‘The Gorge’ Review
With a focus on horror as his domain, Scott Derrickson has forged a varied career that has seen him make entertaining works of terror that surprisingly work more often than they don’t. From the courtroom drama-exorcism hybrid of The Exorcism of Emily Rose to the creepy suburban horror of The Black Phone, Derrickson works diligently to capture an atmosphere and tonal balance that keeps his films feeling slightly fresh and just memorable enough to leave an impression. His latest film, The Gorge, written by Zach Dean, jumbles together survival horror, action, romance, and a touch of science fiction to craft some thrilling and fun popcorn entertainment that feels slightly too sanitized to be terrifying but inventive enough to wish for a little more time in its dark universe. Held together by an upbeat, dynamic energy between its two leads and a nonstop pace to its momentum, The Gorge is a slick genre hybrid that never stops being a blast while rarely digging into its intriguing concept.
The big mystery surrounding The Gorge is laid out from the start as an American and Lithuanian (hired by Moscow) operative is tasked to watch over the titular gorge from the comfort of fortified towers on opposite ends. What lies within the gorge remains a secret, but it’s not something anyone wants to get out. The American, Levi Kane (Miles Teller), is a sullen individual with little left to live for and even less reason to help his country. However, after being vetted by Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver, who might as well not be in the movie other than to give a little gravitas to a minor role), he is sent to the gorge because of his skills as a soldier and an absence of attachments. Meanwhile, hot off an assassination, Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a Lithuanian soldier brought on by Moscow to monitor the other side of the gorge. While not the most nuanced character, Taylor-Joy imbues the character with some joviality outside of the killer within and manages to make her endearing, even if her role is merely to be a love interest who can also shoot a gun.
The effort put into building a relationship between Levi and Drasa is the surprising element of The Gorge. While most of their relationship stems from being bored, there’s chemistry between the two as Drasa’s competitive side forces Levi to open up about his past sniper kills, and the two form a bond over being just slightly broken enough to be willing to spend their lives in solitude. While the characters themselves lack any significant depth, Teller and Taylor-Joy sell the relationship thanks to the time given in the screenplay for them to bond. It results in a neat little hangout movie that feels like the end of the world looming below the two as they find novel ways to interact without breaking the rule of communicating with the other side.
It’s what lies below them that eventually forces the film to suddenly shift gears and ultimately lean into more genre fare that is hard to believe isn’t adapted from a video game. Strands of Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, Gears of War, and other action-heavy horror titles percolate throughout The Gorge once it fully gives in to its horror and action roots. It’s also when Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score comes through most prominently and compliments the slick action shot by Dan Laustsen. While the visuals often veer closer to Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil adaptations as hordes of enemies come barreling toward the pair of lovers, it’s in the kinetic camerawork and choreography that leans on cooperative actions that helps the action stand out and be more reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead franchise of video games. There’s even a bit of tower defence in earlier parts of the film that show how much Dean’s screenplay is indebted to video games.
Oddly, the horror elements are surprisingly weak in The Gorge, given Derrickson’s penchant for delivering an oppressive, creepy atmosphere to films like Sinister and The Black Phone. There’s an intensity to the first encounter with what lies in the gorge, but once the film entirely shifts into its action-horror hybrid, it gives far more precedence to bullets flying as characters constantly move forward. One of the more significant missteps is the film’s use of CG. While it benefits the film’s glossy presentation, it’s disappointing how much it dulls the horrors within the gorge. Everything has a clean, sterile presentation against some gnarlier art direction that lends itself to the atmosphere effectively enough but can’t help but feel diminished. The concept of the horror ultimately positions the film as more interesting than terrifying.
The film remains a two-hander throughout, even as it shifts genres, which makes every moment feel like the bubblegum pop version of an action film. No matter what obstacles come between Levi and Drasa, they always seem unassailable and as cheesy as it sounds, their bond makes them appear invincible. It holds them above the tension, and the film’s breakneck pacing once it stops building their relationship ends up crippling any attempts at suspense—the narrative crumbles in exchange for exciting set pieces and keeping things light above the darkness. It’s evident in how the film clunkily throws exposition dumps and sets things up at the beginning of the film before it even reveals its mysteries. Once those are in play, the film doesn’t seem to care about them as much as it does its protagonists. However, as previously mentioned, those characters aren’t given much nuance—their bond matters most, not who they are before or after that.
As a romantic action film with some light horror dressing, The Gorge is surprisingly entertaining for what it is. A film that never quite punches above its weight but is also remarkably deft at delivering popcorn entertainment despite its shortcomings, Derrickson takes a shallow screenplay and turns in something defiantly enjoyable. It’s another feather in the cap of Teller and Taylor-Joy, who make the relationship click without much fuss and are comfortable enough selling spectacle without betraying their grounded performances. Derrickson’s work on Doctor Strange shines brightest here and reaffirms that although Derrickson is a horror director first and foremost, he’s also got a knack for the kind of mainstream grandeur that can do wonders in elevating an otherwise serviceable narrative. The most shocking feat of The Gorge is that for every element of its narrative, lore, and characters that it wastes, it still thrills thanks to some fun performances and bubblegum pop presentation.
