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Arab Times
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Snipers, love and secrets in ‘The Gorge'
LOS ANGELES, Feb 15, (AP): In the movies, we've had green valleys, haunted hills and grand canyons. But only now has the time arrived for a long-overshadowed land formation. 'The Gorge,' a preposterous new videogamelike thriller, at least succeeds in, um, gorging on this often- overlooked geological feature. The gorge in question, to be fair, is a beauty. In some northern forested wilderness sit two concrete towers, one for each side of a wide, foggy ravine encircled by sheer rock steeps. Two expert snipers - Levi (Miles Teller) from the US, and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), placed by Russia - have been dropped off to man their respective stations. Both are conscripts of a sort. Levi has been a private contractor for the military since being psychologically deemed unfit for service by the Marines. (Sigourney Weaver plays the cryptic woman who hires him.) Drasa is Lithuanian. Each operates in the murky quasi-official world of covert military operations. All they know is that they're to be at this ultra-classified post for a year, part of an annual rotation. Their main job is to shoot anything that comes out of the chasm below. What's inside? The guy Levi is replacing thinks it could a portal to hell. 'The Gorge,' directed by Scott Derrickson ('Doctor Strange,' 'The Black Phone') from a script by Zach Dean ('The Tomorrow War,' 'Fast X'), unpeels these mysteries in a film that, if it wanted to, could be a very atmospheric post-Cold War parable, a kind of kaijuin- the-ground thriller, about deep-buried military secrets. That may be the backdrop, but 'The Gorge' wants to be something else, too. It wants to be a love story. Taking after the hybrid DNA horrors that emerge from below, 'The Gorge' mixes rom-com with sci-fi, with mostly ridiculous results. This is the rare movie to boast both horse-riding tree-zombies (that's what I said) and so, so many T.S. Eliot references. There is good preposterous and bad preposterous. 'The Gorge' - which I'm happy to report features the line 'The gorge is exposed!' - may find some believers on both sides of that gulf. The production quality is well above the grade of its script, with cinematography by Dan Laustsen (Guillermo del Toro's regular DP) and a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (coming off their incredible 2024 of 'Challengers' and 'Queer' ). Mash-up But the tonal swings, not to mention the gloss that covers the whole enterprise, make 'The Gorge' an intriguing but empty genre mash-up and streaming-only exercise. Like would-be lovers who spy each other across balconies, Drasa and Levi find their gazes trained more on each other than the evil that lurks below. It begins with a sign that could be called a tad cutesy for an elite sniper ('What's your name?'). As the months go by, their interactions advance to dancing and even, with the help of some repelling rope, a dinner date. You could at this point be asking yourself a few questions. If some version of hell was pried open, would we, perhaps, want more than two guards? But if we're going with two, how likely is it, with ghoulish things sporadically climbing up from the abyss, that they would soon begin a 'Love, Actually'-style courtship of holding up signs for each other? These aren't quibbles that 'The Gorge' has any time for, though. Though the movie's flow is choppy and occasionally distracted by overly showy camera moves, it zips along and soon enough the two of them are shooting at what you could only call skull spiders. Questionable as the romantic turn is, Taylor-Joy and Teller have convincing chemistry. Plus 'The Queen's Gambit' fans can rejoice at the chance to again see Taylor-Joy play chess, albeit in a slightly different context. Once we get a decent view of the creatures they're charged with keeping under control, they appear half tree root, half human, like demon Groots. 'The Gorge' is better before our main characters are no longer poised at the mouth of hell but running through the gorge floor. One minute, they're swaying to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the next they're being swallowed by an adhesive root system. 'The Gorge' is pretty superficial stuff, but perhaps we can await its even shallower sequel, 'The Gully.' 'The Gorge,' an Apple Studios release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, some suggestive material and thematic elements. Running time: 127 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
USA Today
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Apple TV+'s ‘The Gorge' mashes love, monsters for a thrilling Valentine's Day watch
