Apple TV+'s new movie The Gorge is out now, and according to critics it's quite similar to The Last of Us.
The science-fiction thriller stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller as two snipers who guard a mysterious gorge, where an unseen threat may be lurking. It's got zombies, romance, and Sigourney Weaver.
If you're on the fence about sticking it on this weekend, you might want to look at what people have said about it. On Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 91 tracked critic reviews are positive, while the audience average is a better 76%.
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Looking at some of these reviews, a common themed is that it's reminiscent of a certain PlayStation game-turned-HBO drama, but not as good.
Here's what some of these reviewers have said:
What to Read Next
Empire
"The title of this movie is the two-word answer to a most unexpected question. Namely: 'What do you get if you cross American Sniper, The Last Of Us, Stranger Things, Aliens and Love Actually?' Writer Zach Dean appears unashamed of his influences on this former Black List spec script, and director Scott Derrickson has much fun with them, serving up a frothy B-pic stew. By the time we reach the wink-at-the-audience montage that depicts Miles 'Whiplash' Teller and The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy bonding over drumming and chess, there is no doubt left that The Gorge can't, and shouldn’t, be taken too seriously."
The Guardian
"Despite looking like it was based on a video game that your younger brother obsessively plays, The Gorge is in fact an original, or whatever that word means when the plot and aesthetic feel like they've been stitched together from so many other films. It plays like a particularly unexciting Resident Evil sequel with the pair trying to outrun some unimpressive twig creatures and remain uninfected while finding out information from point-and-click sources... There are touches of above-average streaming craft here, distancing it from the standard Netflix equivalent."
Collider
"What does work in The Gorge is the action scenes. Full of explosions, bullets, and badass moves, it's obvious that director Scott Derrickson knows his way around an action scene — though there's some bizarre swiveling camera work that is far too jarring. There were moments when I wished the movie was a full-blown video game so I could fully explore the terrain and the different nooks and crannies... the special effects for the monsters in this movie are fun. Reminiscent of clickers from The Last of Us, there's an apt ick factor mixed with fairly effective horror."
Variety
"Despite their best efforts, the filmmakers have trouble fusing the shifting genres of romance, action, horror and conspiracy thriller, treating them as if they're separate lands on a Candy Land-style game board that the characters are traversing. Sequences rarely pull double or triple duty servicing these different elements, so we feel every abrupt, practically-announced tonal shift. As a result, we lose a chunk of character-driven momentum. Plus, the characters spell out their internal and external conflicts, undermining audience intelligence and padding an already elongated run time."
TheWrap
"The Gorge collapses a bit in the second half, when the characters stop developing and start solving simplistic problems and uncovering ridiculous conspiracies. The film also appears to build to a horrifying climax, but that's not really what Derrickson is going for. This isn't so much a scary movie as it is an action-packed love story with monsters in it. It's a very good action-packed love story with monsters in it, but if you were more invested in the demons than the doe-eyes, you may find the conclusion a little simplistic."
The Gorge is available to watch now on Apple TV+.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
