Scott Derrickson’s genre-blending The Gorge had an exciting premise and has become a streaming hit, but it could have been even better as a romance. The Gorge stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller as two of the world’s best snipers who fall in love while on a mission to guard a mysterious gorge that is hiding a horrifying secret. The Apple TV+ movie combines Derrickson’s epic visual style with some “nightmare-fuel” moments of body horror. That said, in true genre-bending style, The Gorge‘s ending has a romantic scene perfect for a movie released on Valentine’s Day.
The Gorge continues Anya Taylor-Joy’s sci-fi movie streak with a film unlike any she has done before. It contains elements of well-known horror and sci-fi movies like Alien, but incorporates a central love story that would not be out of place in the romantic comedy genre. That said, this works in the movie’s favor, as it gives some unpredictability to the central premise. The Gorge might not be one of the truly genre-defying movies in the world, but it is much more compelling for introducing the romance aspect to the plot.
The Gorge Was Visually Spectacular But Failed As A Romance
Anya Taylor-Joy’s Character Was The Only Three-Dimensional One
Scott Derrickson’s movies tend to feature striking visuals and intense color palettes, and The Gorge is one of his most visually impressive movies yet. The Gorge‘s beautiful outdoor locations were mostly filmed in Norway and Wales, and the movie features several sunsets- a romance staple. That said, while many scenes in The Gorge are romantic, the film fails as a love story despite working well in its other genres as both a sci-fi and a horror movie. The visuals might have set the scene for romance, but the characters fell flat, which is disappointing considering the unique story’s potential.
Many love stories are about unlikely couples, and while The Gorge‘s main characters are both highly skilled snipers, this is where their similarities end. This could have been a fun, if predictable, dynamic. However, the stoic Levi is given the bare minimum of characterization, while Drasa is the only three-dimensional character in the movie. Drasa is living through a deep tragedy in her family but has a mischievous side with a disregard for rules. Drasa makes first contact with Levi, talks about her family memories, and even plays practical jokes, while Levi has little to do but react to her.
Anya Taylor-Joy Did Her Best With A Character That Was A Romance Cliché
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Stereotype Was Most Popular In The Mid-2000s
Anya Taylor-Joy’s best movies have made use of her ability to express complex emotions without needing to speak, and two of her best roles show this skill to great effect. The Queen’s Gambit‘s chess prodigy Beth Harmon and the road warrior Furiosa are both relatively quiet characters, while The Gorge‘s Drasa is the opposite. At first glance, Drasa might seem like an easier character to play. However, she may have presented more of a challenge for Taylor-Joy, as Drasa is a romance cliché more suited to the mid-2000s: the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl.”
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) term was coined by the film critic Nathan Rabin when he reacted to Kirsten Dunst’s movie Elizabethtown. These characters are invariably female, whimsical, joyful rule-breakers who appear to exist solely to inspire the main male character. As a sniper, Drasa is slightly different from the typical MPDGs, who are often artists, but her personality drives the story, offering the pᴀssive Levi a more exciting life. Aside from fighting Hollow Men with her, Levi’s main contribution to Drasa’s life is his poem, “She Collapsed The Night,” which is about her inspiring him.
The Gorge’s Ending Might Have Been A Romance Genre Staple But It Made No Sense
A Longer Ending Might Have Improved Levi As A Character
There were many ways in which The Gorge could have ended, including having Levi and Drasa sacrifice themselves to destroy the gorge, or having just one survive. Many romantic movies have tragic endings and if The Gorge had ended with one of the characters dying, it could easily have been either of them. While the couple survived to reunite at the rendezvous point in France as they had planned, the ending of The Gorge made no sense. There was no real explanation for why Levi took so long to return, or how Drasa got her job in the cafe.
Levi could have been exchanged for virtually any other sci-fi hero.
Drasa was so well-established as a character that it was easy for viewers to stay invested in her. However, Levi could have been exchanged for virtually any other sci-fi hero with the same result. If The Gorge had shown some of Levi’s journey to the rendezvous point, we might have had the chance to finally get to know him and to see a future for the two as a couple. A longer ending with a focus on Levi could have shown that his personality did not revolve around Drasa, and could even make him as compelling as she was.
The Gorge Might Still Be A Romantic Hit In Time
We Need More Movies Like The Gorge
Clichéd characters are hardly a problem unique to The Gorge, and many romance movies feature similar kinds of characters. The Gorge has already set a streaming record as the biggest premiere for Apple TV+ and has a 78% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It has such a unique concept and is so visually striking that the flaws in the characterization seem minor in comparison to other potential pitfalls of genre-bending movies. The Gorge remains an excellent sci-fi horror, with such an unusual setup for a love story that it may still be a romantic hit in time.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller were concerned that their chess and drumming scenes were too obvious a reference to their previous movie roles, but the scenes were actually written before they were cast.
Many movies featuring powerful women still include “damsel-in-distress” style scenes near the end. This does not happen in The Gorge, which shows the two being perfectly matched, with Drasa’s gender not even being mentioned in conjunction with her role as a sniper. This was a refreshing change. There was much more that could have been explored in a movie about two snipers falling in love, and we need more unusual love stories like The Gorge. If The Gorge 2 happens, it should build on their dynamic and show more of Levi’s personality without sidelining Drasa.