Hear this story Here's a welcome Valentine's Day present for everyone: The most romantic new movie out isn't a good-hearted action comedy or a Bridget Jones jam. Instead, it's a sci-fi thriller with sharpshooting assassins, skull spiders and icky plant people. There's a bunch of mysteries at hand in director Scott Derrickson's horror-tinged, playfully amorous creature feature 'The Gorge' (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; streaming Friday on Apple TV+). The searing, spot-on chemistry between Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy is not one of them. That's fairly obvious, even across a ginormous foggy valley where two lonely secret operatives work to keep its unholy terrors from escaping. Levi (Teller) is a retired Marine sniper and gun for hire deemed expendable by his latest boss (Sigourney Weaver) and tasked with a yearlong assignment. Drugged and dropped off in a remote mountain region, Levi has to man a tower on one side of a huge gorge and has plenty of weaponry at his fingertips to keep a host of weird monsters (like creepers nicknamed 'The Hollow Men") from reaching the surface. Most of the time he's just there to be a highly skilled maintenance man, but he has to be ready for anything that happens. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox. And oh, yeah, he's forbidden to contact the person at the tower on the other side. That would be Drasa (Taylor-Joy), a Lithuanian markswoman who occasionally watches him through high-tech binoculars. Rate your 'Film of the Year': Join our Movie Meter panel and make your voice heard! After a couple of months of quiet co-existence, on her birthday, Drasa decides she wants to know his name. They first communicate via signs (a la 'Love Actually') but then get to know each other through other means: shooting glasses off the other's perch, using kitchen accessories for dueling drum solos, and even some long-distance chess. Teller brings the charm (with some hefty emotional baggage) while Taylor-Joy enchants as a punk-loving Eastern European rebel. Flirty smirks and rule-breaking shenanigans lead to them figuring out a way to take their 'relationship' to the next level – in this case, a rabbit pie dinner date – but they are occasionally reminded of the dangers below. Eventually, one winds up in the gorge, the other follows and together they investigate the dark, weird truths of what lies beneath them. Even hardcore action fans will dig the interesting rom-com aspects and star-crossed love story that takes up a good chunk of 'The Gorge.' Once Levi and Drasa get to the monster fighting and big reveals (which slow the film's considerable momentum), you miss the intimacy of them getting to know each other. The movie plays with shades of pandemic isolation and a therapeutic understanding between two soulmates both scarred by their chosen profession. Derrickson has done strangely trippy ('Doctor Strange') and deeply chilling ('Sinister') before, yet he finds a new gear with a rock 'n' roll heart and B-movie thrills that give the flick an original flavor rather than the same old monster mash. (Although if you're a fan of 'Annihilation,' you're going to seriously dig this.) The script by Zach Dean ('The Tomorrow War') leans smart – bone up on your T.S. Eliot beforehand – and the nightmarish inner gorge is a spiffy mix of nature run amok plus terrifying ghouls that would give Swamp Thing the willies. Does 'Sleepless in Seattle' slathered in supernatural madness sound like a good time? Then dive into 'The Gorge," a Whitman's Sampler of film genres with a delightfully sweet center that belies its freaky packaging.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movie Review: 'The Gorge' is ridiculous
In the movies, we've had green valleys, haunted hills and grand canyons. But only now has the time arrived for a long-overshadowed land formation. 'The Gorge,' a preposterous new videogame-like thriller, at least succeeds in, um, gorging on this often-overlooked geological feature. The gorge in question, to be fair, is a beauty. In some northern forested wilderness sit two concrete towers, one for each side of a wide, foggy ravine encircled by sheer rock steeps. Two expert snipers – Levi ( Miles Teller ) from the U.S., and Drasa ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), placed by Russia — have been dropped off to man their respective stations. Both are conscripts of a sort. Levi has been a private contractor for the military since being psychologically deemed unfit for service by the Marines. ( Sigourney Weaver plays the cryptic woman who hires him.) Drasa is Lithuanian. Each operates in the murky quasi-official world of covert military operations. All they know is that they're to be at this ultra-classified post for a year, part of an annual rotation. Their main job is to shoot anything that comes out of the chasm below. