When something unique and something ridiculously insane collide, the results can be wonderful…

Fittingly out on Apple TV+ on Valentine’s Day; The Gorge is an unexpectedly genuine love story that isn’t afraid to do something gonzo in the name of killing mutant virus infected zombies…

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.

Yeah, we’ll admit that The Gorge is pretty ridiculous as it descends into full on B-Movie territory, but its unique hook is alluring enough to keep us engaged for the entire ride.

Director Scott Derrickson has certainly proven his worth in past efforts as a genre director who isn’t afraid to blur the lines between styles to at the very least ensure that he’s made something fun.  It’s all got a great look and it’s very well designed as it drops us into this place that is nowhere but for these two characters is everywhere.  Writer Zack Dean isn’t exactly crafting an intricate narrative or something that plays like Shakespeare but with two strong and very unique characters we feel very able to relate to both of these alluring characters who find each other on either side of The Gorge.

Casting is an art, and this film certainly needed two strong leads which it delivers in Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.  To their credit, neither plays their mysterious operatives as overly bad ass or sexy, rather these are two broken and lonely people who we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to.  It takes talent to flirt via sniper lens before they ultimately meet in person but these two actors have a chemistry that makes it work and one that holds together when they descend into the gorge.  Sigourney Weaver rounds out the ensemble in this psychological duel of right and wrong as Teller and Taylor-Joy finally find some kind of purpose outside of the mission, it’s in the love and broken souls that they’ve found in each other.

Sure, The Gorge is not you’re a-typical Valentine’s Day movie but it has an honesty to it that should be appealing enough to the people cuddling up to watch it on both sides of the loveseat on this day of celebration and the magic of finding a kindred spirit where you’d least expect it.