Director: Scott Derrickson
Writer: Zach Dean
Stars: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver
Synopsis: Two highly-trained operatives become close after being sent to protect opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within.
The Gorge is undeniably entertaining but feels like a collection of incomplete ideas hastily stitched together. The leads are charming and share genuine chemistry, while the opening sequence delivers action and occasional thrills. Yet, just as a scene transitions into an exciting development, it is often undercut by a lazy explanation.
To make matters worse, the film seems unsure of its own identity, veering wildly from an ’80s coming-of-age indie comedy to a flimsy monster movie that rigidly follows the genre playbook—step by step, as Sgt. Al Powell would say. The Gorge is frustrating, and the filmmakers missed the mark on their potential.
This is a 10-part miniseries crammed into a 120-minute film.
The Gorge follows former United States Marine Levi (Whiplash’s Miles Teller), one of the three greatest long-range snipers the world has ever known. Now a mercenary who occasionally works for the government, Levi is haunted by his dreams, relying on three and a half ounces of whiskey each night to manage his nightmares. And no, he can’t take prescribed medication—its side effects would compromise his professional abilities.
Levi is approached by Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver), a government “spook” who loves his Army record and the fact that if he dies on this mission, no one will care. Levi accepts, flown to an undisclosed location to live in a lookout tower to relieve J.D. (Sope Dirisu), who has been manning his post for over a year, and to keep an eye on a narrow valley encased by fog.
According to J.D., Levi is taking over and securing the gates of hell.
Across from the edge of a deep, impenetrable gorge with slippery rock walls stands Drasa (Furiosa’s Anya Taylor-Joy), a Russian mercenary and Levi’s Eastern counterpart. She has just said goodbye to her father, who is dying of cancer. Drasa and Levi begin communicating through pen and paper—a detail that, I’ll admit, is rather adorable—until they witness what emerges from the gorge. Then, all hell breaks loose.
The Gorge was directed by Scott Derrickson and written by The Tomorrow War’s Zach Dean. Both of those films were well-received, featuring tighter, more coherent storytelling and a clear sense of identity. Dean’s script borrows tropes from various genres, attempting to graft them onto a horror backdrop that never quite fits. Meanwhile, Derrickson, who captivated audiences with The Black Phone, fails to create the sense of unease that should be a staple of any monster film.
Instead, both seem more preoccupied with a romance that never earns its keep.
Yes, Teller and Taylor-Joy’s chemistry is simply that of two good-looking people finding each other attractive. The film’s most entertaining scene has them flirting across the gorge while firing guns at monsters creeping up the walls—a spectacle that serves as the most blatant metaphor for sex since Mr. & Mrs. Smith, with both of them spraying bullets all over the gorge. Yet, the script bypasses any meaningful overtures to establish real love, instead relying on a single night in bed as justification for them risking their lives for each other.
We learn nothing about these characters that would help us understand their motivations or actions. Instead, the film uses this lack of depth as an excuse to propel them into increasingly absurd action sequences, all in pursuit of uncovering the “truth” behind why they’re there—the most cornball example of action-plot maneuvering since Independence Day.
They even manage to turn on modern computer systems despite supposedly being shut down since World War II.
Oh, and somehow, they have an endless supply of bullets without reloading, show zero signs of trauma, and keep going strong after 72 hours of nonstop fighting against creatures, bad guys, and the impending end of the world? The Gorge leaves no room to breathe, explore character motivations, or develop into something truly thrilling, meaningful, or honest.
Instead, it strings together loosely connected plot holes with clichés that feel more like cinematic CliffsNotes than a story you can fully immerse yourself in—for better or worse.
You can stream The Gorge on Apple TV+ on February 14th!
