The Gorge, 2025.
Directed by Scott Derrickson.
Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Miles Teller, Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, William Houston, Samantha Coughlan, Alessandro Garcia, Greta Hansen, and Adam Scott-Rowley.
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.
With The Gorge, director Scott Derrickson (a reliable staple of the horror genre, having made Sinister and recently The Black Phone) and screenwriter Zach Dean (The Tomorrow War) winningly balance intrigue, cornball romance, and old-school Capcom video game levels of dumb horror-action fun.
On first thought, that duo also doesn’t strike one as a creative match, given their areas of expertise are in different genres (yes, Scott Derrickson also directed the first Doctor Strange, but realistically speaking, there are artistic handcuffs when working within the MCU), and that’s without getting into that much of the buildup here hinges on hoping viewers can buy into a romance that the film takes its time setting up. The point is that, above all else, The Gorge is the rare treat that effectively mixes and matches genres while maintaining a singular tone that fits the experience. After watching it, it’s more apparent than ever why Apple has chosen and stuck with a Valentine’s Day release date, even if it means going up against the latest installment in the MCU.
Following two operatives, one on the western side of civilization and the other on the eastern side, the titular gorge sits somewhere in between at an undisclosed location and country. Cloaked and invisible to maps, there are advanced security towers on each side that a private contractor watches over 365 days a year before giving the thankless post to the following contractor. None of them are briefed on what they are getting themselves into, given a quick rundown by their predecessor before relinquishing the post that the gorge is theoretically a gateway to hell. To make clear this is not a joke, a predecessor will typically toss a grenade to provoke a reaction of pained cries from something monstrous that lies below. They are zombie-like creatures fused with nature, resembling walking trees, dubbed The Hollow Men.
The not-so-lucky chosen ones guarding the hellish pit this year are a pair of elite snipers. Miles Teller’s Levi has nothing to live for. In contrast, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Lithuanian Drasa is losing the only one she is currently living for, her cancer-diagnosed father Erikas (William Houston), who has cleverly found a means through astrology to let her know when he has died. Naturally, Levi and Drasa are prohibited from talking to one another; the former is under strict orders from Sigourney Weaver’s shady Bartholomew to ignore whoever is on the other side and focus on gathering data while containing the threat lurking below.
The filmmakers smartly use loneliness and the impending death of Drasa’s father and her birthday as a reason for the latter to gradually let her guard down and make small conversation through the typical methods seen in these situations: binoculars and writing on paper. Levi is reluctant but quickly caves, eventually using a grappling hook to reach Drasa. The two began bonding over sniping, their pasts, the mysterious nature of the mission, and rather beautifully, even through arts such as music and dancing. It sounds silly, but Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play it sweet and straight enough with chemistry (especially during the dance slow dancing scene) to make it work. These tortured characters hurt inside, but the film never takes that too far or forgets that this is all somewhat cheesy.
Naturally, the noise Levi and Drasa make awake The Hollow Men, eventually stranding them inside the gorge. This is where the horror-action elements take over, shot through an eerie yellow fog (accomplished cinematographer Dan Laustsen successfully makes the gorge feel vast and empty yet ominously dangerous) with creepy art design for The Hollow Men, all elevated by another tense score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. There is also a pleasant self-awareness of the absurdity as these characters move deeper into the gorge and come across hidden research facilities straight out of a survival horror game, complete with written notes and videotapes utilized for nutty exposition about what these creatures really are. The action sequences are also impressively choreographed, with one especially noteworthy battle occurring vertically inside a jeep being airlifted.
Through that chaos, the romantic beats are still effective, even if it feels as if neither Scott Derrickson nor Zach Dean had a fitting conclusion in mind. The ending scene is perhaps a bridge too far and forced. It also bears making clear that none of this is necessarily groundbreaking or exceptional and that at 2+ hours, it does feel as if bits could be trimmed from each half.
Still, The Gorge mainly works since it’s smart enough not to be everything simultaneously, allowing the genres to transition organically with convincing and physically committed performances from Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. The vision of Scott Derrickson and Zach Dean is synchronized, skillfully providing sentimental romance, aesthetically inspired terror, gonzo military coverups, sharpshooter thrills, and dopey video game energy fun.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
