Jesse Armstrong’s eagerly-awaited new movieMountainheaddebuts on HBO Max next week, and the bar is high. Starring Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef,Mountainheadfollows four tech billionaires who have sequestered themselves to a snowy mountain retreat when their technology begins to incite chaos, and they set out to take control of the global turmoil. Writer and director Jesse Armstrong is best known as the creator ofSuccession, widely considered one of thebest TV shows of all time.
Mountainheadis Armstrong’s first project to be released since the end ofSuccessionand clearly demonstrates similar themes of being a black comedy and a satire of billionaire culture. Running for four seasons and winning many awards,Successiondepicts the dysfunctional relationships of the media legacy Roy family as they shape modern America.Mountainheadnow promises to be an interesting new piece of commentary from a writer who excels at this, and its reviews now seem to confirm it.
Mountainhead’s biggest hurdle is that it is the follow-up toSuccession,and it has been argued that themovie will basically beSuccessionseason 5. It would appear that the worst thing critics can say about it at this point is that it is not as good asSuccession(viaRotten Tomatoes). However, not being as good asSuccessionis still a long way off from being a bad movie, and many reviews praise it.
Mountainheadcurrently has a solidRotten Tomatoesscore of 82%, which isn’t the most stellar debut possible, but still merits attention (Successionsits at 95%). Critics highlight its satire and comedy, finding a new way to critique this class of wealth and the effects their behavior has on everyone. Uniquely, Tim Grierson ofAV Clubsays: “[…] it’s best when Armstrong puts satire aside for rage, seething at the tech kingpins destroying our society…”
It’s Not Going To Be Succession But Will Probably Be A Hit
Mountainhead’s good but not amazing Rotten Tomatoes score probably isn’t going to slow it down when it hits streaming next week. Audiences are still in awe of Jesse Armstrong and excited to see his next project. People always enjoy watching media that they can readily access when it comes up on a streaming service that they already pay for, even if that media is objectively bad.Mountainhead, by all indicators, isn’t bad; it just isn’t the cultural milestone thatSuccessionis. Therefore, it will probably be a smash hit next week with immense writing and acting talent on display and decent reviews to buoy it.
