The Gorge (Obscured by Clouds)

We recently bought an Apple TV box. It came with a three-month free subscription to Apple TV+, so we figured we should try it out. The Gorge (2025) had just come out, and we felt like some dumb direct-to-streaming action, so we tried it out. 

It starts with Anya Taylor-Joy hiding in a cave in a cliff, and then performing a long-range assassination. She is a Lithuanian working for the Russians, with a terminally ill father. She is going on a year-long mission, he plans to kill himself on Valentine's Day. We then meet Miles Teller, a mercenary whose nightmares keep him from sleeping. 

Teller is "private security", a mercenary and sniper. Sigourney Weaver, a shadowy high-level intelligence operative, recruits him for a year-long mission, the details of which she will not divulge.

The mission turns out to be manning one of two watchtowers, one on either side of the titular gorge. The sides are steep and the bottom is perpetually hidden by fog. His predecessor gives him a 2-minute briefing and takes off. He soon realizes that the watchtower on the other side is manned by Taylor-Joy. 

Teller is a bit of a stick-in-the-mud, Taylor-Joy more of a good-time girl. She starts writing signs for him to read through his spotting scope. He tells her they aren't supposed to communicate. Then one day, Taylor-Joy's birthday, he finds out what they are watching for, when  horde of demon zombies come crawling up the walls of the gorge.

They use their automated weapons and sharpshooting skills to repel the attack, and enjoy the thrill of victory. Taylor-Joy calls it her best birthday ever. 

They continue to converse at long distance, until Valentine's Day. Teller wants to comfort Taylor-Joy, and actually ziplines across the gorge. They have a tender few days together, then he has to head back to check in. But the line breaks and he falls into the gorge - with a parachute, thank God. Taylor-Joy armors up and jumps after him.

So up to now, we have had a romantic military spy thriller, with a touch of SF. Once they get down in the gorge, it becomes a monster horror movie. This part is fun too, especially because our two stars get to work together. But it is kind of a jarring shift in tone.

Fortunately, we liked both tones, and were able to hang with the transition. I particularly love Anya Taylor-Joy (as I have mentioned a few times, I think). Miles Teller is a little harder to warm up to. Maybe I just hate him for that weak Reed Richards turn. Of course, Weaver as the villain of the piece was great, if short. 

I think this was a cut above the usual dumb action movies coming out lately. Maybe either half could have been a standard issue direct-to-streamer, but put them together, and add Anya Taylor-Joy, and you've got something.