain between us

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the mountain between us.

Now streaming on:

She once survived a sinking ship in " Titanic ." He once thrived on the mean streets of Baltimore on “The Wire.” Kate Winslet and Idris Elba should by all rights have enough dramatic weight between them to easily elevate a two-hander about strangers who must rescue themselves from a desolate snow-blanketed Utah mountain range after their charter plane crashes.

Instead, “The Mountain Between Us” is a high-altitude soap opera, woozy with overly telegraphed peril and determined to make the audience root for a couple who clearly aren’t meant for each other and played by actors who deserve a generous C-minus in chemistry. In the film’s production notes, Elba—considered dreamboat material by his many fans—notes that this is his first-ever romantic lead. His surprising awkwardness during the film’s intimate moments perhaps explains why.

What really comes between Winslet’s globetrotting photojournalist Alex and Elba’s brain surgeon Ben as fate and bad weather bring them together isn’t so much geographical but script-related. Based on a novel by Charles Martin , the screenplay is a collaboration between Chris Weitz (“ About a Boy ,” the live-action “Cinderella”) and J. Mills Goodloe (“ The Age of Adaline ,” “ Everything, Everything ”). I’ll vouch for Weitz’s skills, but in the case of Goodloe, anyone who has adapted a Nicholas Sparks ’ novel that isn’t “The Notebook” is suspect. And having seen “ The Best of Me ,” I rest my case.

Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad , the maker of two politically charged Oscar-nominated foreign films (“ Paradise Now ” and “ Omar ,” the last featuring a love story) certainly has cred. But he fails to achieve producer Peter Chernin ’s self-proclaimed vision of a romantic epic in the tradition of “Dr. Zhivago” and “ Out of Africa .” Compared to those classics, “Mountain” is more of a molehill.

Right out of the gate, I had an uneasy feeling about “The Mountain Between Us” as all flights are canceled at an Idaho airport because of an incoming blizzard. Alex, desperate to head back to New York in time for her wedding, overhears Ben complaining that he has to operate on a young boy the next morning. She proposes they share a small plane for hire. Their pilot is Beau Bridges , who emits good ol’ boy vibes as he brings his soulful-eyed golden Labrador on-board. That his Walter doesn’t bother to file a flight plan is an all-too-convenient warning sign.

Not long after takeoff, while flying over remote treacherous terrain packed with white stuff, Walter begins to slur his speech and Ben recognizes he is having a stroke. Thank goodness, I have never witnessed anyone having such an attack. But Bridges, perhaps making up for the brevity of his part, seems to have taken his cues from Ian Holm ’s Ash, the malfunctioning android in “ Alien .” The crash itself isn’t all that terrifying in these days of “ Flight ” and “ Sully .” But Walter is a goner, the dog survives and he is in better shape than Alex, who has a huge gash on her leg. Ben—oh, thank goodness, there just happens to be a doctor in the house—fixes her up as best he can before tending to his own cuts and bruises.

The medical stuff is the easy part. Cooperating with someone you just met is a bit tougher. Once Alex wakes, she reveals herself to be someone prone to taking risks and usually trusts her instincts in tight situations. With no cell phone reception and with all devices that could have alerted the occasional jet overhead unfortunately out of commission, she thinks they should abandon ship and take their chances on foot. The more conservative Ben, meanwhile, is less inclined to leave what’s left of the aircraft and would rather stay put. As she heals, the pair has a get-to-know-you period. Oddly, Ben wears a wedding ring but does not mention his wife. Alex, meanwhile, knows that if she had made it to her nuptials, she would have “rushed down the aisle like Dustin Hoffman in ‘The Graduate.’” Ben waits a beat and echoes the thoughts of many a cinephile in the theater by observing that Hoffman was trying to stop the wedding. For emphasis, he meekly utters, “Elaine!”

That is meet-cute stuff right there but the early portion of “The Mountain Between Us” suggests a variation on “When Harry Met Sally…” Namely, can a man and a woman become companions and work together for a common cause? (That cause here being survival.) I liked that there seemed to be no lovey-dovey business at this point. But then Alex looks through her camera lens and sees a metallic glint off in the distance. Off they go with their makeshift emotional therapy dog in tow and the days-long trek forces them to cuddle against the cold at night. And, all too soon, the movie takes a tumble from which it never recovers.

I should have known when Ben early on portentously utters, “A heart is nothing but a muscle” that this movie, just like the plane, was destined to crash. Not to spoil the ending, which is corny as a crate of Cracker Jack, but It seemed almost inevitable that Alex’s perfectly nice yet bland fiancé would be Dermot Mulroney . For him, such roles are like Morgan Freeman playing the president or God. Meanwhile, weep not for our stars. Winslet’s career overcame the laborious “ Labor Day ” and Elba isn’t going to let the deadly “ The Dark Tower ” get him down. Besides, once you realize that “The Mountain Between Us” almost falls into the so-bad-it’s-good category, it just might become destined for riff-worthy cultdom.

Susan Wloszczyna

Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes.

Now playing

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

Peyton robinson.

State of Consciousness

Simon abrams.

Kaiya Shunyata

Knox Goes Away

Robert daniels.

Chicken for Linda!

Apples Never Fall

Cristina escobar, film credits.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

103 minutes

Idris Elba as Dr. Ben Bass

Kate Winslet as Alex Martin

Tintswalo Khumbuza as Sarah

Adam Lolacher as Joel

Beau Bridges as Walter

Hany Abu-Assad

Writer (novel)

Charles Martin
J. Mills Goodloe
Chris Weitz

Cinematographer

Mandy Walker
Ramin Djawadi

Latest blog posts

25 Years Later, Election Remains as Relevant as Ever

Sharp Writing, Excellent Cast Keep Spy Thriller The Veil Engaging

Take Another Trip to the End of the World with Sony’s Stellar Blade

He's Got Something Going On: David Proval on Mean Streets, and Acting for Martin Scorsese

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Challengers Link to Challengers
Abigail Link to Abigail
Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

The Jinx: Season 2
Knuckles: Season 1
The Big Door Prize: Season 2
Them: Season 2
Velma: Season 2
Secrets of the Octopus: Season 1
Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story: Season 1
We're Here: Season 4

The Mountain Between Us Reviews

Winslet and Elba, of course, remain magnetic screen presences, though their dull character descriptions prevent anything beyond passing emotional investment.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 17, 2022

The Mountain Between Us is an enthralling story from start to finish, one even more captivating to watch thanks to the captivating cinematography and excellent performances from Winslet and Elba.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 21, 2021

Sometimes the movie manages to drag a little as limping Alex slogs along behind Ben but that gives the audience time to admire the breathtaking scenery of the film...

Full Review | Aug 24, 2021

It's all a bit silly - three weeks in and unwashed they still are a fetching couple - but at least there's no cannibalism and no, they don't eat the dog.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Mar 1, 2021

By no means original, but Winslet and Elba have plenty of chemistry to keep you invested.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 5, 2020

...there's nothing that stands out so much as to make the film worth recommending.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 1, 2020

Beautiful people, beautiful scenery. It's hard to screw that up. But they really did.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jul 12, 2020

Much like the ill-fated flight that opens the film, The Mountain Between Us starts strong, cruises along at a serviceable altitude, and then comes crashing down in the end.

Full Review | May 14, 2020

What we get is a weird survival romance with tedious dialogue. I love Winslet, as I'm sure we all do, but after a while her character goes from witty to whiny.

