'The Gorge' review: Scott Derrickson’s messy and chaotic sci-fi thriller
Courtesy of Apple TV+
Midway through “The Gorge,” there’s a passing reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer, and it got me thinking about how the Best Picture-winning biopic managed to feel like a gigantic movie on a third of the budget compared to what I was currently watching. Case in point, Scott Derrickson’s wonky sci-fi romantic monster mashup has all the visual prowess of a Microsoft screensaver, and it’s evident that the folks over at Apple TV+ probably funneled all their money and resources into “Severance” and gave this production whatever scraps were left.
Derrickson, whose last feature, “The Black Phone,” was a textbook example of how to maximize thrills and suspense on a minuscule budget, takes a big leap with “The Gorge.” The premise is simple and easy to digest: two government operatives—one American (Miles Teller) and one Lithuanian (Anya Taylor-Joy)—are tasked with guarding a mysterious “gorge” where, deep below, unseen creatures are lurking.
Unfortunately, this setup leads to a tepid viewing experience, often muddied by 2002 PlayStation 2-level graphics and leads who, frankly, don’t have the chemistry to overcome a busy screenplay loaded with H.P. Lovecraft homages but not much entertainment value.
Teller and Taylor-Joy play Levi and Drasa, two highly skilled military vets known for their sniping abilities. They’re enlisted to post up at separate towers for 365 days—he in the western tower, she in the eastern one. They’re not supposed to communicate, either, and are separated by 600 meters of gorge. Neither knows exactly where they are or why they’ve been sent, but naturally, the two begin flirting via dry-erase boards and giant notepads (think Ving Rhames chatting with the gun store owner in the “Dawn of the Dead” remake), despite explicit instructions from their superiors not to make contact.
This newfound infatuation is what gets them into trouble, and soon they find themselves on the ground level of the gorge, battling whatever monsters lurk in the shadows while uncovering tightly kept government secrets that their boss (played by the underutilized Sigourney Weaver) would rather remain hidden. You can probably guess what happens next.
Teller and Taylor-Joy are usually reliable performers (though Teller’s post-“Top Gun: Maverick” run hasn’t been as successful as expected), but their lack of chemistry is the crucial flaw that can't salvage the undercooked monster elements at play here. Moreover, the film’s visual language gives it an artificial, almost detached feel that’s difficult to shake.
Both actors are wasted in thankless, action-hero roles, alongside Derrickson, who should find his return to form with the forthcoming “Black Phone” sequel. I enjoy a good B-movie monster mash as much as the next person, yet “The Gorge” needed more substance and two leads with more spark.
Grade: C-
THE GORGE debuts on Apple TV+ Friday, February 14th.