Written and Directed by Julian Gilbey
Starring: Freddie Thorp, Michel Biel, Ryan Phillippe, Mathilde Warnier
Rated R
Runtime: 1 hour, 55 minutes
In theaters, on Digital, and On Demand October 14

by Gary M. Kramer

Mountaineering films, including the documentaries, guarantee spectacular scenery and breathtaking moments—especially as the characters reach higher and higher altitudes. But they also feature the expected pitfalls, from slipping, rockslides, and avalanches, to storms and hypothermia. All these elements are prominently featured in Summit Fever, writer/director Julian Gilbey’s picturesque but mediocre drama which is as ambitious as its climbers who scale three peaks in Chamonix. 

When Michael (Freddie Thorp) takes a trip to the Alps to visit his climbing partner, Jean-Pierre, aka JP (Michel Biel), he decides to quit his job and scale the Matterhorn, the Eiger, and Mont Blanc. While Michael and JP ascend the mountains with Leo (Ryan Phillippe) and Natascha (Hannah New), Michael also falls for Isabelle (Mathilde Warnier), a skier.

The first half of Summit Fever is appealing as these characters coax each other to push themselves harder and higher. And they certainly admire Damian Roux (Thomas Ancora), a free solo climber who speeds up mountains and displays some showboating moves. (No wagering on what happens to him). Even the relationship that develops between Michael and Isabelle is amiable because they are both so cute. 

Gilbey spends much of the film’s strong first half setting up the issues around climbing, from fear being a motivation to climb—or a reason not to—as well as having to make critical decisions whether to turn back or not. The issues of risk/reward, trust and loyalty of course get tested. Michael is often reluctant to push, which makes him virtuous compared to JP, Leo and Natascha, who have “summit fever”—the compulsion to reach the peak at any cost. 

As such, there are moments of derring do mixed in with daring rescues as when the gang faces some trouble one of their climbs. The film’s greatest tension comes whenever there is a shot of a hand or toe clip trying to find purchase on a mountainside and wondering if it will hold. And, of course, there are several moments where they don’t, leading to characters dying. 

The film features a few notable scenes that address how the characters find different ways of grieving or honoring the death of a climber. But that said, a backstory involving Michael’s late sister, Lucy (Laure Ferries), could have been cut. It fails to enhance the story, even when Michael, himself near death at one point, “crosses over” and sees Lucy. It gilds the lily.

Summit Fever does showcase the mountaineering scenes in ways that will have viewers—especially those who see the film on the big screen—experiencing a feeling of awe. (Anyone with a fear of heights should go sip some hot cocoa in the hottub.) And a few shots where the lens captures falling snow or rocks are effective. 

But then Gilbey’s film descends into a series of cliches that go over the top and the film hits rock bottom. As Michael, JP, Béa (Jocelyn Wedow) and Rudi (Théo Christine) ascend Mont Blanc, they encounter other climbers as well as falling rocks that cause a setback—Béa gets injured. Then a storm comes through and delays all rescue missions. Characters experience hypothermia. Michael insists the only way out is up, but complications ensue. The climbers get lost, have physical fights, then someone falls in a crevasse, and requires rescuing. Summit Fever becomes an endurance test, not just for the character, but for the viewer, who has to withstand all this drama which tips into ridiculousness—and much of it looks as artificial as it feels. 

The film suggests that it is the hubris of the characters—especially JP and the aforementioned Leo and Damian—that drives men up mountains, which is why Michael remains a likable hero. But Freddie Thorp has a bland screen presence, never engendering the kind of emotion that Mathilde Warnier and Ryan Philippe do. The supporting players inject the film with some much-needed energy. 

Ultimately, Summit Fever never quite generates the thrills its characters are looking to experience.