Full Review | Jan 7, 2020

it is a failed drama that is not worse almost exclusively because of the work of Elba and Winslet. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 8, 2019

If you love Winslet or Elba or you read the book, then you should see this movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 5, 2019

Elba and Winslet are both excellent, and when the saga continues beyond where most other movies would have it end, they provide the glue that holds the increasingly diffuse project together.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 21, 2019

Elba and Winslet are magnetic from the start, and do their best to elevate the otherwise tired material.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 4, 2019

Brisk action, blossoming romance, and a dog: it may not scream Oscar, but that doesn't mean The Mountain Between Us isn't one of the best movies in theatres right now.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 16, 2019

This is a very dopey romantic survival story. Good thing for this movie is I like dopey romantic survival stories.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Mar 4, 2019

A forgettable survival in the snow tale.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Feb 25, 2019

Ultimately let down by a weak, sappy screenplay and a disappointing final act that may have you scoffing into your popcorn.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 22, 2019

It's as if someone wrote a high-end romantic drama and couldn't sell it, so they decided to turn the meet-cute into a plane-crash-in-the-wilderness-cute.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Feb 11, 2019

You should know going into the film that it is probably 65% romance/drama and only 35% suspenseful survival story. If you go in with those expectations, I think you'll better appreciate the film.

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Feb 6, 2019

Mired in the feeble drama of vague logistical bickering, predictable revelations, and tiresome logic-vs-instinct dichotomies.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jan 19, 2019

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

The mountain between us, common sense media reviewers.

Mountain trek peril in non-scary but well-acted romance.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Two people put aside their differences to survive

Both main characters are smart, brave, and extreme

Frequent peril/tension, but no graphic violence sh

A sensual sex scene includes kissing, moaning, and

One instance of "f---ing" used in frustration, plu

Positive Messages

Two people put aside their differences to survive in an extremely dangerous environment. Perseverance pays off.

Positive Role Models

Both main characters are smart, brave, and extremely even tempered. Ben, particularly, is ingenious, honorable, and courageous. One main character is engaged but pursues romance elsewhere. In terms of diversity, half the main cast (which is all of two characters) is female, and the other half is black.

Violence & Scariness

Frequent peril/tension, but no graphic violence shown on-screen. Post-plane-crash injuries and a death. A character's leg is caught in a bear trap. Offscreen fight between a cougar and a dog.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A sensual sex scene includes kissing, moaning, and near-nudity (male chest, female abdomen and cleavage), but it's not explicit in that no genitals/sensitive body parts are shown. Alex briefly wears a see-through top that makes her nipples fairly visible. Additional scenes of a shirtless man.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

One instance of "f---ing" used in frustration, plus "s--t," "damn," "hell," and "Jesus Christ" as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Mountain Between Us , based on Charles Martin's novel of the same name, tells the story of two strangers ( Idris Elba and Kate Winslet ) stuck in the snowy wilderness after a tragic plane crash. Expect scenes of mountain trek peril, but there's no graphic violence. ( Spoiler alert! ) Post-plane-crash injuries are shown, there's some danger to a dog, and one character's leg is caught in a bear trap. A sensual sex scene includes kissing, moaning, and near-nudity, and a shirtless man is shown more than once. The primary concern for younger viewers will be tension/worry over whether the main characters (including the dog) can survive. But it's not exactly a nail-biter, and the characters -- who exhibit courage and perseverance -- never really show any realistic effects of weeks of deprivation, making it a fairly "safe" experience, as survival stories go. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (21)
Kids say (16)

Based on 21 parent reviews

Skip the Movie, Read the Book

One scene spoils an otherwise good movie, what's the story.

In THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, a doctor named Ben ( Idris Elba ) and a photojournalist named Alex ( Kate Winslet ) survive a plane crash, only to find themselves injured and stranded in the high mountain wilderness. Along with a trusty dog, Alex and Ben use their intelligence and grit to try to reach civilization through a cold and hazardous environment. And despite her impending marriage and his mysterious past, the pair find themselves drawn to each other during their ordeal.

Is It Any Good?

This romantic drama is most compelling as a mild story of survival adventure. Contemporary romances often stumble over the first hurdle: Their dramatic obstacle. In this age of global communications and (presumed) enlightenment, what is there to keep true lovers apart? As the title implies, The Mountain Between Us comes with a fair-sized obstacle built in: The titular mountain, in winter, as the protagonists survive a plane crash atop it and struggle to descend it to civilization. So in this case, the apparent obstacle is actually what brings them together, sort of like Titanic , which also starred Winslet. Here, she plays plucky photojournalist Alex, opposite Elba as ingenious but calm neurosurgeon Ben. Alex's active nature is the catalyst to keep things moving, which is something, because otherwise the movie plays like Ben saving them, over and over.

Alex and Ben's struggle is interesting because survival stories are, by nature, interesting and because Winslet and Elba are excellent actors. They absolutely carry the movie, keeping the stakes high and the dangers real, even when the filmmaking tends toward the unfortunately sanitized. This isn't a gritty or harrowing experience à la Alive or The Grey . Physical and emotional realities are brushed aside in favor of a budding romance. Why, for instance, do we not see the effects of wind, snow, sun exposure, and starvation on Alex and Ben's faces and bodies as their ordeal stretches over a month? His ribs are broken, but he does a heck of a lot of stuff that would be difficult for a perfectly healthy, well-nourished person. And as even-keeled as they may be, Alex and Ben's language seems downright polite for folks facing what they think is certain death. Director Hany Abu-Assad (two-time Oscar nominee for Paradise Now and Omar ) does bravura work in the plane crash scene, which is presented as one continuous take. But when the characters aren't in danger of dying, their story tends toward schmaltz. Without an actual mountain between them (and survival), the obstacles keeping them apart lose their potency – and so does the film.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why they think the filmmakers of The Mountain Between Us chose not to show the realistically gritty side of the characters' extreme situation. Would showing the characters starving and in conflict have made their romance harder to believe?

How do the characters exhibit courage and perseverance ? Why are those important character strengths ?

Were you surprised at the direction Alex and Ben's relationship took during their ordeal? What would you have done differently in their situation?

Movie Details

In theaters : October 6, 2017
On DVD or streaming : December 26, 2017
Cast : Kate Winslet , Idris Elba , Dermot Mulroney
Director : Hany Abu-Assad
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Genre : Drama
Topics : Book Characters
Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
Run time : 103 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : a scene of sexuality, peril, injury images, and brief strong language
Last updated : December 2, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Into the Wild

The Red Turtle

Best Action Movies for Kids

Drama movies that tug at the heartstrings, related topics.

Perseverance
Book Characters

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

High anxiety … Kate Winslet and Idris Elba.

The Mountain Between Us review – Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in tall but tame story

There’s plenty of frowning and emoting as a photojournalist and a surgeon fly into trouble in this slightly dull high-altitude drama

T here’s a sparky and entertaining opening act to this romance-disaster movie, adapted by Chris Weitz and J Mills Goodloe from the novel by Charles Martin, and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, who gave us the challenging Palestinian movie Paradise Now in 2005. But after the main event, it becomes anticlimactic, even slightly dull, and in the final 10 minutes it fudges an emotional problem.