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. What's inside? The guy Levi is replacing thinks it could a portal to hell. 'The Gorge,' directed by Scott Derrickson ('Doctor Strange,' 'The Black Phone') from a script by Zach Dean ('The Tomorrow War,' 'Fast X'), unpeels these mysteries in a film that, if it wanted to, could be a very atmospheric post-Cold War parable, a kind of kaiju-in-the-ground thriller, about deep-buried military secrets. That may be the backdrop, but 'The Gorge' wants to be something else, too. It wants to be a love story. Taking after the hybrid DNA horrors that emerge from below, 'The Gorge' mixes rom-com with sci-fi, with mostly ridiculous results. This is the rare movie to boast both horse-riding tree-zombies (that's what I said) and so, so many T.S. Eliot references. There is good preposterous and bad preposterous. 'The Gorge' — which I'm happy to report features the line 'The gorge is exposed!' — may find some believers on both sides of that gulf. The production quality is well above the grade of its script, with cinematography by Dan Laustsen (Guillermo del Toro's regular DP) and a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (coming off their incredible 2024 of 'Challengers' and 'Queer' ). But the tonal swings, not to mention the gloss that covers the whole enterprise, make 'The Gorge' an intriguing but empty genre mash-up and streaming-only exercise. Like would-be lovers who spy each other across balconies, Drasa and Levi find their gazes trained more on each other than the evil that lurks below. It begins with a sign that could be called a tad cutesy for an elite sniper ('What's your name?'). As the months go by, their interactions advance to dancing and even, with the help of some repelling rope, a dinner date. You could at this point be asking yourself a few questions. If some version of hell was pried open, would we, perhaps, want more than two guards? But if we're going with two, how likely is it, with ghoulish things sporadically climbing up from the abyss, that they would soon begin a 'Love, Actually'-style courtship of holding up signs for each other? These aren't quibbles that 'The Gorge' has any time for, though. Though the movie's flow is choppy and occasionally distracted by overly showy camera moves, it zips along and soon enough the two of them are shooting at what you could only call skull spiders. Questionable as the romantic turn is, Taylor-Joy and Teller have convincing chemistry. Plus 'The Queen's Gambit' fans can rejoice at the chance to again see Taylor-Joy play chess, albeit in a slightly different context. Once we get a decent view of the creatures they're charged with keeping under control, they appear half tree root, half human, like demon Groots. 'The Gorge' is better before our main characters are no longer poised at the mouth of hell but running through the gorge floor. One minute, they're swaying to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the next they're being swallowed by an adhesive root system. "The Gorge' is pretty superficial stuff, but perhaps we can await its even shallower sequel, 'The Gully.' 'The Gorge,' an Apple Studios release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, some suggestive material and thematic elements. Running time: 127 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Associated Press
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Movie Review: ‘The Gorge' is ridiculous
In the movies, we've had green valleys, haunted hills and grand canyons. But only now has the time arrived for a long-overshadowed land formation. 'The Gorge,' a preposterous new videogame-like thriller, at least succeeds in, um, gorging on this often-overlooked geological feature. The gorge in question, to be fair, is a beauty. In some northern forested wilderness sit two concrete towers, one for each side of a wide, foggy ravine encircled by sheer rock steeps. Two expert snipers – Levi ( Miles Teller) from the U.S., and Drasa ( Anya Taylor-Joy), placed by Russia — have been dropped off to man their respective stations. Both are conscripts of a sort. Levi has been a private contractor for the military since being psychologically deemed unfit for service by the Marines. ( Sigourney Weaver plays the cryptic woman who hires him.) Drasa is Lithuanian. Each operates in the murky quasi-official world of covert military operations. All they know is that they're to be at this ultra-classified post for a year, part of an annual rotation. Their main job is to shoot anything that comes out of the chasm below. What's inside? The guy Levi is replacing thinks it could a portal to hell. 