La Montagne entre nous

The mighty majestic mountains that line the world. These monolithic displays of nature are icons for so many forms of expression such as poetry, video game stages, and yes even movies. Such symbolism is perfect to craft such an obstruction for heroes to face, all while teaching valuable lessons. And thus leads me to my next review, on a movie that centers on the immobile giants that watch over the world. The Mountain Between Us is the name of the film and its trailers have certainly stirred up a storm in the world of reviews. Robbie K here hoping to guide you through the mess to help guide your viewing pleasures.

LIKES:

The acting: Like the mountains they are stuck in, the lead actors in this movie are giants themselves, displaying their talents to high levels. Idris Elba once more blows my mind out how well he executes his roles. He sells the suffering surgeon well, playing the internalization well and the survivalist even more. Kate Winslet as ever brings her character to life, taking the fiery spirit she has within, and unleashing it in a manner that is wild, yet honed as the movie progresses. The two certainly have the portrayal of suffering down pat (they can really shiver) but on many levels they play well off each other, especially in the beginning.

The Dog: While not the main human actor, the dog is by far the character I cared about the most. This animal, while of course like many of his canine brethren, was cute to me and impressive in the work it had to do. Trekking through the show, climbing mountains, and a variety of other things the dog certainly caught my eye for much of the screen. In addition, because I'm a big animal fan, the dog was the character that kept me engaged in the film. Every scene transition, or new challenge I couldn't help, but think "What happened to the dog." That component is perhaps the biggest hooking element in the movie to keep you into the film. What is its fate? Can't tell you, you'll have to watch.

The Scenery: While it is no substitute for the real thing, The Mountain Between Us is a great example of stunning camera work. My breath was taken away by all the panoramic shots of the wilderness from the ever expanding sky in the peaks, to the silent wonder of the forest littering the valleys below. It brings out the deadly force that mother nature holds and stunned me by the majesty of the visual prowess cameras can pick up. So while it is again not the same thing as hiking these majestic peaks, it is the next best thing.

DISLIKES:

Diluted Suspense: If you are like me, the trailers might have you believe this was going to be the most suspenseful movie of the year. Unfortunately, I was fooled again. This film has some moments that got my anxiety building, but a majority of it is an almost peaceful trek through the snow. While they are certainly cold, our character's journey through the frozen wastelands lacked many elements to build up the intensity. Perhaps the lack of a cinematic score, or the fact that obstacles seemed cleared too easily thanks to convenience, this movies frozen fury was almost a little too fragile for me. Or maybe it was the other focus of the movie that downgraded the suspense for me…

The Love Theme: Yes, just like the symbolic title suggests, the main wedge is the character's backstories preventing them from moving to the obvious sign of starting a romance. Much of the film tries to get the two to address their rather quick development of passion for one another in some rather lackluster ways. I wasn't sold on the romance for the most part, and the actors themselves didn't seem quite charmed by each other outside of one rather pointless scene. The friendship factor at the beginning was much stronger, and would have been the route I had taken in developing the story. Again, I don't necessarily hate love, but I would like it better portrayed for my investment.

Disproportion: Timing the movie, as good geeks do, it took only 8 minutes to get up on the mountain. While I appreciate the fast pace, it gave little time to get to know the characters or at least give them a decent introduction to the madness about to be had. This opening was rather shallow and quite disappointing in the grand scheme of the movie. Yet it's not quite as bad as the dragged out ending of this film. While not as long as Return of The King, and all its false exits, The Mountain Between Us sort fizzles out in the end. This tangent was not necessary, a quick closure to try and tidy up some loose ends of a weaker component of the film. Worst off, the chemistry started to falter, making this an awkward mess with a rather cheesy, albeit poetic, ending. Not sure why these last 25 minutes needed to exist, but it could have been better spent in the beginning and end of the movie.