Kate Winslet plays Alex, a camera-wielding photojournalist whose work has appeared in the Guardian; she is rushing home to get married, but is stuck in an airport where storm warnings have cancelled all flights. So is surgeon Dr Ben Bass ( Idris Elba ), who needs to go to this same destination to perform an urgent operation. Resourceful, gutsy Alex approaches Ben with an idea: they can together charter a small plane, piloted by crusty old-timer Walter (Beau Bridges). But once they’re flying over the breathtaking mountain landscape, the storm moves in and they are soon in a terrible situation.

Elba and Winslet give it their frowning and emoting best, getting actorishly in each other’s eyelines. There’s a hair-raising scene with a cougar. But I never fully believed in their danger or their emotional connection. The drama has a soft, even tame landing.

Drama films
Romance films
Action and adventure films
Kate Winslet

Comments (…)

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Breaking news, n.y. appeals court overturns harvey weinstein rape conviction, ‘the mountain between us’: film review | tiff 2017.

Kate Winslet and Idris Elba star as two plane crash survivors who find their way to romance in 'The Mountain Between Us,' director Hany Abu-Assad's adaptation of Charles Martin's novel.

By Jordan Mintzer

Jordan Mintzer

Share this article on Facebook
Share this article on Twitter
Share this article on Flipboard
Share this article on Email
Show additional share options
Share this article on Linkedin
Share this article on Pinit
Share this article on Reddit
Share this article on Tumblr
Share this article on Whatsapp
Share this article on Print
Share this article on Comment

When Kate Winslet and Idris Elba play two strangers whose plane crashes in the middle of the Rockies, there’s one of two things that can happen: Either they’ll run out of food and wind up going all Alive on each other, or they’ll find some creative ways to keep warm.

Luckily for fans of crowd-pleasing epic romances, there seems to be just enough for them to eat in The Mountain Between Us , an easily digestible love story cum survival tale that tosses two excellent actors in the snow and lets them do their thing.

The Bottom Line A romance on the rocks that goes down smoothly enough.

Far from sophisticated, but filled with eye-popping locations and an eye-popping pair of performers who, in their best scenes, exude an almost Capra-esque whimsy in the face of grave danger, this Fox release should climb its way to decent returns when it hits theaters early October.

Adapted from the book by Charles Martin, Mountain marks the Hollywood debut of Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, whose features Paradise Now and Omar were both nominated for foreign-language film Oscars. While those two movies dealt specifically with the conflict in the Middle East, the 55-year-old filmmaker easily makes the transition here to, let us say, less substantial material — even if there’s nothing trivial about going down in a plane with the most attractive partner imaginable.

Winslet stars as Alex and Elba as Ben. She’s a daring photojournalist who’s not afraid to take a few plunges in life, while he’s an anal-retentive British neurosurgeon based in Baltimore. (Did Stringer Bell attend medical school?) When the two meet at Salt Lake City airport after their flight is cancelled, they charter a plane together so that Alex can make it to her own wedding and Ben can attend an important conference. It seems like a good idea for about two minutes until their pilot (Beau Bridges) drives them into a storm and then has what looks to be a stroke.

Down they go, crash-landing atop a range of snowy peaks with only a few packs of almonds and a dog that somehow survives along with them. Ben is less banged up than Alex, who busted her leg, but luckily the surgeon knows just how to fix it and also has the first aid kit to do so. By the time Alex recovers, they’re running out of food and need to make a decision: Do they wait for a search party or venture out into the wilderness?

The script by Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe smoothly jumps from one obstacle to the next as the two are brought closer and closer together, cuddling up for support (it’s cold out there!), especially when it seems like they’ll never make it out. Every so often, usually when things are just starting to look up, the writers throw in a major monkey wrench to up the stakes, with each hurdle helping to solder the would-be couple’s affection.

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

They get hit by cars for your amusement. will ‘the fall guy’ get them a little love, dermot mulroney says he “didn’t work for a year” due to ‘my best friend’s wedding’ movie poster, how ‘dìdi’ director sean wang’s bay area roots helped him make his feature debut, julia garner joins josh brolin in zach cregger’s horror thriller ‘weapons’, amc theatres’ new distribution business hires fandango veteran stephanie terifay, rebel wilson’s memoir to be published in u.k. with sacha baron cohen passages redacted.

Supported by

Review: Love in a Cold Climate in ‘The Mountain Between Us’

Share full article

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Oct. 5, 2017

To watch the magnetic Idris Elba trudge through a monumental dud like “The Mountain Between Us” is almost physically painful. Paired with an aloof Kate Winslet — with whom he has less chemistry than he did with Wood Harris , who played his business partner on “The Wire” — he works very hard to appear oblivious to the script’s many idiocies. He does not succeed.

A disaster movie by any definition, this sappy adaptation of Charles Martin’s 2010 novel places Ben (Mr. Elba), a melancholy neurosurgeon, on a charter plane to Denver with Alex (Ms. Winslet), a supremely irritating photojournalist. Having joined forces when their commercial flight from Idaho was grounded by a storm, the two are further dismayed when their folksy pilot (Beau Bridges) suffers a stroke and smashes them into a snowy peak. Now they have to rescue not just themselves, but the pilot’s golden Labrador — which has no name and, apparently, no appetite.

Caught between the harsh demands of a survival story and the emotional beats of a romantic drama, the director, Hany Abu-Assad, grabs hold of neither. As the pair traipse to safety, artifice rules: A cougar is dispatched with shameless ease; an abandoned cabin manifests just in time to save a life and — almost three weeks into their ordeal — allow the couple to enjoy what is almost certainly malodorous sex. I half expected them to discover the fixings for a full English breakfast.

On the upside, the frozen landscapes (shot in Canada by Mandy Walker ) are lovely, and the dog is adorable. It’s incredible that neither one of our starving lovers thought to eat it.

Rated PG-13. Someone ought to have placed a mountain between them. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

As “Sex and the City” became more widely available on Netflix, younger viewers have watched it with a critical eye . But its longtime millennial and Gen X fans can’t quit.

Hoa Xuande had only one Hollywood credit when he was chosen to lead “The Sympathizer,” the starry HBO adaptation of a prize-winning novel. He needed all the encouragement he could get .

Even before his new film “Civil War” was released, the writer-director Alex Garland faced controversy over his vision of a divided America with Texas and California as allies.

Theda Hammel’s directorial debut, “Stress Positions,” a comedy about millennials weathering the early days of the pandemic , will ask audiences to return to a time that many people would rather forget.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime and Hulu to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Toronto Film Review: ‘The Mountain Between Us’

After a plane crash, Kate Winslet and Idris Elba discover their only chance of staying alive is sticking together. But what happens after?

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

‘The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady’ Review: Eva Green Surprises in French Blockbuster’s Less-Than-Faithful Finale 7 days ago
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Review: Henry Cavill Leads a Pack of Inglorious Rogues in Guy Ritchie’s Spirited WWII Coup 1 week ago
‘Challengers’ Review: Zendaya and Company Smash the Sports-Movie Mold in Luca Guadagnino’s Tennis Scorcher 2 weeks ago

An odd choice of American studio project from Dutch/Palestinian director — and two-time Oscar foreign-language nominee — Hany Abu-Assad (“Paradise Now,” “Omar”), “The Mountain Between Us” begins with a spectacular disaster, as a private plane crash-lands atop a snow-covered ridge in what’s known as the High Uintas Wilderness in northern Utah. It’s all downhill from there, literally, as Kate Winslet , Idris Elba and the dead pilot’s dog attempt to make their way back to civilization.

