On paper, the beginning of Kate Winslet and Idris Elba's new movie, The Mountain Between Us, sounds kind of like a romantic comedy. Alex (Winslet) and Ben (Elba) are stranded at the airport thanks to canceled flights when they decide to travel together to get to their respective destinations. However, the audience won't be spent wondering whether or not these two will hook up, a la Winslet's The Holiday. Instead, we'll be biting our nails hoping that Alex and Ben survive their hellish ordeal.
That's because The Mountain Between Us is a straight-up nightmare — at least, according to the new trailer. While things start off innocently enough, it soon becomes clear that Alex's decision to ditch Delta in favor of some cozier accommodations was a colossal mistake. The plane crashes into a snowy mountain, and, as Alex realizes with horror, the pilot — who, gulp, is now dead — did not follow the flight plan. That means that no one knows where Alex and Ben are, including the man that Alex is set to marry and Ben's own family.
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Fortunately, there are some good things that these two have going for them. Alex is resilient as hell, and happens to know the exact amount of time one can go without food, water, and shelter before dying. (Three weeks without food, three days without water...not comforting, exactly, but certainly useful info.) As for Ben, he's a doctor, which is helpful when Alex breaks her leg in the initial plane crash. However, perhaps the most important thing that these two can offer one another is companionship — and encouragement to keep fighting on, even as the conditions around them get more and more harsh.
Oh, did I mention there are mountain lions? There are mountain lions.
The movie looks like a combination of The Revenant and Passengers. Combining that with celebrated actors like Elba and Winslet means that this film should be one theatergoers are dying to see. Just likely not as dying as Elba and Winslet's characters are for a granola bar throughout the entire movie.
Check out the trailer below: