This past weekend saw Valentine’s Day land on a Friday and, because of it, we got plenty of films in the holiday spirit. From Heart Eyes to Companion, there were plenty of options when it came to cinematic offerings for V-Day. And those that prefer to stay home had an entirely different option: Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller falling in love from across a massive chasm in The Gorge. Sure, this Sci Fi film may not seem like the stereotypical romance film, but it certainly has that at its core. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the film (check that out HERE), I still encourage you to decide for yourself. I spoke to the writer of the film, Zach Dean, about creating the story, as well as some other upcoming projects he’s working on. It’s also reportedly Apple’s biggest launch ever for an original film.

Often when we hear about streamers, it’s the ways they’re stifling filmmakers creatively in the name of profit. Yet, save for a seemingly isolated incident with Wolfs, Apple TV Plus has built a reputation for giving filmmakers a long leash. Deans agrees, having a great experience working with them: “Honestly, they’re just making good stuff. They’re just putting their funds into the right things. Yeah and that’s good. I’m just glad that there’s places for all kinds of stories now.”

Dean was very excited to get Anya Taylor Joy on the project, saying, “The short answer is: it’s absolutely mind-blowing and you can’t believe it. It’s wonderful.” But that wasn’t all when it came to exciting collaborations: “Then Scott [Derrickson] came on, which was amazing. And because when you when you’re like the artist, you’re like an architect, right? Like you have to build the print, but again, and it has a lot of value because in the process of writing it as an artist, it has to process your stuff like: ‘Okay, the value of this, had I never sold the thing was still incredibly valuable to me.’“

Zach Dean has multiple other big projects coming out over the next few years. The Tomorrow War was a massive hit for Prime, and Dean has already written the screenplay for its sequel. At this point, the script is in Pratt’s hands and they’re just waiting on him. Dean is also writing the next installment of the Fast and Furious franchise but he was very tightlipped, simply saying that “I think that what’s really important to me in what I can contribute in this, is to make sure that the final film feels emotionally satisfying to the people that have been riding this ride for decades.”

I know I’m a massive fan of the Fast and Furious franchise so I really hope they’re able to take the series back to its more simple roots and we leave the space shenanigans in the dust. But only time will tell…

THE GORGE IS NOW STREAMING EXCLUSIVELY ON APPLE TV PLUS!

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I know most of us here at JoBlo are big fans of Anya Taylor Joy. From The Witch to The Menu to Furiosa, she has made such an impact. So it’s intriguing to see her team with Doctor Strange‘s Scott Derrickson on a Sci-Fi Action flick with horror elements. Then add in Miles Teller, who we haven’t seen since 2022’s Top Gun Maverick) and you’ve got the pieces for an interesting film. Whether it comes together or not is going to have to be up to you. You can check out my review but needless to say: I wasn’t a fan.

However, I was fortunate enough to talk to Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller about their experience on The Gorge. It was interesting to hear that the two have been friends for a long time and were looking for a project to do together. There’s also a pretty brutal scene that I had to ask about, and their responses make it clear that they weren’t fans of what they had to do.

THE GORGE plot: Two highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late. 

THE GORGE IS STREAMING EXCLUSIVELY ON APPLE TV PLUS ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025.

The post Interview: Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller Discuss Their New Sci-Fi Action Film, The Gorge appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: Two highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late. 

REVIEW: After Miles Teller’s massive 2022 with Top Gun Maverick and Paramount Plus’s The Offer, he took a bit of a break. Now he’s coming back onto the scene, teaming up with Anya Taylor Joy to give us a Sci-Fi Action film from Doctor Strange‘s Scott Derrickson. In The Gorge, Joy and Teller are tasked with keeping watch over a mysterious chasm, and keep the evil creatures within from escaping. Because if the gates of Hell open up, it’s always smarter to just have two people making sure they don’t get out. Who needs an army when you’ve got two ridiculously good looking people?

Anya Taylor Joy is fantastic in everything she does, so I’ll always show up for any film she leads. I was intrigued by Drasa in that she’s clearly someone that doesn’t let people get close, so its interesting that she would open up to someone that’s nearly inaccessible. Miles Teller’s Levi has much less characterization and feels like more of a conduit for the viewer. But I didn’t really buy their love story. As much as I wanted to get invested in their relationship, it’s not really developed well. Drasa immediately feels like she’s in some kind of dating show and not the serious situation that they’re actually in. They bond in a way that feels very forced, which given the distance, makes it all the more artificial.

There are really only three characters we’re introduced to outside of our leads and each is as basic as the next. Sigourney Weaver shows up as the mysterious head of the organization, similar to what we’ve seen her play before. We get a look at the man Levi took over for, though no sign of the person Drasa stepped in for. This could have worked if Levi and Drasa were stronger characters but the narrative is entirely reliant on the actor’s charisma versus actually giving them something interesting to work with.

It makes sense as to why Levi would be sent to the Gorge, as he has some kind of issue that took him off missions. But Drasa showcases an insane level of skill with a gun, making it a bit baffling as to why they wouldn’t keep her on more important missions away from the gorge. Because as important as they make these babysitting duties out to be, the fact that there are only two people to contend with protecting the world from the evil within, makes it feel a bit silly. Maybe install full blown teams on each side, so that there aren’t such obvious weak moments like when they have to sleep. And I was constantly broken out of the reality of the situation when we see how far away they are from each other, and how much they then appear to see each other without even the use of their binoculars.

The action is where The Gorge finally comes to life, providing us some pretty cool looking monsters. They reminded me a bit of Infected from The Last Of Us and the CGI used is mostly strong. It lost me a bit when I logically thought through the concept of how they’re defending against these creatures. But if you can turn your brain off, I’m sure there’s more fun to be had with it. Once there’s a change of location, the CGI backdrops can be a bit off but individual creatures still look good.

I’m really not sure what to make of Scott Derrickson as a director. There are elements of his work that I like but his sensibilities constantly clash with my own. I’m not sure it’s ever been more obvious than the montage of Levi and Drasa having a drum battle. It’s such a colossally stupid act that I couldn’t believe was actually happening. Part of me thinks it was trying for a Fury Road moment, where the score and the percussion on-screen combines for this glorious cacophony of energetic beats. Instead, it’s more likely to elicit laughter from the audience.

The score comes from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross but its hardly even noticeable. Usually their scores are instantly recognizable but they never really get a chance to properly cook. If anything, it’s all the licensed music that stands out, as it completely clashes with the sci-fi world. Ultimately, The Gorge feels very “been there, done that.” It probably could have worked quite well as a limited series, where the more human moments have time to breathe and the world building has more time to flex itself. As is, the story feels very stereotypical, the characters one-dimensional, and a love story that doesn’t really work. Just when it feels like they’re going to take a unique step, they instead just walk a familiar path at every turn. While the concept was intriguing, this will likely be lost in the cinematic chasm of new releases.

THE GORGE IS PREMIERES GLOBALLY ON APPLE PLUS ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025.

The Gorge

BELOW AVERAGE

5

The post The Gorge Review: Not Even Anya Taylor Joy Can Save This One appeared first on JoBlo.