Between its beautiful stars and panoramic vistas, this gorgeous-looking Fox production offers plenty of scenery to ogle, but not much else for the brain to do while Winslet and Elba alternately bicker and bond in what amounts to a fairly routine wilderness trek — minus wolves, avalanches, frostbite or any of the challenges that typically make such things interesting. Instead, true to the eminently skimmable novel on which it’s based (Charles Martin writes like a child. In sentences without subjects. Or verbs.), the central questions are, first, whether the pair will survive, and then, more bizarrely, whether the experience will forge them into a romantic couple.

To that, you could add: Will you cry? Maybe. Director Abu-Assad and screenwriters Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe certainly want to flush those tears right outta your ducts, although they don’t seem to understand — or maybe they just aren’t especially interested in — the themes that Martin was attempting to explore when he wrote the book, which focuses more on how difficult it can be to live up to the traditional ideals of love and marriage.

Popular on Variety

Whereas the book is told from the POV of Elba’s character, a neurosurgeon named Ben who needs to get to Denver to perform an urgent surgery, the movie slightly favors Winslet, who’s rushing to her wedding, which is scheduled for the following day. Not like anyone will object, but she’s a lot different from the character Martin describes in the book, a columnist for women’s magazines named Ashley: “Think Winona Ryder in ‘Girl, Interrupted.’ Or Julia Ormond in Harrison Ford’s remake of ‘Sabrina,’” he writes. “Or Kate Winslet, when Margot Robbie and Rosamund Pike drop out of the project,” he might have added.

Clearly, there were many other options of how the central couple might have looked. Here, Winslet’s character has been rechristened and reconceived as Alex, a headstrong photojournalist, and the one to charter the plane into the storm. That sounds like a bad idea by any measure, but as it turns out, the storm isn’t a problem. It’s their pilot (Beau Bridges) that Ben and Alex ought to be worried about. In one virtuoso shot, Abu-Assad moves fore and aft in the tiny plane, rotating 180 degrees a couple times before taking his place in the cockpit, from which things go handheld as the pilot’s heart gives out, the tail rips off and the plane begins its terrifying descent.

When they come to, Alex’s leg is fractured and Ben has a nasty wound on his side that looks like internal bleeding. The dog is OK. Repeat, the dog is OK. Alex invokes the “Rule of Three”: People can survive three days without water, three hours without shelter and three minutes without air. But here’s another rule, this one for screenwriters: Give the audience some sense of the journey’s scope. How long do the characters survive? No clue. How far must they walk to the nearest sign of civilization? No idea.

In the book, the answers are more than four weeks and 50 miles, though the filmmakers have a bigger challenge with another: Will they fall in love? They’re a man and a woman in a movie with no other actors for 90% of its running time, so you do the math. (If it were just Ben and the dog, the outcome might be a bit more mysterious.) Eventually, Ben and Alex realize their only chance of staying alive is sticking together. But what happens after?

Script shortcomings aside, Winslet and Elba make a reasonably good couple. He’s far manlier than practically any of the other male stars working today, but etched with a sensitive side that comes out when it’s finally revealed why he seems less concerned about his wife than she does her fiancé. And Winslet can be tough: After all, she survived the sinking of the Titanic, so it’ll take more than plunging through the surface of a frozen to stop her here. If only they took the opportunity of all this time together getting to know one another — or revealing how such a shared trauma can really impact human beings.

As icy plane crashes go, this one pales next to “Alive” or “The Grey,” while in terms of character insight, it’s got nothing on Julia Loktev’s “The Loneliest Planet” from a few years back. Whereas “The Mountain Between Us” was adapted from 300-odd semi-literate pages of three- and four-word sentences (Wilson’s prose makes Dan Brown sound like David Foster Wallace), Loktev’s film found more depth in a short story called “Expensive Trips Nowhere.” Incidentally, that would have been a perfect title for a movie in which neither the subzero temperature nor the romantic heat penetrates more than skin deep.

Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Gala), Sept. 9, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 104 MIN.

Production: A Twentieth Century Fox release of a Fox 2000 presentation of a Chernin Entertainment production. Producers: Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, David Ready. Executive producers: Becki Trujillo, Fred Berger.
Crew: Director: Hany Abu-Assad. Screenplay: J. Mills Goodloe, Chris Weitz, based on the novel by Charles Martin. Camera (color, widescren): Mandy Walker. Editor: Lee Percy. Music: Ramin Djawadi.
With: Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, Beau Bridges, Dermot Mulroney.

More From Our Brands

Harvey weinstein rape conviction overturned by new york appeals court, an aspen estate sells for $108 million, becoming colorado’s most expensive residential sale, the coyotes are now inactive. their sports betting license is not, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, harvey weinstein’s rape conviction overturned by new york appeals court, verify it's you, please log in.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

User Ratings
External Reviews
Metacritic Reviews
Full Cast and Crew
Release Dates
Official Sites
Company Credits
Filming & Production
Technical Specs
Plot Summary
Plot Keywords
Parents Guide

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits
Alternate Versions
Connections
Soundtracks

Photo & Video

Photo Gallery
Trailers and Videos

Movie Review – The Mountain Between Us (2017)

September 27, 2017 by Robert Kojder

The Mountain Between Us , 2017.

Directed by Hany Abu-Assad. Starring Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Dermot Mulroney, and Beau Bridges.

Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.

Survival films are always a tricky execution from a narrative standpoint, as audiences need believable and legitimately understanding reasons as to why the central characters are stranded and in peril. Otherwise, what’s left is two hours of moviegoer checking their watches, languidly dying of boredom while cheering on every death as it means the picture is one step closer to its conclusion. The Mountain Between Us (based on the novel of the same name by Charles Martin) suffers from that tragic fate; it’s not that the two strangers played by Idris Elba and Kate Winslet don’t have respectable reasons for banding together and charting a plane to each of their destinations in the wake of canceled flights thanks to a raging storm (one is a neurosurgeon set to operate on a young child while the other is a journalist set to get married the next morning), but they do make their own bed so to speak, meaning I don’t really care when they are forced to lie in it.

However, winning performances from the aforementioned leading stars slowly but surely reel us into their sympathies. It’s not exactly subtle, but there is a juxtaposition between Ben (Idris Elba) and Alex (Kate Winslet) presenting the passionate and successful doctor as a man of practicality and logistics, with Alex being the reckless risk-taker. Not long before they crash into the freezing cold (which is an unintentionally hilarious sequence with distractingly convenient writing to get characters from point A to B) surrounded by mountains are the unlikely pair bickering over whether to stay holed up inside the wreckage where they have about a weeks worth of food along with a fire made, or trek out into the unknown in search of any form of human contact. Also in the mix is a lovable Yellow Lab who proves to be rather useful although occasionally runs off, sometimes causing problems. The geography also might as well be a character, as some of the locations are truly beautiful and utilize CGI only when necessary.

Strong acting can’t really make up for how sanitized The Mountain Between Us feels for a film about preserving life amidst harsh living conditions. Maybe it’s because yesterday I watched Jungle , which stars Daniel Radcliffe and a group of Amazonian explorers stranded, which isn’t afraid to toss in some gross-out sequences and depict a more brutal side of human nature when faced with the choice of life or death. Here, there are some cuts and other minor bloody injuries (Alex requires makeshift crutches just to walk), but nothing that truly stands out at testing their will to continue perishing. Even the subzero temperatures don’t come across as a major factor, as instead, the bodies of Ben and Alex acclimatize to the conditions. Not everything has to be The Revenant , but outside the performances, the actual surviving goes through some generic motions. Outside of one frightening dance with death that sees Ben reaching into some frosty water to pull Alex’s unconscious body out after falling through the ice, it’s all rather tame.

