Bride-to-be Alex Martin is in a rush to return home where she and her fiance’ (Dermot Mulroney) are getting married in the morning. The only reason the dedicated photojournalist was even in Idaho so close to her wedding was out of a sense of duty to cover a potentially-incendiary demonstration by skinheads and neo-Nazis.
Elsewhere in the same airline terminal, Dr. Ben Bass (Idris Elba) is just as eager to get to Denver where he’s urgently needed to perform potentially life-saving surgery on a critically-ill child.
So, it’s easy to imagine both passengers’ frustration upon learning that their commercial flight has been canceled due to a forecast of inclement weather. The two strangers soon commiserate over their plight before deciding to charter a private plane.
Unfortunately, their pilot (Beau Bridges) has a fatal heart attack en route, and the plane crash lands atop a snow-capped mountain. Their cellphones useless, Ben, with broken ribs, and Alex, with a fractured leg, suddenly find themselves stranded far from civilization in the middle of nowhere.
That is the scary setup of The Mountains between Us, a harrowing tale of survival based on the Charles Martin best seller of the same name. The visually-captivating production is superficially reminiscent of The Revenant, which won a trio of Oscars, including Best Cinematography.
The Mountain between Us revolves mostly around the protagonists’ battle against the elements while lost in the frigid wilderness hundreds of miles from civilization. During their perilous trek they must negotiate their way through a dangerous gauntlet marked by ravenous cougars, slippery cliffs, lakes with thin ice and more.
However, the film also features a romantic angle, as Ben and Alex gradually grow increasingly fond of each other over the course of their ordeal. But the burning question eventually becomes: whether these feelings will continue once they’re saved. After all, he’s married and she’s engaged.
A riveting disaster flick and a steamy bodice ripper rolled into one!
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sexuality, peril, injury images and brief profanity
Running time: 112 minutes
Production Studio: Chernin Entertainment
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: Love and Survival: Creating Chemistry;
Mountain Between Them: Shooting in Isolation; The Wilds: Survival Stunts;
deleted scenes; and a stills gallery.
To see a trailer for The Mountain between Us, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jyzGKXBOxA
To order a copy of The Mountain between Us Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, visit:https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0774NRYZT/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
