I love a good survival film. Before starting a recent movie, the trailer for Małgorzata Szumowska’s (Never Gonna Snow Again) Infinite Storm instantly caught my attention. After watching the first half of the adrenaline-inducing preview, I closed my eyes and plugged my ears for the rest. I had seen enough to know that this was a movie that I wanted to see, and I didn’t want anything more to spoil that future experience. Infinite Storm surprised me. While it didn’t have nearly the extended intensity that the preview suggested, it also didn’t follow a predictable formula that would have left this movie lost in the shuffle compared to other survival movies. While a decent film with heartfelt ambition, Infinite Storm failed to wow and was doomed by a lousy script.

The always fantastic Noami Watts (The Desperate Hour, Luce) underwhelmed grandly with Szumowska’s lukewarm script. The same actor who commanded the screen in blockbuster hits like King Kong, The Ring, Mulholland Drive, The Impossible, and 21 Grams (the last two which earned her Oscar nominations for Lead Female Actor) was stuck with dialogue that was both awkward, forced, and too light for the situation at hand. Similarly, Tom Hanks (Cast Away), Will Smith (I Am Legend), James Franco (127 Hours), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Sam Rockwell (Moon), Dev Patel (Life of Pi), and Robert Redford (All is Lost), Watts is asked to carry much of the movie alone. Even when she stumbles upon her co-star Billy Howle (On Chesil Beach, The Seagull), she still has the same arduous task, only now with a prop. The difference is that where other actors succeeded, Watts failed. However, this was through no fault of her own. She was not miscast. She was prepared for the role. However, the exchange she was forced to have, first with herself and then with John (Howle), was cringe-worthy.

First of all, there wasn’t an infinite storm. The Storm lasted about six hours, all during the day. Yes, the Storm comes quickly, though Pam (Watts) is aware of this ahead of time and still makes the trek. We learn in one of the film’s opening sequences that she does this hike to the top of Mount Washington on this day each year as a form of therapy. So, there are early hints that this day has some personal significance to her.

Yes, there is blistering wind and temperatures so cold that lips quiver and almost appear blue when either character speaks. The film was shot on location in Slovenia rather than on a set, though the crew manufactured the Storm. You forget, during these times, that you are watching a movie. Unfortunately, this is short-lived, both before and after Pam tracks down John, who she finds sitting on the edge of a cliff wearing, among other articles of clothing, shorts and sneakers. To her credit, Szumowska does a great job of establishing the weather as gentle during the early parts of her climb (she takes off her coat in favor of a workout top). This could explain why John was dressed so lightly for his venture. When we do meet John, he’s not in good shape. Frostbite has covered his fingers and toes. Pam, part of a mountain search-and-rescue team for many years, knows how to care for someone in this situation, including removing his clothes and warming up his temperature in a plastic bag. The following 20 minutes show Pam maneuvering the injured John down the mountain’s dangerous terrain. To couple the situation, John exhibits actions suggesting he doesn’t want rescuing.

I felt myself comparing Infinite Storm to Land, the Robin Wright film from 2020. While both films successfully differed from the norm (at least on some level) and had endings that you may have yet to see coming. While less exciting than Infinite Storm, Land’s overall consistency, pacing, and storytelling were far superior. There was a purpose that Penn (as director and lead) flushed out from the opening to ending credits. Her character was filled with such profound loss (a loss that we knew of from the start) that she moved to a remote cabin in the mountains to die. Unfortunately, we don’t learn of Pam’s exact reasons for braving the elements until halfway through the film.

There are more extreme, better-acted survival films. Infinite Storm had its moments, but I never felt like Pam or John were ever truly in danger. I knew they would get off the mountain. While they may have had some physical ailments after their successful descent, I didn’t feel like their excursion was enough to affect them emotionally or mentally. Having not experienced these conditions, I’m not an expert. But I’ve found similar survival stories more immersed, with more complex characters and more believable interactions between characters worried about their safety.

Plot 8.5/10
Character Development 6/10
Character Chemistry 5/10 (there was nothing special between Watts and Howle. Howle was outmatched both by Watts and opportunities)
Acting 6/10 (terrible script doomed Watts…Howle was bad)
Screenplay 6/10
Directing  7.5/10
Cinematography 10/10 (excellent, both within the Storm and outside of it)
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 7.5/10 (with a better script and more aggressive director, this could have and should have been a 10)
Universal Relevance 8/10
72.5%

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• Land
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