Spoilers will cross when someone builds a bridge.

Everyone loves pizza. You can put whatever you like on it and it will be well received. No, I have not become a food critic, I am trying to make an analogy here. The point is pizza is always good. Except if you have a gluten allergy like me and need to find a place that does a gluten-free crust… Okey, the analogy ends here. The point is that certain films are just like pizza. Sprinkle a little of everything and it will work for most people. There’s not a lot more to it.

(Credit: Apple TV+)

The Gorge (2025) is directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Zach Dean. We follow the lives of two highly trained assassins for hire from opposite factions. From the West, we have Levi (Miles Teller) who’s hired to take a watchtower overlooking a deep gorge covered in mist. From the East, we get Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) who takes care of the watchtower on the opposite side. They have daily routines to keep automatic machine guns fed and ready. Their mission is to keep watch over and make sure nothing that comes out of the gorge makes it out. Contact with the opposite tower is forbidden.

Yes, it’s a cookie-cutter by-the-numbers action flick with romance sprinkled on top of it. Levi is a little too stoic, so it’s Drasa who breaks the ice and the rules. As they’re starting to flirt, and by that I mean Drasa because Levi has no rizz whatsoever, their first encounter with the denizens of the gorge takes place. I’ll give this one to the filmmakers. They made sure we knew both characters first before breaking out the CGI. The CGI is not going to be enough for a scare, though. There’s not much thrill once the mystery is revealed.

It works for what it’s meant to do, and not much else. If it comes to the premise, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. There’s a couple of nods to earlier works by the two leads. The ending is predictable. Sigourney Weaver plays a role that is almost a cameo. Anya Taylor-Joy throws in her charisma carrying most of the film by herself. Once the action becomes full CGI, it’s all automatic but decent. You’ve seen the ending in other films several times.

Lightly recommended with pizza. It will make for a decent watch when nothing else is on and it’s a decent action flick with a passable romance and some sci-fi/horror elements that don’t get too heavy. Worth a watch when you need something with your pizza.

That will do for now.