The Gorge was the biggest movie premiere in Apple TV+ history, driving double-digit global growth for the service and boosting new viewers by over 80 percent during its release weekend last February. So I got curious — and it’s not a bad film.

We’ve seen romantic movies where two people fall in love through correspondence. In this Apple TV’s original film, the premise is the same — except the two leads communicate through gun signals, binoculars, and giant handwritten notes.

In a remote outpost set in an unknown, dramatic, and isolated landscape, a wide, nameless gorge separates two watchtowers. Inside each one is a sniper. Levi Kane (Miles Teller), a seasoned American soldier, mans the western tower. Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), a Lithuanian operative, keeps watch from the eastern side. 

Neither knows exactly where they are or what their real mission is, except to keep creatures from crawling out of the gorge. 

Levi and Drasa study each other from afar, and a romantic connection forms. These two lonely people — kept isolated by the nature of their profession — meet-cute in the middle of a bizarre, dangerous and vague duty. It’s romantic, especially with Teller and Taylor-Joy showing real chemistry.

Director Scott Derrickson knows how to build slow-burn romance between two highly skilled assassins, even incorporating rock music and a cute long-distance jamming.

The production design is visually arresting, creating both a harsh natural and futuristic aesthetic. The towers are spartan but lived-in. Records, books and drums fill the space between military-grade surveillance tech. 

Cinematographer Dan Laustsen captures it all in warm, low light. The film leans into stillness. You feel the quiet. The sense of waiting. The place, the distance, and the strange beauty of it all make their bond believable.

Their early interactions are full of tension, quiet humor, and a kind of tentative hope. There is no exposition, no rush. They gesture, signal and watch. 

It becomes a kind of emotional rhythm. You can feel what they are learning about each other without words. This section, built on routine and slow trust, holds your attention.

Then the film switches track.

At the halfway point, the story introduces monsters — “Hollow Men,” zombie-like creatures that storm the towers and turn the film into an action sequence.

This shift changes the movie’s rhythm. The space and quiet from earlier are replaced by tensionless, video game–like sequences.

The emotional thread survives, mostly because of the actors. Teller plays Levi with restraint. He has the look of someone carrying regret. Taylor-Joy keeps Drasa internal, thoughtful but more open. They share scenes that work even when the dialogue goes into cheesy territory. You find yourself rooting for their love story. 

Susan Sarandon plays a mysterious, powerful executive watching everything from a pristine office high above a futuristic city. Obviously, she’s the bad guy, and Levi and Drasa are pawns of a much deeper, complex, evil agenda.

The Gorge wants to tell two stories. One is about two people finding each other across distance. The other is a sci-fi thriller about monsters and survival. The first is engaging. The second feels like an unwelcome supernatural intrusion. 

The Gorge is more compelling when grounded in reality and focused on the love story. While the zombies are visually nightmarish, they are not exactly threatening, and feel like a juvenile subplot that pulls the movie down. Still, the movie is effectively romantic, and is entertaining enough if you’ve got time to kill.

3 out of 5 stars

Streaming on AppleTV+