{"id":2407730,"date":"2025-02-28T04:45:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T09:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gorge-is-empty-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T04:51:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T09:51:51","slug":"the-gorge-is-empty-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gorge-is-empty-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gorge is empty &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-gorge-is-empty-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2407730&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>**Summary of &#8220;The Gorge&#8221; review**<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Gorge,&#8221; an Apple TV+ release, has polarized audiences with its diverging quality throughout. The \u200dfilm starts strong,\u2064 featuring\u2062 a captivating first hour led by talented actors Miles\u200d Teller and\u2062 Anya Taylor-Joy, \u200bwho portray unlikely <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">close-range adversaries turned allies amidst tension<\/a> with their respective nations. Teller plays Levi Kane,\u2063 a \u200bretired U.S.\u200d Marine sniper,while Taylor-Joy\u2019s character,Drasa,is a skilled Russian marksman. Their playful exchanges across a treacherous gorge make \u2062for enjoyable viewing, showcasing their chemistry.<\/p>\n<p>Though, the film\u2062 falters dramatically in the \u200csecond \u2062half, which deviates into poorly executed storytelling, amateurish production choices, and a loss\u200d of the engaging tone established earlier. Critiques highlight that pacing issues and a lack of coherent\u200b direction result in a lackluster narrative\u200d that detracts from the initial promise. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lost-soviet-union-lord-of-the-rings-movie-discovered\/\" title=\"Lost Soviet Union \u2018Lord Of The Rings\u2019 Movie Discovered\">film appears<\/a> to waste its ample budget,leading to a disjointed experience \u2063that leaves viewers unsatisfied by its\u2062 climax. Despite its strong start, the film ultimately collapses under the weight of its own ambition, creating a mix of\u2064 commendable \u200cand\u2064 disappointing cinematic elements.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The Gorge is empty<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-jokes-on-you-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"The joke\u2019s on you - Washington Examiner\">lovers&#038;rsquo<\/a>; quarrel,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/apple\/\" target=\"_blank\">Apple TV<\/a>+&rsquo;s Valentine&rsquo;s Day release,&nbsp;<em>The Gorg<\/em><\/span>e,&nbsp;is likely to split audiences into two mutually uncomprehending camps. For some, a hugely entertaining first hour will prove worth the price of admission, never mind the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">film<\/a>&rsquo;s outright disaster of a second half. Others, not without <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">justice<\/a>, will skip the climax and denouement altogether, so obviously and suddenly does the production betray its early triumphs. Who&rsquo;s right? Everyone. Come for the opening act&rsquo;s star power and style. Stay (or don&rsquo;t) for one of the worst stretches of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">moviemaking viewers<\/a> are liable to see this year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The picture stars <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/entertainment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Miles Teller as Levi Kane, a world-class sniper at loose ends following his retirement from<\/a> the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Marines<\/a>. Directionless and dour, Levi snaps to attention when a &ldquo;high-level spook&rdquo; (Sigourney Weaver) offers a solo mission guarding an observation post in terra incognita. Beside Levi&rsquo;s tower lies a miles-long crevasse, shrouded in fog and studded with mines. On the other side sits a Russian counterpart. Is fraternization permitted? Sorry, children, that&rsquo;s a hard <em>nyet<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Gorge. (Apple TV+)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Moscow&rsquo;s representative is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, <em>The<\/em> <em>Queen&rsquo;s Gambit<\/em> star who is &mdash; one struggles to decide &mdash; either lamentably homely or the most beautiful woman in the world. A markswoman every bit as skilled as Levi, Taylor-Joy&rsquo;s Drasa has no intention of refraining from cross-gorge communication. Before our hero can so much as unfreeze a steak, Drasa is writing him messages to be read by rifle scope. Soon, the pair are playing long-distance chess, air drumming, and taking competitive potshots at one another&rsquo;s dishware. It isn&rsquo;t my idea of a steamy flirtation, but, hey, not everyone can trade tasting notes on the 1947 Cheval Blanc.<\/p>\n<p>The 40 minutes that follow the duo&rsquo;s first contact are as delightful as action-romance filmmaking gets. Hardened but mellowed since his breakout role in 2014&rsquo;s <em>Whiplash<\/em>, Teller retains the everyman watchability that made John Cusack a star once upon a time. Taylor-Joy, by contrast, is all firecracker energy and exoticism, a singular screen presence for whom one struggles to name a predecessor of note. (Shelley Duvall?)