The Gorge, an action and horror film, was released on February 14, 2025, with a 6.7/10 on IMDb. Despite its low rating, it was a nuanced film far different from the recent category of action films. Through world and character building, the director and the writer, Scott Derrickson and Zach Dean, created an atmosphere for the film that had a progressive plot.
With the movie poster caption, “They’re not keeping you out. They’re keeping them in,” the film’s complex twist on a mysteriously apocalyptic environment was perfectly encapsulated. While The Gorge was mainly based on action, the horror aspects – from body horror to depiction of haunting foliage – truly were nightmare-ish in a way that horror-lovers – such as myself – wouldn’t want to miss.
The main characters are renowned snipers for their programs, both with a plethora of experience with guns and other related weapons. Miles Teller played a man called Levi Kane, a retired sniper and Marine veteran with no familial connections, to work at a tower over a classified gorge in an undisclosed location. A tower identical to Levi’s housed the second main character: Drasa. Played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Drasa was a woman working to pay for her poor father’s medical care, working for a year in order to earn a wage that could help their family of two.
On discovery of each other, the two must learn to work together through a bubbling romance across the gorge-sized gap to protect the content of the discreet location. Protect them from what, exactly? That’s the mystery. An unidentified source of disturbance and rumbling terror lurked below the sheet of mist within the gorge. This festering evil was their mission to keep it at bay, and in return they would receive undisclosed compensation.
The complex environment of the gorge is later revealed, presenting a new take on previous versions of apocalyptic environmental scenes in action and horror movies combined. I genuinely enjoyed the compacted storyline while still having an adequate level of content purposefully incorporated. If you’re into any level of horror, action, romance, or mystery, definitely invest an hour or two into watching this thrilling movie!