'The Gorge,' directed by Scott Derrickson ('Doctor Strange,' 'The Black Phone') from a script by Zach Dean ('The Tomorrow War,' 'Fast X'), unpeels these mysteries in a film that, if it wanted to, could be a very atmospheric post-Cold War parable, a kind of kaiju-in-the-ground thriller, about deep-buried military secrets. That may be the backdrop, but 'The Gorge' wants to be something else, too. It wants to be a love story. Taking after the hybrid DNA horrors that emerge from below, 'The Gorge' mixes rom-com with sci-fi, with mostly ridiculous results. This is the rare movie to boast both horse-riding tree-zombies (that's what I said) and so, so many T.S. Eliot references. There is good preposterous and bad preposterous. 'The Gorge' — which I'm happy to report features the line 'The gorge is exposed!' — may find some believers on both sides of that gulf. The production quality is well above the grade of its script, with cinematography by Dan Laustsen (Guillermo del Toro's regular DP) and a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (coming off their incredible 2024 of 'Challengers' and 'Queer'). But the tonal swings, not to mention the gloss that covers the whole enterprise, make 'The Gorge' an intriguing but empty genre mash-up and streaming-only exercise. Like would-be lovers who spy each other across balconies, Drasa and Levi find their gazes trained more on each other than the evil that lurks below. It begins with a sign that could be called a tad cutesy for an elite sniper ('What's your name?'). As the months go by, their interactions advance to dancing and even, with the help of some repelling rope, a dinner date. You could at this point be asking yourself a few questions. If some version of hell was pried open, would we, perhaps, want more than two guards? But if we're going with two, how likely is it, with ghoulish things sporadically climbing up from the abyss, that they would soon begin a 'Love, Actually'-style courtship of holding up signs for each other? These aren't quibbles that 'The Gorge' has any time for, though. Though the movie's flow is choppy and occasionally distracted by overly showy camera moves, it zips along and soon enough the two of them are shooting at what you could only call skull spiders. Questionable as the romantic turn is, Taylor-Joy and Teller have convincing chemistry. Plus 'The Queen's Gambit' fans can rejoice at the chance to again see Taylor-Joy play chess, albeit in a slightly different context. Once we get a decent view of the creatures they're charged with keeping under control, they appear half tree root, half human, like demon Groots. 'The Gorge' is better before our main characters are no longer poised at the mouth of hell but running through the gorge floor. One minute, they're swaying to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the next they're being swallowed by an adhesive root system. 'The Gorge' is pretty superficial stuff, but perhaps we can await its even shallower sequel, 'The Gully.'
New York Times
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The Gorge' Review: How Deep Is Your Love?
Somewhere the Baltics, an American and former Marine named Levi, played by a goateed Miles Teller, is assigned to guard a gorge. He's installed high up in a fancy watchtower that's equipped with comfortable living quarters, plenty of food and well-stocked bookshelves. Previous occupants have chalked quotes from the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre, T.S. Eliot and Cyril Connolly on the walls. An identical tower sits across the gorge. In that one is Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), a dark-haired Lithuanian agent. We first see her paying a visit to her accordion-playing father, and we meet Levi being kind to his dog on the beach, so we know they are good people. While they're instructed by their espionage overlords to distrust each other, they quickly contrive to get physically closer. Directed by Scott Derrickson from a script by Zach Dean, 'The Gorge' takes an already implausible premise and then catapults it out of the espionage genre and into science-fiction and horror. As it happens, at the bottom of this gorge are creatures called 'the hollow men' (more Eliot!) and these gnarly fellows go on the attack after Drasa blasts Ramones music across the divide. In the meantime, Levi's commander, played by Sigourney Weaver, is up to no good, ordering the elimination of a previous gorge operative. But for all the elaborate weaponry, production design and (eventually) frantic action offered here, this movie crackles most as a lively pas de deux between Taylor-Joy and Teller, who commendably take their material seriously no matter how seriously ridiculous it gets. The GorgeRated PG-13 for language and violence. Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes. Watch on AppleTV+.