Reason being is that The Mountain Between Us is equally focused on functioning as a competent romantic drama. After a while, it becomes clear that the phrase “opposites attract”is taking effect, with love blooming and sexual tension in the barely breathable air. To the film’s credit, it’s also done in a very reserved and understated manner, that is until the last third, which is where The Mountain Between Us falls right off a cliff, dipping down from a serviceable tale of inspirational survival into over the top, melodrama cheese. It practically becomes a different movie, taking forever to end, and when it does there’s a pop-love song by Zayn and Sia…

Some moviegoers are also going to take issue with the gender dynamics, which essentially has Ben protecting Alex and saving her from danger on multiple occasions. She’s not exactly given much to do, and even once she does have a moment to repay the favor and become Ben’s savior, it feels like a half-assed throwaway gesture. Still, her spirit to not give up and continue walking through frozen terrain on unsteady crutches is admirable in its own way.

The Mountain Between Us works when it’s accounting for how different yet understanding of each other these two warriors are, showcasing gorgeous landscapes from both ground-level and aerial viewpoints, or upping the threat level. Even so, it probably wouldn’t work at all without the talents of Idris Elba and Kate Winslet. Flaws aside, the filmmakers were onto something, and then seemingly self-sabotaged the project by dialing up the sentimental love aspects to overkill. Even if they had kept the ending sequence to a bare minimum of five minutes and not for what has to be around 15, it would have been forgivable. Hell, it might have simply flat-out worked. Anyway, unless you actively want The Mountain Between Us to sour, just leave the auditorium; you’ll know when it’s time.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed

The passion of the christ at 20: mel gibson’s controversial biblical film revisited, house of the dragon season 2: how long does aegon ii targaryen stay on the throne in the books, 5 underrated jean-claude van damme movies.

The Essential Modern Conspiracy Thriller Movies

Overlooked Horror Actors and Their Best Performance

13 Obscure Horror Movies You Need to See

The Essential Films of John Woo

Ranking Every Friday the 13th Movie From Worst to Best

Why is CGI Getting Worse?

Comic Books
Video Games
Toys & Collectibles
Articles and Opinions
About Flickering Myth
Write for Flickering Myth
Advertise on Flickering Myth
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

The Mountain Between Us Review

06 Oct 2017

112 minutes

The Mountain Between Us

Survival against the elements is big this month. Daniel Radcliffe is lost in a jungle in Jungle , Josh Hartnett is battling sub-zero temperatures in 6 Below , and Kate Winslet and Idris Elba have several mountains, a forest, and a frozen lake between them, and a civilisation in The Mountain Between Us .

It’s this two-hander that’s the strongest of the three (check the star ratings), possibly because it’s the only one not hamstrung by having to stay faithful to a true story. Any moment it feels as though the energy’s dwindling — boom! Kate Winslet can grab a flare gun to shoot a hostile cougar in the face.

A likeable, witty, romantic adventure film.

Winslet is Alex Martin, a photojournalist trying to get back to New York from Salt Lake City for her wedding the next day. When an incoming storm grounds all flights out of the airport she recruits similarly stranded passenger Ben Bass (Elba), who she overhears telling the airline staff he urgently needs to get back to perform a surgery, to hire a small private plane to take them home. But the plane crashes, the pilot dies and the two of them (plus the pilot’s dog) are stranded on a snowy mountain in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness. What follows is a tale of survival and, eventually — between the two human survivors, at least — romance.

That this doubles as a love story means that the film doesn’t dwell on survival techniques or the grimness of their situation. And the pair rarely focus on their likely deaths. The script, co-written by Chris Weitz (co-writer of About A Boy ) and J. Mills Goodloe, is instead mostly content to have them bicker, bond or flirt as the situation dictates. That this works at all is down to the two actors. Elba has been underutilised as a romantic lead but, with his easy charm and charisma (and, let’s not kid ourselves, incredible looks), he’s ideal for the role. And it’s refreshing to see him paired with an actress (within a couple of years of) his own age, rather than — as is far more common — 20 years his junior.

But there is still peril, and not just from that cougar. Winslet appears to be channelling Rose from Titanic — Alex’s every instinct seemingly leading the pair into danger, whether it’s wanting to climb down an unscalable cliff face or sending Ben to find where the dog’s run off to. It’s a good job Ben is medically trained, because she’d be dead several times over without him. And every problem is quickly solved, whether it’s a lack of food, a hunt for shelter or Alex being unable to walk — Ben simply drags her behind him across the snow as though she’s a sled. It’s an engaging journey, but not unpredictable — moments of adversity are followed by moments of triumph until their journey comes to an end.

And, despite Alex having a fiancé she was a day away from marrying (who’s presumably frantic with worry for her — although we never see the outside world), you’ll be rooting for them to get together. Whether that’s a good idea or not (Sandra Bullock’s warning in Speed that “relationships based on intense experiences never work” suggests not) becomes moot. There’s a grittier version of this story, with a deeper examination of the morals involved, but that’s not what director Hany Abu-Assad wanted to make. This

is a likeable, witty, romantic adventure film and on those virtues, it succeeds.

Movies | 15 10 2017

Movies | 08 10 2017

Movies | 04 10 2017

Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in The Mountain Between Us

Movies | 31 05 2017

Movies | 30 05 2017

Become a Critical Movie Critic
Movie Review Archives

Movie Review: The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Doug Hennessy
Movie Reviews
No responses
--> November 2, 2017

The heated romantic passion of Charles Martin’s best-selling romance novel “The Mountain Between Us,” turns lukewarm in its cinematic version of the same name that stars Kate Winslet (“ Collateral Beauty ”) and Idris Elba (“ The Dark Tower ”) as a couple of strangers stranded in the frigid high-mountain snow of the Rocky Mountains.

Alex Martin (an excellent Winslet), is a photojournalist trying to get from the west coast to Denver to transfer to a New York flight so she can get to her wedding on time. Big storms have canceled her flight, however. But, there just happens to be, right nearby, Ben Bass (Elba), a surgeon looking to desperately get back to New York so he can operate on a ten-year-old boy.

The two team up, charter a flight for Denver with Beau Bridges (“ The Descendants ”) at the stick, and off they go only to crash in the middle of nowhere high up in the ice and snow-crested mountains. And because there was no flight plan registered, their hope of rescue is near nonexistent.

Their struggle for survival against the elements, injuries and each other is a story that mixes two genres: Dramatic romance and survival adventure. The two leads go for broke with Chris Weitz’s and J. Mills Goodloe’s tepid script, but are a pleasure to watch nonetheless, as they struggle along in the waist-deep snow, chasing away cougars and falling through the ice in frozen lakes. Director Hany Abu-Assad (“The Courier”) with cinematographer Mandy Walker (“ Red Riding Hood ”), provides plenty of mountain vistas to emphasize the vast and desperate loneliness of Ben and Alex to great effect. The trouble comes as the audience senses how the actors, director, and cinematographer are adding more sensuality and depth to the story than the script can allow (these aspects work better on a tropical island; although a comedy, see “Six Days Seven Nights” as an example).

