La gorge

If you read most of the reviews so far you can tell there are two very different tones in the two halfs of this film. Some may not like both styles of the film. There are slow and intimate moments in the first half building up the whole structure of the film and sci-fi horror very disturbing scenes in the second half. I believe the story, photography, acting, editing, visual effects and everything else felt very well done for a self contained film with so few characters and empty spaces. I don't think the payoff and the reveal where underwhelming, felt well explained and conclusive, definitely worth watching it.

It was good to watch an uncomplicated linear story with nobody trying to be the next great film.

It just a solid narrative story with a bit of action, some fantastical elements to bring it all together, mystery and a little romance to spice it up.

We have a very small cast, limited sets and special effects which all goes with the narrative well.

This would have gone bad if it had a bigger budget, but this is just a solid, entertaining movie. Everyone from the writing directing. Camera, actors, special effects all just delivered quality.

I had given up on Hollywood been able to create these sort of movies. I assume the budget was small and all the parts just work.

The Gorge

This Apple TV+ movie was streamed yesterday.

A semi-retired Marine sniper (Miles Teller) is recruited by a still impressive Sigourney Weaver for an unusual job that will last for a year - no details given. At the same time, a Lithuanian sniper (Anya Taylor-Joy) is recruited by someone for a similar job.

They are sedated and then helicoptered in to a point a day's hike from their duty posts - one on either side of a deep, mist filled gorge, each in their own ageing concrete tower to guard the gorge.

The rules are quite simple - no contact with your opposite number on the other side; a radio check in every 30 days; kill anything trying to get out of the gorge; expect to be relieved in 12 months.

To no-one's surprise, they don't obey the rules - shenanigans ensue...

It's utter b0ll0cks, but good fun - the writers/producers have sat down with a large quantity of edibles and asked themselves the question, "Given what we are trying to do, what precautions would we have to take?"

There are plot holes you could taxi an Airbus through, but ignore that and eat your popcorn, and you'll likely enjoy it.

Finally an action movie where i actually care about the characters and am rooting for them against a hateable villian. This is down to a good story that pits good individuals against secret governments and private corporate military project. Think X-Files type storyline with a little 'Stranger Things' vibe thrown in, add a heavy dose of action when elite soldiers rebel against their deceitful and murderous masters. Also a good script which does well setting up and building the story. Good action scenes which are exciting and tense. The two leads have a great chemistry and their relationship adds to the high tensions as the story unfolds. Sigourney Weaver is great in her cameo as are the other 2 suppporting actors. The film is tightly edited with no wasted scenes and even though it is over 2 hours it is really a thrilling ride from start to finish. For me it is very hard to find a movie as entertaining as this in the last decade.

The premise of this movie was strong, unique and extremely intriguing. Ultimately, I didn't hate how it unfolded, but I found myself wanting more by the end. There were so many unanswered questions, so many things that could have been explored but weren't because of the time constraints that come with a movie.

Truly, this would have made for a much better TV show, or even a mini series, where things could be fleshed out properly and not rushed as much.

I also found myself wishing it were maybe a video game instead, especially during the moments where cinematically, it DID feel like I was watching a video game cutscene.

In the end, this was a decent film that wasn't able to live up to its potential because there wasn't enough time to explore the world, build the world, or flesh out the characters and conflicts in the world.

A video game or TV show would have been much, much better.