AppleTV+ has become the streaming service for genre series. Period. From science fiction to horror, comedy, and a little bit of folksy fantasy, the streamer has shown a dedication to embracing high-concept series that require investment. Sure, it has the stellar generation drama Pachinko, but the series has tended to dig deep into the fantastical. AppleTV+ Original Films, on the other hand, haven’t ventured into genre film as robustly. The Gorge shakes that up.

Where Argyle and Ghosted brought me mostly disappointment, The Gorge is one of those films that feels like it was made directly to my interests as a critic and a viewer. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Black Phone) and written by Zach Dean (The Tomorrow War, Fast X), The Gorge is a genre-bending take on romance with two stars, Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy tasked with carrying the audience through it all.

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The Gorge follows two highly-trained operatives, Levi (Miles Teller, Top Gun: Maverick, Spiderhead) and Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu, Furiosa), who have independently been appointed a post in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge. From different countries and with very different motivations, Levi and Drasa are initially apprehensive about one another. They are both on a mission to protect the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within the canyon between them, and we don’t know much about either’s motivations.

But as they spend more time and begin to communicate with light, cards, and through their binoculars, a romance begins to flourish. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. At times, the quiet masks the danger and allows them to fall just a little bit more into one another.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller bring solid chemistry to their flirtation. 

That’s romance in The Gorge, two people coming together across a literal divide and slowly ramping up their flirtation through unconventional means. It works, and both Teller and Taylor-Joy sell their status as trained operatives and two young people falling in love.

The calm they begin to feel is shattered when the cataclysmic threat to humanity makes its way up the side of the gorge. They must work together to test their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the ravine before it’s too late. Monstrous and beautiful in design, the secret of the chasm is best left experienced rather than explained, but government intervention and motives are undeniable, allowing for a larger espionage component to become clear once the film has moved from romance to creature feature to action thriller.

A Ramone’s needle drop transforms The Gorge from a romance across a cavernous, mysterious natural wonder to a fight for survival. The trust that Levi and Drasa have built between each other in their days communicating via signs and binoculars is tested, and it ultimately showcases just how well Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy are at building immediate connections with their scene partners. As their connection deepens, so does the mystery, and they emerge as a couple to root for both to make it out alive and to make it out together.

Where Teller and Taylor-Joy carry the bulk of the film, the larger cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu, James Marlowe, and William Houston. However, their characters are more for narrative exploration, leaving Teller and Taylor-Joy center. Our leading couple makes The Gorge something to watch. Everything else falls to the wayside in pursuit of their curiosity to uncover the truth.

The Gorge (2025) is a solid and beautifully designed genre romance. 

Outside of the characters, the set design, effects work, and, ultimately, the creature design are what sell The Gorge. Scott Derrickson’s ability to maneuver across the gorge creates an atmospheric story that always feels like it’s ramping up. Once we make it into the canyon, the secrets it holds are some of the best sets, capturing the decaying abandoned area wonderfully.

That said, The Gorge isn’t perfect. With one too many turns in the third act, it treads out of the monster territory and into Mission Impossible for a bit, taking away from the film’s strength. That said, The Gorge offers a much needed change of pace to genre romance films. Teller and Taylor-Joy’s chemistry is supreme, the creature design of those in the gorge is breathtaking, and the dedication to building intimacy while raising action stakes ultimately means that we finally have a great romantic genre film from AppleTV+.

As a filmmaking duo, you can tell that Derrickson and Dean are on the same page. Most importantly, you can tell that both creatives are looking to push themselves out of one genre box, and those bold risks wind up crafting a unique and entertaining Valentine’s Day watch.

There is a special place in my critic heart for films like this. Those that throw out convention but understand their genres enough to blend them. More importantly, I think I’m starting to find a soft spot in my heart for Miles Teller. With a lot of romance, a little bit of horror, a heavy heaping of action, and a foot on the gas pedal from the second act onward, The Gorge is one to watch.

The Gorge (2025) is streaming now on AppleTV+.

The Gorge (2025)

• 7.5/10 Rating - 7.5/10

7.5/10

TL;DR

With a lot of romance, a little bit of horror, a heavy heaping of action, and a foot on the gas pedal from the second act onward, The Gorge is one to watch.

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