The survival adventure of The Mountain Between Us is what keeps us watching. The fizzling romance just seems to go along like a bullet-point presentation for government accountability. First this happens, then that happens and next comes this, simply because the plot requires it to to keep things marching forward. Nothing seems to grow organically out of the unique individualism of the characters, so there isn’t any Hepburn/Bogart, “The African Queen” character-driven fireworks in this romantic adventure.

And that’s a real shame. The script stifles Winslet’s and Elba’s superior talents, leaving the audience wishing for so much more than the actors — even though they are admirably trying — are able to give.

Tagged: accident , airplane , couple , novel adaptation , survival

Critic of movies. Board member of film festivals. All around great guy.

Movie Review: Wonderstruck (2017) Movie Review: Columbus (2017) Movie Review: Detroit (2017) Movie Review: The Hero (2017) Movie Review: Beatriz at Dinner (2017) Movie Review: Megan Leavey (2017)

'Movie Review: The Mountain Between Us (2017)' has no comments

| Log in

Screen Rant

The mountain between us review.

Winslet and Elba give it their all, but The Mountain Between Us is an absurd and forgettable affair that leaves little impact with viewers.

Photojournalist Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) is in desperate need to fly back home from an assignment in Idaho because she's set to be married soon. Unfortunately, her commercial flight is canceled due to inclement weather, and she has to decide between missing her wedding or finding a solution to her problem. While trying to think of an idea, Alex overhears the pleas of neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Bass (Idris Elba), who has to return to Baltimore to perform an operation. Offering help, Alex lands Ben a spot on a charter flight she booked with pilot Walter (Beau Bridges).

Shortly after takeoff, the incoming storm makes flight conditions quite hazardous, and despite Walter's best efforts, the plane crashes in the snow-covered mountains. Injured and stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way to contact the outside world, Alex and Ben are forced to work together to find a way back to civilization before they succumb to the harsh conditions of the wilderness.

Though marketed more as a survival thriller, The Mountain Between Us is in actuality a blending of two different genres, as it is an adaptation of Charles Martin's romance novel of the same name. It attempts to tell a story of blossoming love between two strangers as they endure a trying ordeal with each other, but unfortunately, it comes up short of achieving those goals. Winslet and Elba give it their all, but The Mountain Between Us is an absurd and forgettable affair that makes little impact with viewers.

The script, credited to Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe, is where most of the problems lie, as the writing team is unable to strike the proper balance between its two subplots. Little time is put into developing a believable and compelling dynamic between Alex and Ben to sell audiences on the romance, and the stakes of the survival element arguably aren't severe enough to put people on the edge of their seats. While the perils of the situation (i.e. limited food and resources) are frequently underscored, The Mountain Between Us never full commits to the bit, and the contrived romance that forms saps some of the energy out of this angle. Instead of a more realistic story of two people thrown together in an extraordinary circumstance, the film stretches credibility to the point where the intended emotional beats fall flat. A predictable trajectory is followed, with few expectations subverted.

In addition to storytelling shortcomings, the roles of Alex and Ben are very thin, with minimal effort put into their characterizations. In the beginning, the film tries to pit them as mismatched personalities (Ben is more practical while Alex is reckless), but it's more of a way to manufacture cheap tension between the two than anything else. The two are more vessels for viewers to experience the story vicariously through, rather than three-dimensional, fully formed individuals. This can be effective at times, but the approach prevents The Mountain Between Us from forming a meaningful emotional connection with the audience. Most of the time, viewers are simply watching two famous actors trek their way through the snow, and the pacing drags as a result. The film also overstays its welcome - even with a runtime of less than two hours - with a third act that crawls along and tacks on multiple endings.

As expected, Elba and Winslet do all they can to elevate the material, and they're mostly successful. Their chemistry may not light up the screen, but they still make for a nice couple and keep the proceedings as engaging as they can. Of course, both have delivered more effective turns in their respective careers, but the faults of The Mountain Between Us are a byproduct of the writing more than weak acting. In a film like this, the supporting cast is going to be small, but Bridges sports some good old-fashioned charm in his small role as Walter. Winslet and Elba also get ample opportunity to play off Walter's dog, who is very much the "Steven Seagull" of this story - the animal companion who offers good company for the humans during their journey. Admittedly, the dog doesn't add much of substance to the film, but he makes for a fun presence on the big screen.

From a technical perspective, The Mountain Between Us is competently made. Director Hany Abu-Assad doesn't do anything groundbreaking with the camera, but his shot selection and use of wide angles makes for imagery that convincingly illustrates Alex and Ben's isolation and establishes the geography of the mountainous landscape. He and his team deserve credit for taking the time to shoot most of the movie on-location in unforgiving temperatures, which helps ground the film in something tangible. Granted, this is no Revenant in terms of filmmaking achievement, but Abu-Assad and cinematographer Mandy Walker craft eye-catching scenery that at times can show just how beautiful the mountains are (under different circumstances, of course).

In the end, The Mountain Between Us makes for a standard, unmemorable time at the movies. Even with a pair of awards-worthy actors headlining, the script leaves too much to be desired in order for it to go down as the next great cinematic romance. Fans of the book may enjoy seeing the story brought to life on the big screen with the likes of Elba and Winslet, but this ultimately is going to have a very niche appeal as it tries to stand out amongst the bigger fall releases. Those looking for a harmless date night outing could be inclined to check it out, but it's unlikely to become a breakout success.

The Mountain Between Us is now playing in U.S. theaters. It runs 104 minutes and is rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality, peril, injury images, and brief strong language.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

Key Release Dates

The mountain between us.

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

DVD & Streaming

The Mountain Between Us

Action/Adventure , Drama , Mystery/Suspense

Content Caution

In Theaters

October 6, 2017
Idris Elba as Ben Bass; Kate Winslet as Alex Martin; Beau Bridges as Walter; Dermot Mulroney as Mark

Home Release Date

December 26, 2017
Hany Abu-Assad

Distributor

20th Century Fox

Movie Review

As a general rule, you should never, ever, under any circumstance crawl into a small plane if you’re a character in a movie.

Alex and Ben didn’t get the memo.

Professional photographer Alex Martin and neurosurgeon Ben Bass find themselves stranded in Salt Lake City after their flight to Denver is canceled due to an incoming winter storm. Both desperately need to reach their respective destinations. Alex is getting married the next day in Denver. And Ben has a life-or-death brain surgery to perform on a 10-year-old boy. Both are equally irate when their flight’s passenger service agent informs them all other flights have been canceled, too.

A phone call later, Alex asks Ben, whom she’s never met, to come with her. Minutes later they wander into a hanger with a small plane and a pilot who’s willing to fly them to Denver.

He’s an old-school kind of guy. A fly-by-sight, no-need-to-file-a-flight-plan kind of guy. Kinda like, say, crop dusting.

For that matter, he’s also just old , too.

Walter’s pleasantly chatting up his customers when he suffers a stroke as they soar over mountains that look as if no human being has ever set foot on them. The stroke doesn’t kill him. But the crash atop a lonely, snow-covered mountain peak soon does.

Apart from some facial abrasions and a cut on his abdomen, Ben’s none the worse for wear. Alex, however, has a bloody gash on one of her legs. She doesn’t wake up for 36 hours, during which the good doctor tends to her injuries.

But when she does awaken, she and Ben have a decision to make: to stay put and wait for a rescue, or to strike out into the wintry wilderness in the hope that they can make their way to some outpost of civilization.

