The Mountain Between Us
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: October 6, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
24
Negative:
6
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonOct 5, 2017
Winslet deftly balances spunkiness and vulnerability, and Elba (still fondly remembered as a surprisingly erudite criminal on HBO’s “The Wire”) exudes brooding masculinity. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinOct 9, 2017
It’s said you have a choice at a movie like The Mountain Between Us: Laugh at it or go with it. I don’t see those two things as mutually exclusive. I laughed at it and enjoyed the hell out of it. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlOct 5, 2017
Despite some frightening (and effective) scenes of slippery slopes and aggravated wildlife, the film’s heart lies in watching these characters discover in themselves and each other the will to press on. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerSep 16, 2017
What really helps Mountain overcome its far-fetched scenario is the pairing of Winslet and Elba, who know how to turn up the charm tenfold yet make Alex and Ben seem (mostly) like real people. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldOct 5, 2017
In the hands of lesser actors I shudder to think of what a slog The Mountain Between Us might be, with its endless catastrophes and near-deaths and melodramatic declarations. But Winslet — who gets her own superhero moment near the end — and Elba are so likable and charismatic together, they just about sell it. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerOct 5, 2017
In a film where two leads are alone on screen for almost the full running time, that is the true catastrophe. When at last Alex and Ben lock eyes, we should not be looking around them to see what the dog is up to. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 5, 2017
Helped by director Hany Abu-Assad and spectacular cinematography by Mandy Walker, who makes the most of the film’s British Columbia locations, Elba and Winslet generate chemistry that is convincing in direct proportion to the story’s outlandishness. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonAnna SmithOct 5, 2017
It’s slightly frustrating that Winslet’s character Alex is nearly always the one who needs looking after, but the chemistry between them is good, the suspense sufficient and the ending gives you a gentle tug on the heartstrings. Read full review
60
EmpireJonathan PileOct 2, 2017
Two compelling leads and a mix of adventure and romance. It’s a pleasant experience, if not one that will linger long in the memory. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 16, 2017
The considerable chemistry between Kate Winslet and Idris Elba certainly helps sell this tearjerker, but even so the film feels oddly distant and muted, only really coming to life in a denouement that suggests the tasteful passion buried at the story’s core. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 16, 2017
As an unpretentious and unashamedly mainstream romantic adventure, it’s a solidly entertaining diversion, old-fashioned in its no-frills brand of storytelling and direction. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 28, 2017
It’s fantastically unrealistic stuff from the first minute to the last (and there are far too many minutes between them), but Idris Elba and Kate Winslet generate enough heat to keep the frostbite at bay, and Mandy Walker’s stunning location cinematography ensures that the film looks considerably more authentic than it feels. Read full review
58
The PlaylistNoel MurraySep 16, 2017
The Mountain Between Us isn’t a bad movie, overall. The scenery’s gorgeous, the two leads are enormously appealing, and nothing about the dialogue or visual style particularly grates. This is an easy picture to watch… and to root for, in a way, because it’s so rarely overbearing. But it’s only ever mildly engaging. Read full review
58
The Film StageJordan RuimySep 16, 2017
The fact that you do care about their being together means Abu-Assad and company have succeeded, at the most basic level, what they set out to achieve. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganOct 7, 2017
Can’t decide whether it wants to be a chilling survival movie or a sweeping romance. It never fully commits to either genre, and the result is a forgettable adventure that leaves you feeling cold. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 7, 2017
The last scene is unforgivably cheesy in a non-self-aware fashion. And don’t get me started on the dog… Read full review
50
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiOct 5, 2017
A wilderness survival romance that makes subzero weather, blizzards and broken limbs seem as taxing as a train delay. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallOct 5, 2017
Ain't no mountain high enough, no plot valley deep enough, to keep Idris Elba and Kate Winslet from setting off romantic sparks in The Mountain Between Us. But this movie surely doesn't do them any favors. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranOct 5, 2017
The Mountain Between Us is an uneasy hybrid of a film, and its successes and disappointments show the benefits and drawbacks of hitching your film to a pair of stars. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezOct 5, 2017
Hany Abu-Assad’s film is notable for the way it fixates on its characters’ rush toward survival, homing in on the intimacy that they achieve without ever suggesting that there’s any actual romance in their future. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaOct 5, 2017
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. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshOct 5, 2017
The Mountain Between Us falls flat, struggling to truly enthrall beyond a basic love story. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoOct 4, 2017
The film feels as if it’s drawing its characterizations far more from the appeal of its stars than from any prose. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 4, 2017
Ultimately, The Mountain Between Us tries to pull the audience’s interest in a relationship direction. It’s a difficult task, despite two charismatic leads. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJoe DziemianowiczOct 4, 2017
Together, they (Winslet/Elba) share warm chemistry. But that’s not enough to melt eye-rolling exposition or predictable twists you see coming — even in a whiteout — a mile away. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 29, 2017
The dynamic of pitching two willful, smart cookies into this situation pays almost no dividends, even though they’re each out of their element. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 16, 2017
Script shortcomings aside, Winslet and Elba make a reasonably good couple. Read full review
48
Paste MagazineWill LeitchOct 19, 2017
The Mountain Between Us is Grade-D bunkum with the good fortune to have actors working their hardest to sell it like Casablanca. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyOct 4, 2017
Remove the nonsensical characterizations and The Mountain Between Us becomes a cornball paean to rock formations and (mostly male) beauty. Read full review
40
VoxAlissa WilkinsonOct 5, 2017
As a professional film critic, I’m also obliged to tell you that The Mountain Between Us isn’t a very good film. But it’s not unwatchable, either, probably owing to the fact that its two leads are great actors in their own right, and they’re willing to take the whole thing quite seriously. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 5, 2017
Typically actors like Winslet and Elba can elevate even the most-pedestrian material, but making this story better would require a feat of superhuman strength. Read full review
38
ObserverRex ReedOct 11, 2017
Labored and boring, The Mountain Between Us is a soap opera in the snow that fritters away the time and talents of Kate Winslet and Idris Elba for all the wrong reasons. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 5, 2017
For the first hour or so, The Mountain Between Us is a tedious and corny survival story, but at least it’s bearable, thanks mainly to the all-in performances from Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Read full review
38
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 5, 2017
And just when you think this movie cannot get more unendurable ... it does. And then some. You can see every twist telegraphed from miles away even in a driving blizzard. The Mountain Between Us is epic all right – an epic waste of talent and your time. Read full review
38
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonOct 5, 2017
The chemistry between these two attractive people and fine actors is unaccountably bad. Read full review
30
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisOct 5, 2017
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. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovOct 4, 2017
The annoyingly coy title of this non-epic about two people trying to survive a private plane crash in the high Rockies while a passive sort of romance develops during the descent pretty much says it all while simultaneously offering nothing of any great interest, much like the entire movie. Read full review
More From This Movie

48 Critic Reviews

5.1 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL