Viewers are torn over a new film now streaming that’s been labelled ‘worst movie ever’ but also described as a ‘great watch’.
Mountainhead, which was just launched via Sky Atlantic and NOW on June 1 in the UK, but has left fans decidedly split after its first full weekend of availability.
The movie was penned and directed by Jesse Armstrong, best known as the creator of the popular HBO series Succession.
Mountainhead could be viewed as a spiritual successor, sharing many themes and centring on affluent businesspeople as its main characters.
In its straightforward synopsis, the film tracks a small group of tech billionaires who head to the mountains for a group holiday.
However, a financial crisis is escalating back home and starting to spill onto the streets.
From their remote location, the group observes the unfolding situation, scrutinising their roles in the crisis and its impact on their business portfolios and bank balances, reports the Mirror US.
There was considerable anticipation for the release of Mountainhead, given it’s Armstrong’s immediate follow-up to the hit series Succession. While it has achieved a respectable 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its fan rating is a more damning 30%.
Opinions on the recent film are divided amongst viewers. The Guardian’s critic slammed the movie as ‘an insufferable disappointment’, taking issue with the excessive focus on the billionaire characters played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith in Mountainhead after four seasons of Succession.
The critique continued: “Every human has their unique foibles and contradictions, but Mountainhead found itself too enthralled by figures who are no longer interesting, if they ever were. I found myself longing for more than two minutes with the girlfriend, the ex-wife, the assistant, the board member, let alone one of the many staff at the house – anyone to de-center a perspective that has already claimed far too much oxygen in the public sphere.”
Still, there are those who enjoyed the movie, as evidenced by a social media fan: “This is pure insanity. A beautiful, fascinating train wreck. The characterizations are a little off, but believable. If you pay attention, you can figure out who is supposed to be who IRL. It’s a great watch. Recommended.”
Agreeing with this sentiment, another person stated: “Absurd, funny, and unsettling in equal measure, Mountainhead is a satire that entertains as much as it provokes-even if it leaves you with more questions than answers.”
One viewer expressed strong feelings, remarking: “Loved Succession, hated Mountaintop. Could barely stomach the last half. A timely, dark premise with a great cast but a script that quickly becomes tedious. The humour starts to grate, then collapses into sickness that’s supposed to be funny but isn’t.”
There were some who branded it the ‘worst movie ever made’, attributing Jeremy Strong’s role in Succession as the key to making similar content appealing.
On the other hand, another disgruntled cinema-goer voiced their displeasure on X: “I watched Mountainhead. WASTE of my time. It was boring, not creative, had bad writing and acting, and was not believable, even though they wanted it to be. This is just my opinion.”
Mountainhead is streaming on Sky Atlantic and NOW.