Cerebral, control-focused Ben believes their best chance of survival hinges upon staying put. Alex, however, is a woman guided by instinct and intuition. Neither of those discernment organs are telling her to stick around. “Look, I don’t want to die up here because you’re too scared to take a risk,” she says. “I don’t want to die because you’re reckless and selfish,” he retorts.

And that’s just the first dilemma—but by no means the last—they’ll have to solve if they’re going to escape a cold, permanent fate on the mountain.

Positive Elements

The Mountain Between Us generates much of its dramatic tension not only from the desperate circumstances Ben and Alex unwittingly find themselves in, but from their different problem-solving strategies. Ben is cautions, calculating, conservative. Alex? She’s an emotional, gut-level decision maker. Each passionately tries to convince the other of the merits of their respective plans. Neither is fully convinced.

Eventually they go. And as their cold days in the wilderness stretch into weeks, they slowly begin to see the merit in the other person’s way of approaching the situation. Ben and Alex don’t relate very well at first. But as they repeatedly risk their lives for each other and face the grim prospect of starving and/or freezing to death, they develop a deep bond. (More on that in Sexual Content.) They take turns mutually encouraging each other when one or the other is struggling emotionally.

Ben harbors hard secrets that Alex tries diligently to get him to talk about. Eventually he confides that he’s experienced a tragedy that he couldn’t control. Ben’s determination to maintain control is shown to be both his greatest asset and his greatest personal liability. Similarly, Alex’s headstrong, emotional nature is also shown to be a character trait that has advantages and disadvantages in certain situations.

Spiritual Elements

As Ben buries Walter in a snowy grave, he says, “God bless you.” He also says, “God knows,” “thank God,” and “thank God you’re back” (the latter after Alex loses consciousness after a crisis). Later in the film, he talks about how our bodies respond to intense physical traumas, saying, “It’s quite ingenious what God did. Your body figures it out.”

Sexual Content

Early on, Alex makes a joke about Ben looking up her skirt as he tends to her wounded leg. They lie down next to each other to sleep in order to stay warm.

Late in the film, Ben and Alex discover a dilapidated and long-abandoned cabin where they hole up for a time. In an emotional moment, they kiss. Then more. The ensuing, steamy scene pictures clothes removed and bodies mingled. Nudity is strategically avoided. But movements, groping and sounds are heard in a sex scene that is nevertheless surprisingly explicit for a PG-13 film. Afterward, he’s shown shirtless, and she’s wearing a nearly see-through shirt without a bra.

[ Spoiler Warning ] After Alex and Ben successfully make it out of the wilderness alive, she calls off her wedding and the entire relationship with her fiancé, Mark. She eventually finds Ben (who, being British, is back in London) and confides that their experience together ultimately changed her too much for her to stay with Mark. A separate scene pictures him showering. (We see his upper torso.) Near the film’s end, Alex and Ben kiss passionately again.

Violent Content

The plane crash is pretty much a standard-issue movie plane crash: violent, jarring, lots of stuff flying around. It knocks everyone out. (Permanently, in Walter’s case.) When Ben and Alex finally awaken, they find that Alex’s leg is badly injured. (Her face is pretty beaten up too, for that matter.) We never really see the leg wound up close, but it’s implied that it’s a bad one. Ben splints it, and Alex uses a makeshift crutch to help her move. Ben has a nasty wound on his stomach and lacerations on his face.

Alex eventually has a close encounter with a prowling mountain lion, which she shoots with a flare gun. That does the cat in (Ben finds its corpse, field dresses it, and uses the meat to keep them alive), but not before the cat does a number on the third member of Alex and Ben’s party: Walter’s dog. We hear the cat and dog tangle, and the pooch returns with an ear that’s been badly chewed up. We watch Ben stitch it up as the poor pup whines.

Someone ends up falling through a frozen lake and nearly dies. Another character has a painful encounter with a bear trap. And the couple’s trek through the snow and wild is full of tension and suspense. Ben jerry-rigs an IV of sorts to help Alex stay hydrated, and we see him pierce a vein in her arm.

Crude or Profane Language

One f-word. Nine s-words. About 10 misuses each of God’s name (once paired with “d–n”) as well as Jesus’ name. We hear one use each of “a–,” “d–mit” and “h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Several characters drink alcohol (beer, wine) at a party and at a restaurant. Alex talks about taking Advil for her pain.

Other Negative Elements

We hear Alex urinate and see the contents (in a bowl) being dumped in the snow. Later she talks about needing to “pee.”

Alex finds Ben’s digital audo recorder and listens to a message from a woman in Ben’s past. Alex feels guilty for doing so, but she obviously feels justified in snooping because he doesn’t tell her much about himself for some time. Ultimately, he catches her listening, which prompts him to share more of his painful story (after he yells at her for snooping through his stuff).

Why do survival stories fascinate us? After all, they tend to be pretty linear, plot-wise: People in a plane crash. People struggle to survive. Perhaps it’s because these life-or-death dramas invite us to vicariously project ourselves into them, to wonder what we might do in a similarly desperate situation.

The Mountain Between Us (based on Charles Martin’s 2010 novel of the same name) plays on that question by giving us characters who answer it in two radically different ways. Ben wants to stay put. Alex wants to go. And for me at least, that section of the movie felt the most compelling, the most believable. What would I do in that circumstance? I wondered. I’m not sure, actually.

But once Alex and Ben set off through the snow to find, well, anyone , things kind of fell apart for me. I kept noticing stuff they suddenly have that they didn’t seem to have before, kept being distracted by nagging questions about the story’s believability. Where did he get those great boots? I wondered. Where did that blanket come from? Is it really that easy to make a big fire in the middle of the winter? Wouldn’t hypothermia kill you pretty quickly if you fell through a frozen lake and were submerged for a couple of minutes?

Then Alex and Ben have spontaneous, surprisingly explicit sex for a PG-13 movie. From there, The Mountain Between Us feels less like a survival story and more like a Nicholas Sparks movie (albeit one where no one dies in the end). Toss in quite a bit of profanity—including quite a few misuses of Jesus’ name—and this movie has as many content concerns as it has difficult-to-believe plot points.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

Latest Reviews

Unsung Hero

Challengers

Boy Kills World

Spy x Family Code: White

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

‘The Mountain Between Us’ Review: Falling in Love with Idris Elba Is the Only Logical Conclusion

The survival drama eventually morphs into a romance, and you can’t really blame it when you consider the male lead.

The Mountain Between Us is all about pragmatic decisions. Rather than resort to embellishing a survival drama, it simply goes about its business, trying to put the audience in the shoes of two strangers who must figure out how to find their way back to civilization after a plane crash. It even goes so far as to explain why they didn’t call anyone before their plane took off, so literally no one knows where they are. It makes them the only two people in the world, and in that scenario, it’s really only a matter of time before you fall in love with a dreamy doctor played by Idris Elba . All of the will-they, won’t-they tension kind of goes out the window when that guy is your male lead, and like every decision made by the characters, it’s the perfectly logical one.

Alex ( Kate Winslet ) is a photojournalist who needs to fly home ASAP because her wedding is tomorrow*; Ben (Elba) is a neurosurgeon who needs to fly home ASAP because he has a surgery he needs to perform the following morning. With the airport basically shut down due to weather, Alex overhears Ben’s predicament and offers a way to help. They make their way to a private carrier who offers to get them to another airport where they can catch their flights. When the pilot ( Beau Bridges ) suffers a stroke and the plane crashes, Ben, Alex, and the pilot’s dog are the only survivors. Initially staying put due to Alex’s broken leg and the hope that they’ll be found, the pair eventually realizes they must make their way down the mountain and find civilization if they’re to have any hope of being rescued.

