Summit Fever
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Summit Fever
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Summit Fever is a climbing drama with bloody injuries and strong language throughout. Emerging talent Michael (Freddie Thorp) and his fellow climbers take climbing seriously. But the ambition of Michael's best friend, JP (Michel Biel), tests both their relationship and the safety of the wider group. There is very little ethnic diversity, but the cast is international and a mix of English and French is spoken throughout, along with some Italian. Mathilde Warnier plays Isabelle, Michael's love interest, in the movie's most prominent female role. Climbing accidents result in some injury detail including an open fracture of an arm. There is some death, but it happens off-screen. Language is strong and constant, including variations of "f--k" and one use of "c--t." The characters are not motivated by money, but they do discuss the financial realities of climbing, where increased commercialization and the need for more daring footage forces climbers to put their lives at risk. Alcohol is drunk in several scenes, mostly in moderation, although there are a couple of occasions where characters say they have drunk too much.
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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
- Character Strengths: Curiosity, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 115 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language throughout
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
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