The Gorge is what I like to call a madlibs movie. It’s as if someone took all the most ridiculous ideas a movie could have and put them into one film. Although I would be the first to crack jokes at this, it’s also a surprisingly enjoyable ride. The story follows two elite snipers—Miles Teller as a former Marine from the U.S. and Anya Taylor-Joy as a Lithuanian assassin based in Russia—who are assigned to a remote and mysterious base built around World War II. Their mission is to stay for a year, guarding the vast, cavernous gorge between them. The bases are armed to the teeth, and all we are told initially is that their job is to keep what is inside the gorge from coming out.
Now, which direction would you think a story like this might proceed? If you said in the direction of a fully-fledged rom-com, you’d be right! Predictably, or unpredictably, the two attractive snipers fall in love across the gorge from each other, exchanging notes written on boards à la Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” music video while reading them through super zoom binoculars. Where else might you expect this story to go after that? Well, if you said an action-packed, video game-like shoot-out, you’d be right too!
Although The Gorge is far from peak cinema, with a wealth of issues that would take far too long to discuss, it still manages to be a silly, popcorn movie reminiscent of the mid-budget films of the 2000s. I won’t delve into any big spoilers, but you should know that The Gorge is written by Zach Dean, the same man who crafted the scripts for Fast X and The Tomorrow War, and will be penning the script for Fast XI. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that as The Gorge unfolds, it escalates from one extreme to the next, climbing up the genre ladder from sci-fi mystery to potential apocalypse.
I will say that the concept of two snipers falling in love by writing notes to each other—one even going so far as to craft a poem—feels surprisingly refreshing for an action movie. There are mild Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes in the way Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, Drasa, and Miles Teller’s character, Levi, compete with and tease each other while being menaced by monsters from the deep. Teller and Taylor-Joy engage in discussions about challenging scenes in their sci-fi romance and what they know about the next ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Dune’ movies.
There are some silly moments, such as how they seem to perfectly time their glances at each other whenever they are peering through binoculars, despite being very far apart. However, overall, Drasa and Levi’s romance is what actually makes The Gorge interesting; otherwise, it’s just a painfully predictable action film. The mystery inside the titular gorge is far less intriguing than one might think, and instead of exploring something extremely weird or experimental, the story takes the safest path possible.
The most unpredictable moments—and the ones that are surprisingly charming—occur in the first half of the film during Drasa and Levi’s flirtation. But it feels like two movies. One is about a burgeoning romance between two people who are meant to be enemies, while the other explores a secret place shrouded in inexplicable mystery that remains unanswered for far too long. The Gorge seeks to uncover these questions, but rather than maintaining some mystery, everything is tidily resolved in a manner that feels lazy, given the scale of the story.
This leads me to my main gripe with the movie: it is far too predictable. From the shady Sigourney Weaver to a death that occurs much too early in the film, you can see where the plot is headed about half an hour into this 127-minute movie. I was never once curious about what lay at the bottom of the gorge because anyone who watches movies regularly can piece together the clues almost instantly. The hints are all there, and rather than trusting the audience to connect the dots, each answer is spoon-fed with convenient ways for the characters to progress to the next checkpoint.
In many respects, The Gorge often feels like a video game, but this is not a compliment. Certain scenes resemble formulaic gameplay sequences where characters transition from a cutscene into action mode. Injuries are quickly overcome, impossible feats become achievable, and escape routes seemingly appear just when needed. Yet, there exists a realm where The Gorge could have emerged as a cult classic. It could retain its odd genre blend, the quirky romantic scenes, and nods to other films while accumulating a dedicated following. However, it remains too earnest when it doesn’t need to be, and simultaneously not earnest enough when the stakes are genuinely high.
The film is forced into a corner, leading to a situation by the 80% mark where one begins to feel exhausted, waiting for an inevitable conclusion while hoping for a change that never materializes. Okay, so I’ve critiqued The Gorge a bit, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a fun time watching it. What works in The Gorge are the action scenes, packed with explosions, bullets, and impressive maneuvers, showcasing that director Scott Derrickson knows how to craft an exhilarating action sequence—although some bizarre swiveling camera work can be jarring.
Indeed, there were moments when I wished the film resembled a full-blown video game allowing me to explore every nook and cranny of its universe. Over the course of the movie, the environment morphs from dark and muted into vibrant and colorful, with a rich palette that enhances the film’s visual appeal. Likewise, the special effects for the creatures in this film are notably entertaining. They evoke memories of the clickers from The Last of Us, bringing with them an effective blend of horror and an appropriate level of eeriness—something not surprising, given Derrickson’s experience with the genre.
Ultimately, what saves The Gorge is the chemistry between Taylor-Joy and Teller. While their in-person scenes aren’t nearly as captivating as their moments shared across the gorge, the chemistry is fun to watch, particularly during action sequences. Taylor-Joy’s performance is hampered by an awkward accent, and Drasa may be portrayed as too trusting and warm for a Russian assassin. Teller comes off as a bit overly stereotypically American, and in some moments, I half expect him to tip his cowboy hat and nod “ma’am.” Levi’s PTSD subplot, which is somewhat significant, appears to fade away inconsistently, conveniently coinciding with different moments in the script.
However, when the two characters banter with one another or engage in back-to-back combat, it becomes easy to overlook the film’s rough edges. At the end of the day, no one went into The Gorge expecting a cinematic masterpiece. But for those in search of a popcorn Valentine’s movie—one that seems custom-made for couples craving equal doses of romance and action (with a few jump scares to enable hiding in your loved one’s arms)—then look no further. Predictable, silly, and ambitious in its approach, yet The Gorge succeeds as a fun popcorn movie, if not much more than that.
