Directed by Scott Derrickson, best known for Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, The Gorge tells a gripping story filled with action, romance, and horror. The film builds tension slowly before turning into a dramatic fight for survival.
The story focuses on two main characters, Levi (played by Miles Teller) and Drasa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). They are elite snipers chosen for a mysterious mission, but they do not know much about what they have signed up for.
The mission requires Levi and Drasa to stay in separate lookout towers on either side of a deep, foggy gorge. They receive strict instructions not to communicate with each other.
However, as expected, they break this rule. As they grow closer, they realize they have a lot in common, but their connection leads to a series of dangerous events that put their lives in jeopardy.
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The Start of the Mission: Isolation and Mystery
Levi and Drasa spend several months in their isolated towers, trying to understand their surroundings. They do not know much about the reason behind their mission, and the base gives off an eerie feeling. As time passes, they begin to feel restless. To pass the time, they decide to communicate by writing large signs and using their binoculars to read each other’s messages.
Drasa, in particular, struggles with loneliness. Before leaving for the mission, her father had told her that he planned to end his own life. This painful memory stays with her and makes the isolation even harder to bear.
Despite the heavy emotions, their conversations are often playful and filled with humor. They immediately recognize that they share a similar personality and sense of sarcasm.
Everything changes when Levi notices strange humanoid creatures climbing up the walls of the gorge. His predecessor had once called these creatures “the hollow men.”
These beings are not just mindless monsters—they are intelligent and strong. If they manage to reach the towers, they could become a serious threat. Levi and Drasa realize they are not just dealing with an ordinary mission but something far more dangerous.
A Growing Bond and an Unexpected Turn of Events
After successfully eliminating the creatures, Levi decides to reach Drasa by using a zip line. When he arrives at her tower, they share a romantic meal together, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Though they have not spent much time together, their connection is deep. They both carry the weight of having taken lives before, and this shared experience brings them even closer.
As Levi attempts to return to his tower, the zip line suddenly breaks, causing him to fall into the gorge. Drasa does not hesitate to follow him, determined to make sure he is safe. This moment marks a major turning point in the story. Up until now, the film has focused on their growing relationship. However, as they descend into the gorge, the movie shifts into a full sci-fi action adventure.
Beneath the thick mist, they find a strange, barren landscape covered in an eerie amber glow. They realize they are in an unknown and hostile environment, and the creatures they fought earlier are not the only dangers lurking below. As they move through this unsettling place, they take down more hollow men while searching for a way to escape.
During their journey, they come across an abandoned church. Inside, they find skeletons clutching small vials of cyanide. This shocking discovery raises a terrifying question—what could have been so horrifying that these people chose to take their own lives rather than face it? Levi and Drasa begin to suspect that something far worse than the hollow men is at play.
A Shocking Revelation: The Truth About the Gorge
Their worst fears come true when Drasa is captured. Levi does not hesitate to go after her, and his rescue attempt leads them to an underground research facility. As they search the base, they find an old generator and a videotape. The tape reveals a chilling truth.
A scientist from the 1940s appears on the screen and explains that the facility was originally created to develop a deadly chemical weapon that could rival the atomic bomb.
However, the experiments did not go as planned. Instead of creating a traditional weapon, the scientists accidentally developed a toxin that mutated humans, mixing their DNA with plants and animals. The hollow men are the horrifying result of these failed experiments. Levi and Drasa now understand that the creatures are not just monsters—they were once human.
A Deadly Escape and a Betrayal from Above
As they continue to show, Levi discovers a modern computer that clearly does not belong in a facility from the 1940s. This clue leads them to uncover another shocking truth. The US military has secretly been using this toxic chemical to create an army of super-soldiers. These soldiers are not only extremely strong but also highly intelligent.
Levi finds a mysterious folder labeled “Straydog.” This folder contains a protocol that states if the creatures ever escape, the military will destroy the entire gorge. The two realize they must escape before they become victims of this plan.
After managing to reach a jeep, Levi and Drasa make their way back to the surface. However, before they can fully escape, Levi is forced to check in over the radio. His mission commander, Bartholomew (played by Sigourney Weaver), asks him if he has any idea why the systems in the gorge have been activated. Levi lies and says he does not know.
However, Bartholomew is watching them through surveillance footage. She sees Levi and Drasa together and immediately orders him to “neutralize” his partner. Realizing they are in grave danger, Levi and Drasa quickly put a plan into action.
As a military helicopter arrives, they fight back and take out the cloakers—elite soldiers who enforce the military’s commands. Their actions trigger the Straydog protocol, meaning the gorge will be completely destroyed in just two minutes.
Drasa manages to escape to safety, but Levi is last seen sinking into a body of water as the explosion consumes the gorge. The blast kills Bartholomew and the soldiers on board the helicopter.
A Bittersweet Ending: A Hopeful Future
Before parting ways, Levi and Drasa had agreed to meet in France if they survived. Drasa waits at the gorge’s edge to make sure she is not infected with the toxin before heading to their meeting spot. However, Levi does not show up. Instead, he leaves behind a poem for her, which makes it seem like he did not survive.
Months later, Drasa has left her military past behind and now works in a quiet café. While serving customers, she suddenly notices someone sitting at a table. It is Levi. They share a knowing look, and in that moment, they realize they are finally free from their past.
Their journey was filled with danger, betrayal, and heartbreak, but in the end, they found their way back to each other.
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