There's nothing like a streaming platform to revive a movie that a lot of people had forgotten about. This week, Netflix subscribers were in the mood for an emotional story and started to watch and talk about The Mountain Between Us, a 2017 movie that stars Kate Winslet (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Idris Elba (Hijack) as the survivors of a tragedy who have nothing but each other (and a dog) to get by. The movie quickly climbed the streamer's international charts and landed at #4, sharing the list with new titles like Carry-On and The Six Triple Eight.
In the beginning of The Mountain Between Us, you can tell that tragedy is brewing. Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Bass (Elba) and photojournalist Alex Martin (Winslet) have their flight canceled due to a storm. However, Ben has an emergency surgery scheduled and Alex has to be at her own wedding, which prompts them to hire a private pilot. The problem is, Walter (Beau Bridges) suffers a stroke after their departure, and the couple crashes with the plane on the top of a mountain.
It's pretty easy to see why Netflix subscribers are resonating with The Mountain Between Us. This is the kind of survival story that not only compels viewers to keep watching to know how it ends, but it also makes us imagine what we'd do in the same situation. And in Alex and Ben's case, their situation is extra difficult because, on top of surviving a plane crash, they have to power through terrible weather if they want to make it out alive.
'The Mountain Between Us' Had a Freezing Cold Reception
Despite its compelling story, The Mountain Between Us failed to leave a mark among critics: it landed a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics like The Guardian's Simram Hans writing that the drama is "inadvertently hilarious," and that despite the life-or-death scenario, "the stakes feel low." Susan Wloszczyna from RogerEbert.com gave it 2 out of 4 stars and wrote that 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."
The Mountain Between Us was directed by Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, who previously helmed award-winning movies like Paradise Now. The screenplay was written by Chris Weitz (The Creator) and J. Mills Goodloe (The Age of Adaline). The duo adapted the script from the best-selling novel of the same name by author Charles Martin.
The Mountain Between Us is not currently streaming in the U.S., but is available to rent or buy on Amazon.
Image Via 20th Century Fox
English (US) ·