CINEMA | Kate Winslet is cold as ice in 'The Mountain Between Us'
'The Mountain Between Us' tells the story of two strangers who must forge a connection to survive a tragic plane crash in the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realise help is not on the way, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.
The genre is unclear when watching this film, and unfortunately seems like a misuse of well respected performers. 'The Mountain Between Us' is inherently disappointing, and feels very much like a teenage romance.
Despite the supposed life or death scenario we find Idris Elba and Kate Winslet in, the stakes are low and there's very little tension. Even with writers Chris Weitz ('About A Boy') and J. Mills Goodloe ('The Age of Adeline') throwing every snow-related obstacle at the leads: a mountain cougar, hypothermia, and a broken leg.
Between the two writers, they've not developed sufficient tension or attracted the audience's interest in the script. Elba's Ben is built up with the survival skills of Bear Grylls and simply doesn't act like as expected in this type of situation.
Overall, the struggles of Winslet and Elba through the snowy mountains are highly 'Hollywoodised' and lacking in authenticity. Although producer Peter Chernin was quoted as saying it's 'a love story with scale', the film feels little more than a cinematic blip.
The two leads do what they can to balance the poor script, and being performers of their calibre, they do not disappoint, even with the clich's and the cornball ending.
'The Mountain Between Us' is no better than an imitation of a Nicholas Sparks novel set in subzero temperatures.
'The Mountain Between Us' is in cinemas now.
Criss Gidas
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