Rather than launch into the romance between Alex, who is about to get married, and Ben, who is clearly reluctant to talk about his wife for some ominous reason, director Hany Abu-Assad puts more emphasis getting his characters situated in their environment, showing the isolation of the pair with gorgeous shots of the mountains. Although Alex and Ben are clearly in survival mode and we don’t envy their circumstances, the way Abu-Assad captures the scenery makes it a bit of a stretch to say they’re “roughing it” when everything looks so stunning. The characters are never pelted with a blizzard and we never see fingers about to rot off from frostbite. Alex even points out that water will never be a problem because they can just melt the snow. It’s a survival story, but with Ben as a doctor, it’s never one where you feel the characters are in any immediate danger.

That’s not to say that The Mountain Between Us lacks stakes, but rather those stakes come from the relationship between Ben and Alex and how much they can open up to each other. On the one hand, we know they’re not going to separate, but they each have different, reasonable approaches to survival. Alex thinks they need to get moving, while Ben thinks they should stay put. Once they start moving, they have new obstacles to face. And then there’s the question of whether or not they’ll end up falling for each other.

Except that’s really not that much of a question. It’s Idris Elba. I’m a straight dude who’s getting married in a few weeks, and even I was like, “He’s a doctor, he’s got the charm of Idris Elba, and he’s trying to save her life. How are they not making out yet?” I’m not saying that Alex should leave her fiancée after only a few weeks of being stranded on a mountain with Ben, but I understand.

If you take The Mountain Between Us more as a romance than a survival drama, it works much better because it’s not really interested in the hard choices and narrow escapes that a survival film requires. After all, in a movie with only two people (and a dog), it’s not like one of them is going to die halfway through from hypothermia. It’s all about the relationship, and when Idris Elba plays one-half of that relationship, it’s pretty easy to get on board.

*Out of all the elements of this movie, this one strained credulity the most. People tend not to fly when they’ve got their own wedding scheduled for the following day.

Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Altitude adjustment, connect with us.

Support The Show

Find Family Movies, Movie Ratings and Movie Reviews

The Mountain Between Us Parent Guide

Nothing like an airplane crash to get you to overcome obstacles..

When Alex Martin and Ben Bass (Kate Winslet and Idris Elba) survive a plane crash, the two are forced to work together and learn to trust one another.

Release date October 6, 2017

Run Time: 112 minutes

Official Movie Site

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by donna gustafson.

It is the day before Alex Martin’s (Kate Winslet) wedding, and the bride-to-be is anxious to get home from a photo-journalist assignment in time to walk down the aisle. Dr. Ben Bass (Idris Elba) is just leaving a medical conference and needs to be back by morning to perform a complicated surgery. Both find themselves grounded at the airport due to a pending snowstorm.

Undeterred by the weather forecast, Alex puts her can-do attitude into high gear and charters a private plane to get around the problem. Having overheard Ben’s plight at the ticket desk, she offers the stranger the seconded seat on her flight. It is a creative, cost-sharing work-around that Alex is almost proud of – until the pilot (Beau Bridges) starts having a stroke while the trio (plus one dog) are soaring over a desolate stretch of mountain tops somewhere between Idaho and Colorado.

It comes down to conflicting opinions. Alex thinks they should pack up and start walking towards civilization – even though she has no idea where that may be and she only has one good leg. Ben is sure it is smarter to stay put and wait for rescue – even though he knows the pilot never posted a flight plan. Yet as time goes by, and their meager food rations dwindle, his responsible approach begins to look less logical, and her reckless one more courageous.

Most of the movie depicts the pair’s harrowing and hobbling descent, where they encounter extreme temperatures, hungry wildlife, slippery slopes and thin ice. All the while Alex and Ben are contending with starvation and dehydration too. Despite their differences, one thing becomes abundantly clear: sticking together is the best chance either of them has for survival.

Family viewers expecting a wilderness endurance test won’t be surprised by the sense of peril evoked by the cliffhanger plot nor the few profanities (plus one sexual expletive) that escape during tense times. Of course, the audience also knows they will have cuddle together to stay warm. However, they may not anticipate this couple finding an opportunity for a long sexual interlude, nor the amount of detail the passionate portrayal includes. (You’ll see kissing, undressing, fondling and facial expressions that would have come with sexual sounds if the musical score hadn’t drowned them out.)

Giving as much screen time to the emotional journey as the struggle against the relentless elements, the story manages to stay engaging despite its manipulation of societal commitments (like engagement and marriage) and physical obstructions (like the rugged landscape). It puts the spotlight on Ben’s self-sacrifice and Alex’s dogged determination. For these characters, as well as in real life, these personal traits prove important ingredients for navigating natural calamities and affairs of the heart.

About author

Donna Gustafson

The mountain between us rating & content info.

Why is The Mountain Between Us rated PG-13? The Mountain Between Us is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for a scene of sexuality, peril, injury images, and brief strong language.

Page last updated December 26, 2017

The Mountain Between Us Parents' Guide

News about "the mountain between us".

This movie is based on the book The Mountain Between Us , by Charles Martin . While the script makes some changes from the original story, the premise remains the same: two strangers must rely on one another after they survive an airplane crash and are stranded on a high mountain. Have you ever wondered how you would do in similar circumstances? Improve your chances by reading theses tips about survival in cold weather . From the Studio: Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across hundreds of miles of wilderness, pushing one another to endure and discovering strength they never knew possible. Written by Twentieth Century Fox

The most recent home video release of The Mountain Between Us movie is December 26, 2017. Here are some details…

Home Video Release: 26 December 2017 The Mountain Between Us releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy) with the following extras: - Exclusive deleted scenes - Behind-the-scenes featurettes: “The Wilds: Survival Stunts,” “Love and Survival: Creating Chemistry” “Mountain Between Them: Shooting in Isolation”

movie review the mountain between us

IMAGES

VIDEO

COMMENTS

Movie Reviews

Susan Wloszczyna

Now playing

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

State of Consciousness

Kaiya Shunyata

Knox Goes Away

Chicken for Linda!

Apples Never Fall

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Writer (novel)

Cinematographer

Latest blog posts

25 Years Later, Election Remains as Relevant as Ever

Sharp Writing, Excellent Cast Keep Spy Thriller The Veil Engaging

Take Another Trip to the End of the World with Sony’s Stellar Blade

He's Got Something Going On: David Proval on Mean Streets, and Acting for Martin Scorsese

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Movies / TV

The Mountain Between Us Reviews

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Common Sense Selections for Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

A Lot or a Little?

Positive Messages

Positive Role Models

Violence & Scariness

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Parents Need to Know

Where to Watch

Community Reviews

Skip the Movie, Read the Book

Is It Any Good?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Suggest an Update

Into the Wild

The Red Turtle

Best Action Movies for Kids

The Mountain Between Us review – Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in tall but tame story

Comments (…)

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

site categories

Jordan Mintzer

Related Stories

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Review: Love in a Cold Climate in ‘The Mountain Between Us’

Explore More in TV and Movies

Toronto Film Review: ‘The Mountain Between Us’

Peter Debruge

Popular on Variety

Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Gala), Sept. 9, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 104 MIN.

More From Our Brands

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Did You Know?

Photo & Video

Related Items

Recently Viewed

Movie Review – The Mountain Between Us (2017)