Filmmaker Scott Derrickson is best known for his work in the horror genre – The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, The Black Phone – but the director has also ventured into other worlds, such as the superhero realm with Doctor Strange. Personally, I greatly appreciate his style and this time, Derrickson tries to make the most of Zach Dean’s (The Tomorrow War) screenplay and the two Hollywood stars at his disposal, Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Furiosa), to achieve another critical and commercial success with The Gorge.
The premise is simple: Levi (Teller) and Drasa (Taylor-Joy) are two highly trained agents who are given the exact same mission. Separated by a vast and highly classified gorge, they’re stationed at opposite surveillance posts to protect the world from a mysterious evil that resides in the depths of the great chasm. As they grow closer despite the distance, they try to remain vigilant, but when the cataclysmic threat is finally revealed, they must work together to keep the gorge’s secret before it’s too late.
The Gorge is the kind of movie that makes me leave the theater – or, in this case, my couch – straight to YouTube to see how the marketing team decided to promote a story that clearly has its greatest appeal in the mystery surrounding what happens in the gorge. Fortunately, the main trailer keeps the secret well hidden, though it does confirm that Levi and Drasa will have to fight some kind of creatures – a perfectly normal and predictable reveal, so I recommend watching it if there’s any hesitation about whether to check out the film.
Derrickson focuses the first half of The Gorge on building and developing the protagonists, especially the unconventional bond they create across such a great distance that they can only see each other through powerful binoculars. Their communication depends entirely on writing on paper or boards, and it’s precisely through these small visual details – without any spoken dialogue for quite a while – that the movie delivers its most surprising narrative element.
It’s not particularly common for films blending action, thriller, and horror to spend their valuable runtime trying to connect audiences to their protagonists. More often than not, these characters end up as cheap, unmotivated copies of Hollywood archetypes, quickly moving on to action and suspense sequences without testing the patience of their target audience for too long. The Gorge runs just over two hours, but aside from a single high-energy moment, its first half is dedicated to an unexpected romance between two people with similar lives marked by solitude and little human connection.
It doesn’t evolve into an insightful study of PTSD or the human relationship with physical distance, but The Gorge benefits from highly convincing, well-humored performances and excellent chemistry between Teller and Taylor-Joy, elevating a story that saves most of its action and chaos for the final act in the gorge. Here, Derrickson owes much to his cinematographer, Dan Laustsen (John Wick: Chapter 4), who contributes not only with masterful camera work but also with a vivid, incredibly immersive color palette.
Without delving into spoilers about the “why’s” and “how’s” of the valley, The Gorge features a creatively designed creature that fits well within the narrative, bringing in that layer of horror Derrickson loves so much. The action carries the right levels of energy, tension, and suspense to lead to an effective climax, though strangely, the movie loses some of its initial appeal as time goes on. The highly classified secret ultimately turns out to be quite basic and explored in a fairly fundamental, generic manner, which lessens the impact of the final act.
It’s a classic example of a movie where amazing execution makes up for the lack of deeper narrative development in some of its more intriguing ideas. I’m not sure how the film would fare without the actors leading it – especially Taylor-Joy, who conveys so much with her eyes and facial expressions – but much like The Tomorrow War, I believe The Gorge is a film that could grow in appreciation over time.
The Gorge may not be a revolution in this genre blend, but it stands out for its stylish execution, imaginative creature design, and the engaging chemistry between its leads. Scott Derrickson once again proves his talent for balancing action, suspense, and emotion, crafting a highly entertaining home blockbuster that, despite lacking deeper development in some of its most fascinating narrative elements, keeps audiences invested from start to finish. In the end, it’s a film that thrives on captivating performances, well-orchestrated tension, and the way it transforms a simple premise into a visually striking experience.
