The Mountain Between Us appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As expected, this became a strong visual presentation.
Sharpness worked well, as I detected virtually no signs of softness. Instead, the movie remained accurate and concise. I witnessed no jagged edges or moiré effects, and both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.
In terms of colors, Mountain went with a chilly blue-oriented palette that matched the snowy setting, though interiors added some amber. These hues made sense for the story and the Blu-ray replicated them well.
Blacks seemed deep and dark, while shadows appeared smooth and clear. At all times, this turned into a pleasing image.
Though not an action extravaganza, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Mountain provided more kick than expected, mainly due to the involvement level during its many exterior scenes. Those used the snowy weather to create a vivid sense of environment that engulfed us in the material.
Music also used the five channels in an active way, and the smattering of more action-oriented scenes brought the mix to life in a vivid manner. In particular, the plane crash worked very well, and otjer segments boasted nice activity and involvement.
Audio quality excelled, with music that seemed vivid and full. Speech appeared natural and concise, while effects boasted terrific range and impact.
Low-end was tight and deep, so expect the film to use the LFE channel well. The soundtrack didn’t seem quite active enough to merit “A”-level consideration, but it brought out the sonic material in a highly satisfying manner.
As we shift to the set’s extras, we begin with an audio commentary from director Hany Abu-Assad. He presents a running, screen-specific look at some filmmaking details, but he mostly chats about story and characters.
By which I mean Abu-Assad mainly just narrates the movie. Were it not for his prominent accent, I might have thought I accidentally switched on the "Descriptive Audio" channel.
Sure, Abu-Assad adds those occasional glimpses of the production, and he also touches on some themes/interpretation. Unfortunately, those elements remain in the minority, so this usually becomes a dull recitation of events we can see for ourselves. Abu-Assad seems like an engaging guy, but he simply doesn't tell us much about his movie that we don't observe on screen.
Three featurettes follow, and the 12-minute, 42-second Love and Survival: Creating Chemistry comes first. It offers notes from Abu-Assad, author Charles Martin, producers Jenno Topping, David Ready and Peter Chernin, executive producer Fred Berger, and actors Kate Winslet, Idris Elba, Dermot Mulroney and Beau Bridges.
“Chemistry” looks at the project’s path to the screen, Abu-Assad’s impact on the production, cast and performances, story and characters. A few decent notes emerge, but much of the material focuses on happy talk.
With Mountain Between Them: Shooting in Isolation, we get a 10-minute, 17-second piece with Abu-Assad, Ready, Martin, Elba, Chernin, Winslet, production designer Patrick Vermette, art director Cheryl Marion and location manager Robin Mounsey. “Isolation” examines locations and the challenges encountered in those places. This becomes a decent look at the issues related to the frigid remote areas used for the production.
Finally, The Wilds: Survival Stunts lasts five minutes, 47 seconds and gives us comments from Abu-Assad, Elba, Winslet, Berger, Marion, Bridges, stunt coordinator Dan Shea, and 2nd AD Philip Nee Nee. As expected, this one views some of the movie’s action beats. Like its predecessors, it feels a bit superficial but it adds some useful material.
Seven Deleted Scenes fill a total of 14 minutes, 15 seconds. Most of these tends to be redundant or unnecessary character beats, so I can’t claim any of them would’ve added to the movie.
We can view the scenes with or without commentary from Abu-Assad. He throws out a few thoughts about why he cut the sequences, but mostly he just talks about how “beautiful” they are.
A Gallery also appears. It includes 24 shots from the set. Though a small collection, we see some good images.
The disc opens with an ad for The Greatest Showman. Sneak Peek adds promos for Battle of the Sexes and Hidden Figures. We also find the trailer for Mountain.
A second disc provides a DVD copy of Mountain. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.
Despite the talents of its lead actors, The Mountain Between Us fails to become an especially involving drama. It suffers from too many leaden spots and clichés to prosper. The Blu-ray offers strong picture and audio along with a mediocre set of supplements. Parts of Mountain work well but the overall package feels lackluster