Common Sense Media Review
By Alistair Lawrence
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Climbing drama has frequent swearing, injury, and death.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Summit Fever
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
SUMMIT FEVER follows Michael (Freddie Thorp), a talented young climber who tests himself to the limit. When he and a group of fellow climbers, including best friend JP (Michel Biel), become stranded, they must work together in order to survive.
Is It Any Good?
Overlong and never quite finding its footing, this climbing drama is a story more interested in scaling the heights than going deep into character development and plot. Summit Fever's writer-director Julian Gilbey does a capable job of ramping up the drama for several set pieces, despite some of them clearly being shot on a modest budget. The movie has less of a sure grip on its people and pacing, though, with the first 30 minutes feeling like an overlong setup. The relationship that drives the climactic final act, between lead character Michael and his best friend JP, is obscured for a lot of the script, which leads to even more scenes that go up a mountain but arrive nowhere in particular.
Perhaps this was necessary to accommodate a cameo from Ryan Philippe, whose brusque Californian climber Theo appears to be Michael's nemesis before taking a different route. Similarly, the trauma Michael feels about the death of his climber sister also goes missing among the snow and ice. Gilbey's passion for climbing and love of climbers is the one thing that stays crystalline throughout. But the rest gets jumbled in a movie that can't decide whether it wants to be more like Point Break or Whiplash.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what character strengths were displayed in Summit Fever. How did the characters show, curiosity, perseverance, and teamwork? Can you think of a time when you've shown these traits?
Talk about some of the language used. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
How did Michael deal with death differently from the other characters? Why is it important to talk about traumatic experiences?
Discuss the climbing set pieces in the movie. Did you find them scary? Impressive? Or both?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 14, 2022
- On DVD or streaming : October 14, 2022
- Cast : Freddie Thorp , Michel Biel , Ryan Phillippe
- Director : Julian Gilbey
- Studio : Saban Films
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Adventures
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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