The VERDICT:

The Mountain Between Us is a beautiful spectacle of what the world can provide in terms of a stage, certainly blowing my mind on the visuals. Alongside this majestic scenery comes some quality acting and a hooking factor in the form of the dog. Yet these tools alone couldn't save this movie from being semi-dull. With the tension dropped to a PG level for symbolism and awkward love, alongside disproportioned parts, I can't say this movie delivered all I wanted. The visuals might be the main theater worthy component, but this reviewer suggests holding out for RedBox to catch it.

My Scores:

Action/Adventure/Drama: 6.5 Movie Overall: 5.5

I quite enjoyed this, it was pretty slow paced but absorbing none the less, the main leads of Kate Winslet and Idris Elba were well matched , I had the feeling that the two of them would reunite at the end of the film and it proved to be the case.

Some films have left me speechless. Not simply because their execution was unlike anything I've seen in the past, or opened my eyes to a story so insane thinking someone came up with this idea, but speechless cause there's so little to say about it as the film doesn't ask any new or interesting questions. The Mountain Between Us is that kind of film despite having 2 very talented actors I respect in this romantic drama.

The story begins with Idris Elba as a doctor rushing to Baltimore for surgery and Kate Winslet off to get married to her fiancé and they agree to work together to get to their destinations. However, their plane crashes into the middle of the mountains and leaves them stranded with only a golden retriever and their wits to find shelter and keep one another from falling apart.

Kate and Idris both give committed performances even through the harsh weather conditions displayed. The cinematographer sets up some pretty beautiful shots of the mountains and the scale and distance the actors are from any form of civilization so that was something I appreciated in a post "every month a CGI fest blockbuster" world. Sadly the compliments end here.

What kills the film is it's SO UTTERLY PREDICTABLE. If you have seen any romantic film ever, you know what will happen. The dialogue is void of any psychological questions of dealing with a stranger alone for weeks despite the film feels like it's only 6 days tops. Not as viewer did I feel they went through harsh conditions as Kate's hair the entire time looked freshly curled.

The Mountain Between Us on the trailer felt what could have been a solid survival film, but instead got a corny and sometimes boring romantic drama. Outside of one genuine jump scare that truly surprised me, the film just feels lost in trying to be a romantic movie and survival movie at the same time with very little chemistry to weave them together.

Two factors save The Mountain Between Us from romantic oblivion: Breathtaking cinematography (Mandy Walker) and two fine actors, Idris Elba as Ben and Kate Winslet as Alex. They are lost in the cold snow somewhere in the mountains of Idaho or Colorado after a small plane accident, but fortunately he's a neurosurgeon and she's a plucky photographer. Lucky about his medical skills.

If Nicholas Sparks could do lost in the snow, then he could have written this rather trite and predictable romance. Why wouldn't they fall in love with no one else around and such attractive people to boot? That they both are vulnerable becomes obvious; that they will fall in love is a given of the genre and maybe of survival itself when there's no one else around.

Lest I forget, a lovable dog also is a tie to bind. To be fair, director Hany Abu-Assad and his writers J.Mills Goodloe and Chris Weitz keep the real romance from happening through at least half the film. During that blessed time we can enjoy the spectacle and the survival techniques. Always with the thought of what we would do in those circumstances.

More outrageous than the clichéd circumstance is the fact that she needs medical help consistently where he just needs it toward the end. Why then does the old trope of the damsel in distress come to mind? Why not,in a film shameless with tear jerking.

He just lost his wife, and she doesn't seem overly joyed about her impending wedding and her husband, Mark (Dermot Mulroney). So you know what's going to happen right to the end.

I am happy to see Canada so beautifully captured on the screen. As for me, I felt captured in a melodramatic survival story from which I needed rescue.

Forget the movie and read the book. They took everything great about the book, changed it and in the process lessened the story in almost every way. It feels like they are in such a hurry to get to the action that they gloss over the beginning. Then they proceed to take every character and give them baggage instead of just letting them be good people. Sad.