<strong> <\/strong>It will be interesting to follow the 28-year-old&rsquo;s career as she ages out of ingenue consideration and begins living by her actorly wits. For now, however, the young performer is utterly magnetic. Is it any wonder that, a mere hour into the picture, Levi jury-rigs a zipline and scoots over to the gorge&rsquo;s other side?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>From a short-term storytelling perspective, Levi&rsquo;s timing provides a terrific jolt. One can almost hear the home audience thinking, <em>He&rsquo;s going already<\/em><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><em>?<\/em><\/span>  In every other way, alas, the decision to send our protagonist across so soon is a critical error. Had the movie paced itself, granting viewers perhaps 20 minutes of engineering hijinks, the narrative could have stayed where it belonged: on the surface, in the company of two interesting and likable leads. Instead, Levi channels his inner MacGyver and spans the gap in a single go. With 60 minutes of run time remaining, the film has no choice but to slink into the abyss to die.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>How to count the offenses against good moviemaking that follow? The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-pox-on-netflixs-plague-comedy-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"A pox on Netflix\u2019s plague \u2018comedy\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">production&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s tone, previously lighter than air, drops with a splat to the gorge&rsquo;s marshy ground. Nods to previous films, among them Peter Jackson&rsquo;s <em>King Kong<\/em> (2005) and Alex Garland&rsquo;s <em>Annihilation<\/em> (2018), come off as plain theft rather than respectful allusion. Perhaps least forgivably, the movie&rsquo;s journey into the fog is so amateurish and cheaply shot that one wonders where the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-world-removes-animatronic-that-could-be-offensive-to-alcoholics-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Disney World removes animatronic that could be offensive to alcoholics - Washington Examiner\">film&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s reported $70 million budget went. One imagines an Apple executive bursting into postproduction on the evening of Feb. 13. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re streaming this baby tomorrow, dammit. Just give me what you&rsquo;ve got.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3228342\/department-of-government-efficiency-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHAT IS DOGE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>What actually happens in the gorge is hardly worth spoiling. No &ldquo;doorway to hell,&rdquo; contra a minor character&rsquo;s speculation, the abyss is the site of a biological weapons program gone horribly wrong. Genetic research that might have rivaled the Manhattan Project has instead produced monsters more than a little reminiscent of the tree-like Groot character in <em>Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em> (2014). Pursued by these &ldquo;hollow men,&rdquo; Levi and Drasa sprint through badly framed hellscapes, pausing only long enough to misinterpret a famous T.S. Eliot poem. When, in a grimly hilarious moment, the pair stumble upon a working computer, it gives up its secrets within seconds. Don&rsquo;t you just love it when the bad guys leave the relevant Word document open on the desktop?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It will surprise no one to learn that the military-industrial complex, that old bugbear, is to blame for everything. Sure enough, Weaver and company show up on cue, guns blazing, to forestall what is certain to be one heck of a DOGE budget cut. Whether our heroes survive, I will refrain from saying. But I promise you won&rsquo;t care by the end. A hybrid creation, <em>The Gorge<\/em> is a rather good movie spliced into a shockingly bad one. And it&rsquo;s heading right for us. Better run.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Graham Hillard is editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> magazine contributing writer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Gorge is divisive; its entertaining first hour contrasts sharply with a disastrous second half, leaving audiences split<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":956,"featured_media":2407731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/LA.Film_.TheGorge.030525.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[51285,18094,51284,4133,4086],"class_list":["post-2407730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-empty","tag-examiner","tag-gorge","tag-news","tag-washington"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/LA.Film_.TheGorge.030525.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2407730"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2407734,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2407730\/revisions\/2407734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2407731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2407730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2407730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2407730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}