In the grand scheme of things, the beginning of the calendar year is rife with promise and welcomed as a chance for new opportunities. But in the movie industry, this timeframe often serves as a dumping ground for movies that are thought to have less promise or intrinsic value at the box office compared to what studios and distributors drop for award consideration in December. So it’s always a surprise when films released in January or early February are genuinely good.
Admittedly, the midwinter movie doldrums ensure a low bar, and the two films noted here, which lean on science fiction and horror elements, are not what one would call prestige productions, notwithstanding the impressive pedigrees of some significant people behind and in front of the camera. Still, they each work well on their own terms, with obvious craft, intellect, and enthusiasm on display.
‘The Gorge’
Oddly enough, the most romantic movie to come out around Valentine’s Day this year is The Gorge, a sometimes unwieldy but constantly entertaining mash-up of action, political intrigue, science fiction, horror, and yes, romance that’s only available on the Apple TV+ streaming service. The amorality of warfare — whether cold or hot — is touched on, as two highly regarded mercenary sharpshooters are separately enlisted by shadowy government operatives in the West and the East (in other words, the United States and Russia) and assigned to guard a mysterious gorge in a remote location for a year, after which they will be relieved of duty and well-compensated. Each of the freelance operatives in The Gorge, a man named Levi and a woman named Drasa, is stationed on a side of the gorge, heavily armed, and told to make absolutely certain that whatever lurks below does not get out.
Despite being warned by his superior (a cunning Sigourney Weaver) to not communicate with his opposite number, Levi responds when the solitary nature of the job moves Drasa to reach out to him after a few months. So begins a conversation across the gorge via signs and gestures, even as the two guardians continue to meet their responsibilities with guns and bombs whenever their mutual enemy attempts an attack. The affection that grows between the two deadly soldiers-of-fortune despite the physical gap that separates them is actually quite lovely to behold, given real heart by the skilled, attractive actors in these pivotal roles: Miles Teller (Whiplash, Top Gun: Maverick) as Levi and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit, