Scott Derrickson’s film The Gorge is a highly satisfying and admirably lean film, in a market filled with bloated blockbusters and interminable miniseries. Deftly balancing action, thriller and science-fiction elements, Derrickson delivers a strong follow-up to Doctor Strange and The Black Phone anchored by sterling performances from Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu).
The film’s premise is simple (at least in the film’s early stages, writer Zach Dean wastes scant time world building, a canny choice here): Teller plays Levi and Taylor-Joy plays Drasa, both highly-skilled operatives who are appointed by powers unknown to stand guard at towers on opposite sides of the titular gorge. This gorge is vastly in scale and depth, mired in fog and peppered with landmines. Before he departs, Levi’s predecessor as guard (Sope Dirisu, Gangs of London) paints an uneventful picture, though theorises that there may be more to goings-on down there than meets the eye (surprise, surprise).
Now, with a premise like that and the rather drearily monochromatic visual marketing of this film, one could be forgiven for thinking that it is a generic sci-fi horror. However, whilst Derrickson and Dean clearly have a whale of a time playing in the sandbox of such genre tropes, the triumph of this film lies in their decision to make it a romance at its heart - and this film has heart, make no mistake. Being that The Gorge might as well be a two-person stage-play for a fair portion of its runtime, its success hinges upon the audience being sold on the relationship between Levi and Drasa, two characters who at least on the page are cardboard cutout mercenary archetypes. Fortunately, what could so easily have fallen flat instead soars, due to their easy yet sparking chemistry, infused with a healthy but not overbearing degree of humour. To my surprise, there was more than one moment in the film that made me laugh, with, not at, the characters. Derrickson resists the temptation to pack his film full of self-congratulatory twists and turns, including a welcome decision to avoid arbitrarily manufactured tension.
Readers may wonder why little mention is given to Sigourney Weaver, despite her presence as the third name on the poster. Well, that is because Weaver is given very little to chew on and barely features in the film - serving as more of a narrative catalyst than a fully-fledged character. There may be argument that Weaver’s character could have played a more substantial role in the film and given greater screen time - although in this case, the decision to eschew a wider cast focus in the favour of the two leads pays off in spades in my book.
For those who may be put off by this reviewer’s focus on romance and chemistry, rest assured that The Gorge is also successful in giving us a healthy dose of suspense, jump-scares and action set pieces. If anything, Derrickson and Dean could have packed even more of this into the film and gone more graphic, although it was not something which felt a major loss - especially being that the relatively short runtime felt a breath of fresh air that left me wanting more, not less (not to mention enabling the film to be a genuinely family-friendly blockbuster). The Hollow Men are a sufficiently intimidating and somewhat unexpected movie monster.
A brief mention must be given to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who unsurprisingly deliver another thumper of a score. Where Derrickson excels in knowing how to utilise score and sound design - including when to withhold the use of a score for dramatic effect, and to drop a banging needle drop (several of which feature)
In short, The Gorge is another strong entry in Scott Derrickson’s filmography (perhaps even this reviewer’s favourite to date) and stands as one of Apple Original Films’ strongest offerings in recent years (if only it could have been seen on the big screen). A tender yet thrilling film with humanity at its heart, this comes strongly recommended.
★★★★☆
The Gorge will premiere 14 March on Apple TV+.
About The Gorge
Premiere Date: 14 March 2025
Platform: Apple TV+
Director: Scott Derrickson
Writer: Zach Dean
Cast: Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu
Producers: David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Sherryl Clark, Adam Kolbrenner, Zach Dean, Gregory Goodman.
Executive Producer: Miles Teller
Composer: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
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