Infinite Storm

Starring: Naomi Watts, Billy Howle, Denis O'Hare, Parker Sawyers, Joshua Rollins
Directed by: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: On Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, a hike (Naomi Watts) comes to the aid of a a stranger (Billy Howle) in the midst of a dangerous blizzard.

Review:

Tim: I was interested in seeing Infinite Storm for a number of reasons. First off, I generally enjoy weather-related movies. Seeing humans combating the elements is always entertaining. Secondly, this was an interesting based-on-a-true-story tale. Thirdly, I've climbed Mt. Washington before and am generally at least a bit familiar with that part of northern New Hampshire. Fourthly, I like Naomi Watts. Despite all these things going for it, Infinite Storm is a definite letdown. This isn't a very good movie at all.

First off, the true story this film is based upon is a great story. However, there's not nearly enough here to account for a feature length film. I read the article about this impressive rescue and there's simply not much to it. This movie fairly well recreates the big moments of the rescue- that itself is impressive. Unfortunately, to make this a feature film, so much additional was added. All the film's most exciting moments- Watts' character falling into a deep snow hole, the climb on a log across the river- they were completely fabricated. Those moments seemed fake while watching the film and it didn't surprise me to confirm that after reading the article. The reality is that the real life rescue was incredible but had no business being turned into a movie.

The second thing that killed me about this film is that nothing in it looks remotely like New Hampshire or the area of Mt. Washington. Now, I'm not an expert at all- but I've spent time in the White Mountains and did summit the mountain in question. People unfamiliar with the area may have less concerns here, but the visuals, the mountain, the landscape- none of it looks like the actual area. It was so distracting I had to look up the filming location and it was something like Slovakia. I get the desire to make this movie as exciting as possible, but the location is mentioned multiple times, we see New Hampshire license plates- then, to see a terrain that is clearly- CLEARLY not New Hampshire was off-putting. Yes- some of the visuals in the film are beautiful. The cinematography was definitely solid. The problem is that it doesn't look anything like what it's supposed to depict. But yes, the look of the film was definitely a strength.

Third, the movie itself is fairly dull. Sure, there are some exciting moments. Watts trying to get out of the snow hole is a well-shot scene. But, the movie itself (and the actual event) are mostly two people walking down a mountain in a storm. I was surprised that the movie didn't talk more about the weather on Mt. Washington. It's not close to being the highest peak anywhere, but it was recorded as having "the worst weather in the world". The movie needed to play that up more. As is, the storm in question never seems that scary. The title is misleading as well, as it doesn't actually refer to the storm in question, which wasn't close to be "infinite". It wasn't even that bad of a storm, all things considered.

I do think Naomi Watts did a nice job in the lead role. She really embraces this character and her unglamorous state. Seeing her belch after chugging a beer really hits that point home. Watts seems to have fun stepping out of her stylistic life and stepping into this shoes of this rugged mountain woman. Billy Howle was fine in the other substantial role. It's not a very enjoyable role and I mostly just wondered what the hell was going on with his character. They work well together on screen, do Watts and Howle. There's not many cast members who have much screen time- it really is a showcase for Watts.

As I said, Infinite Storm never shakes the feeling that it shouldn't exist. It would have been better to cut all the "true story" connections and just tell a more original story that could maximize the tension and entertainment. As is, the movie exists in this weird place of trying to connect to the real events (and actually doing a pretty good job in many places), but then needing to ramp up the fiction to tell a more compelling story. What you end up with is a not-very entertaining movie that also isn't true to the actual events it tries to depict. That is a major disappointment. I never hated Infinite Storm, but it has so many problems that they overwhelm all other aspects of the movie. This is one I could have skipped.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Impossible, The Mountain Between Us, Everest