Is This the End of Eat-the-Rich Satire? One Movie's Brutal Verdict

2025-06-03 06:00:20.601

Jesse Armstrong's 'Mountainhead,' a post-'Succession' film about tech billionaires facing an AI apocalypse, is reviewed. The reviewer expresses fatigue with the over-saturated market of ultra-rich satires, noting similarities to 'Succession' but finding 'Mountainhead' to be a slog. The film's rapid production timeline is highlighted, suggesting it's a product of the current fast-paced news cycle. While acknowledging Armstrong's talent, the reviewer argues that the satire feels blunt and ineffective in the face of hyper-normalized absurdity in current politics and technology. The film's depiction of billionaires is criticized for lacking depth and relatable human elements, resulting in a predictable and unengaging narrative. The reviewer concludes that the genre of ultra-rich satire may have reached a point of diminishing returns.