Films for Breakfast

Mid-budget films used to keep the film industry afloat in-between their handful of IP-based films per year, but nowadays, we’re lucky if they get a theatrical release at all. The Gorge feels like a film that would’ve been a mid-summer release in the 2000s or 2010s, and I mean that as a compliment. The film follows two elite snipers, Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) stationed in watchtowers on opposite sides of a massive, mysterious gorge. Their task is to prevent any threats from emerging out of it, but as their mission proves to be largely uneventful, they quickly form a romantic relationship with one-another. This leads the pair into discovering dark secrets lurking within the gorge and how it connects to those who hired them.

Scott Derrickson has always been an impressive genre-filmmaker, leaning into horror more than any other genre. But with Doctor Strange back in 2016, Derrickson proved that he had the chops to deliver the goods in terms of action as well. When it comes to The Gorge, he fully proves his versatility as a filmmaker, as it often blends the action and horror genres together in a delightful and organic way. The setting of the gorge provides a wonderful visual style for the film to work off of, feeling akin to the best Resident Evil or Doom games brought to life while also having its own personal flair. The film fully leans into being a creepy yet hyper-violent adventure, and finds loads of entertainment value within it.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller are two provenly reliable and talented actors, but before watching the film, I couldn’t quite see them working as romantic interests. While I don’t think the film goes above and beyond when it comes to developing their relationship, it feels sincere enough that you genuinely care about them as the two face increasingly more dangerous scenarios in or around the gorge. The pair individually deliver solid performances, finding a great middle-ground between being believable action heroes but also appropriately vulnerable so that they aren’t cartoonishly immune to anything they face.

The plot here is perfectly serviceable; you can predict from a mile away where its going and how it will come full-circle into everything you learn earlier into the film. This leans into my only issue, where it does feel like the film leans a bit too heavy into the lore of the world towards the third act of the film, and whenever it feels the need to overexplain its world, it feels unnecessary as I found the mystery was cooler than the actual reveals. This also ties into Sigourney Weaver’s character, who I found to be a bit wasted in her role.

However, Derrickson’s filmmaking is the reason the film works as well as it does. It’s clear that the film isn’t another paycheck for him, and instead feels like an actual passion project from someone who has a real affinity for horror and action. The marriage between the two genres, with a big dash of romance thrown into the mix, makes the film feel incredibly old-fashioned and universally enjoyable for anyone who gives it a chance.