It has the feel of a Cloverfield-esque thriller where nothing is certain and not all questions get answers but by end of its second act, The Gorge totally spills the beans and leaves nothing for speculation. Additionally, the film’s big reveal is painfully generic, which is a big pity considering its alluring mystery.

Two specialist snipers (Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy) are each appointed a guard tower on opposite sides of a great gorge. They don’t know where in the world they are or who they are working for, only that their job is to make sure whatever’s in the gorge stays in the gorge. Romance blossoms between the two as they communicate via written signs, one eventually ziplining to the other’s tower. As they frolic face to face, an accident occurs that exposes the true nature of the gorge.

The Characters

Our two leads have enough characterisation to be fun to watch. Any more would dilute the pizazz of the premise.

Teller’s sniper is an introverted man who’s only known combat and solitude all his life, while Taylor Joy’s operative puts her work before her loved ones, which she has very few of.

Their communication across the gorge with their handwritten signs forms the heart of the film. It’s an entertaining and adorable romance, it gets you invested in the plot.

Where the plot goes beyond their courting is another matter.

The Promise of the Premise

This is a very subjective and opinionated stance. You may love where The Gorge goes after its first act. I really didn’t.

I learned from the opening credits that the film is partly produced by Skydance, which I know has produced a lot of projects with J.J Abrams and Bad Robot.

After the first 20-minutes, I was pleasantly reminded of the Cloverfield series. Modern thrillers with premises partly engrained in Sci-Fi and horror where you only get a single piece of a much larger story.

I was expecting something similar from The Gorge. I wanted to know what was down there but be left wanting more, just as I was after 10 Cloverfield Lane.

The Gorge doesn’t do that. Like I said, this is based on my prejudices and preferences. If you really want to know what’s in the gorge and its purpose and history then don’t fret, because all is revealed by the end.  

Be warned though, the big reveal is pretty clichéd. In the 80s’ or 90s’ it probably would’ve felt contemporary but nowadays it just leaves you thinking “…really?”

I was just disappointed that the film felt it needed to explain everything. The setup is attractive enough, clues and hints are great but a fully fleshed-out explanation should’ve been out of the question. That’s my opinion.  

Miles and Anya’s romance is a wonderful entry point into what could’ve been an eerie thriller worthy of the Cloverfield brand. The filmmakers obviously had a different intention, which is fine. The final product just clearly isn’t my cup of tea.

The Gorge gets an adequate 6 out of 10 from me.