‘Mountainhead’ Misfire Targets Elon Musk, Tech Bros

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“Mountainhead” wouldn’t exist if Elon Musk hadn’t chosen a side in the free speech wars.

That fact is clear in every frame of Jesse Armstrong’s film.

In a new work, the mastermind behind “Succession” aims to critique and challenge the extremely wealthy, particularly figures like Elon Musk, who align with the MAGA movement. This satirical piece takes aim at tech moguls who have an excessive amount of influence over modern life.

He might not be completely correct, and the movie doesn’t exactly overstate the possibility of artificial intelligence deceiving us towards disaster. However, it’s clear that Armstrong can’t tolerate the idea of giving any kind of humanity to his detested group.

That makes this elaborate takedown a chore more than a satirical bullseye.

At a winter retreat, three tech magnates and a less affluent millionaire meet, as global unrest escalates with increasing instances of violence.

Wealthy elites such as Venis (portrayed by Cory Michael Smith on “Saturday Night”) stirred up discord on social media by making alterations to their platforms. Deceptive AI videos caused harm and devastation, yet tech moguls merely saw potential profit in the ensuing turmoil.

Despite being confronted with a cancer diagnosis, Randall (played by Steve Carell) still manages to harbor animosity towards another billionaire who surpasses him in terms of wealth.

Hugo (portrayed by Jason Schwartzman) anticipates that his friends will be astonished by his mountain getaway, known as Mountainhead. On the other hand, Jeff (Ramy Youssef) seems to have a solution for controlling artificial intelligence chaos.

It seems that the assumption is he’ll team up with Venis. However, the informal guidelines for the gathering could complicate matters since they state “No business transactions, no shared meals, and no women wearing high heels.

Today’s powerful tech moguls, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, offer plenty of opportunities for criticism. For instance, Mark Zuckerberg envisions creating your next best friend using artificial intelligence components. On the other hand, Elon Musk symbolically demonstrates his desire to reduce government intervention by brandishing a chainsaw on stage.

Jeff Bezos invites his galpal to “fly” into space on his rocket ship.

Have at it.

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Instead of saying “The ‘Succession’ creator scarcely allows his characters to exhibit any trace of humanity; even a seemingly innocuous scene showing Venis connecting with his toddler is presented in a way that feels uncomfortable.” You could rephrase it as: The creator of “Succession” rarely lets his characters show human-like traits. A brief scene depicting Venis bonding with his child, for example, was purposely made to feel awkward.

Instead of calling them characters, they can be described as caricatures, more fitting for a humorous five-minute stage act.

The four of them found their self-importance a bit too grand for the spacious holiday villa, while their controlling tendencies were more chilling than any horror movie antagonist.

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Armstrong constructs a pretentious conversation among the guys that is equally intriguing and tiresome when heard excessively. Essentially, “Mountainhead” is a stage production, unfolding within a spacious vacation property, offering ample room for endless discussions. In essence, it’s mostly about these characters conversing…and conversing…and conversing.

Please, make it stop.

Occasionally, smirks appear, yet it’s disheartening to witness tech moguls flaunting their wealth in rather absurd manners. Despite the movie’s critique of billionaires for their cold-hearted intentions, there seems to be a lack of genuine human connection.

It’s quite ironic that as the “Mountainhead” series premiered on HBO Max over the weekend, established media outlets continued to disseminate inaccuracies against Israel.

Here’s betting Armstrong and/or HBO Max will never make a movie about that.

In a more straightforward rephrasing, we could say: “Smith’s reputation takes a significant hit. He is often portrayed as deeply immoral, using unfortunate events to generate attention for his social media dominion.

The most captivating aspect is listening to the quartet debate advancements in technology and draw parallels with previous revolutionary periods. Despite their apparent enthusiasm for the technology, they’re still an intriguing starting point for further discussion.

Too bad “Mountainhead” refuses to take any of their alleged wisdom seriously.

The surprising development in the third act reveals the main characters as more morally questionable than previously thought. However, the humor that follows falls flat, failing to match the significant change it introduces. This instance further underscores the fact that Armstrong and his team might have benefited from taking more time during the production process.

Title Analysis: “Mountainhead” feels more like an endurance test than an engaging experience, with a monotonous tone that shows excessive disdain towards its characters, making it difficult for viewers to empathize or invest in the story unfolding.

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2025-06-01 19:03