The Gorge is one of the most original movies of the year so far, but its genre-bending ultimately took it too far. Directed by horror movie veteran Scott Derrickson, The Gorge leaned into that genre quite a bit while also offering elements of romance and a deep sci-fi mythology at the center of the story.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller star in the movie as two snipers overseeing a mysterious gorge with dangers lurking down in the darkness. The Apple Original movie was a big hit on streaming, but the critical reaction was mixed, earning 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the ambitious aspects of the movie were commendable, they are also its biggest fault.

The Gorge’s Premise & Genre Crossover Sounded Completely Original

With The Gorge, it seems as though Scott Derrickson wanted to make a romance movie inside of a sci-fi horror story, which makes for a very interesting setup. The movie finds the two protagonists, Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Levi (Miles Teller), ᴀssigned to watch over the gorge on opposite sides, forbidden from speaking to each other.

Over the first act of the movie, Levi and Drasa break that rule, forming a bond while separated by the gorge. It offers a unique romance as these two fall in love without actually speaking in person, reminiscent of movies like Sleepless in Seattle. However, that is just one aspect of the movie as the horror element gradually takes over.

As the romance between the two snipers is happening, we learn more and more about the monsters in the gorge, leading to that inevitable moment when the leads descend into the horrific abyss below. It is a bold setup for this story that is unlike any other horror film in recent memory.

The Gorge’s Attempt To Flick Between Genres Is Ultimately What Ruins It

As exciting as it is to see The Gorge‘s bold attempt at genre-bending, the end result suggests it was too ambitious an idea to pull off. It is fairly easy to get wrapped up in the romance between Drasa and Levi in the first act of the movie. It is a unique relationship and grows naturally with charm and humor.

However, whenever the movie interrupts this romance to remind us of the strange things lurking in the gorge, the film grinds to a halt and awkwardly tries to rebound from the jarring tonal shift. This also leads to the film’s lackluster third act, in which all originality goes out the window and it becomes a generic monster movie.

There is too much time given to the mythology of the gorge and the shady government cover-up, making for such a departure from where the movie was before. While there have been movies that drastically change in the middle to great effect, The Gorge is clumsy in its shift, becoming a much less interesting story.

Though the idea was likely that a sci-fi horror element would add some excitement to the love story, it could have worked better with a much simpler plot. There was no need for the complicated monster explanations and government conspiracies. It could have been the story of two snipers who form a connection from afar.

A movie like The Gorge should be commended for trying something new, but when it comes to blending genres like this, there is a balance that needs to be struck. It is not enough to think that two different movie genres would be fun to see together. There needs to be a marriage between them, one that didn’t exist in The Gorge.