Something naughty stirs deep down in the hazy darkness of The Gorge, an entertaining and effective sci-fi/horror/action-thriller that doesn’t seek to shake things up but still accomplishes its mission. Two attractive leads (Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy) flirt with each other from across the abyss while keeping eyes on what lurks below. Sigourney Weaver is in it too, which is always awesome.
Relegated to Apple TV+ even though it easily could have made a few bucks on the big screen, The Gorge is a fast-paced, easily consumable popcorn flick. It isn’t super-intelligent, but it isn’t dumb either (except: where do the two soldiers, who backpacked dozens of kilometers to their posts, get their formal wear for their illicit date night?). The action is fun, the creature design alluring. It’s a concept film through and through–accept the fact that there is a gorge in the middle of nowhere where deadly things live, and you’ll be bought in.
Sure, The Gorge ultimately feels like a B-grade version of Annihilation, but for those who would have just as easily been content had Annihilation involved a bunch of frightening hybrid horror-critters that simply wanted to kill everyone, it plays just fine.
It helps that Teller and Taylor-Joy have strong chemistry with each other. Even when separated physically, things sizzle. To put it bluntly: you want to see them f**k.
There are little things that could have been done better. Taylor-Joy’s Russian accent comes and goes, but that’s OK. I wish The Gorge had avoided the stereotypical “Look, we found an old recording of a scientist who explains everything” trope, but the trope works in movies like this. And again, the formal date night wear takes you out of the movie… but only temporarily.
The Gorge may not be high cinema, but there’s nothing wrong with this. Entertaining, exciting, and sexy, it’s more than worth a look over the edge.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.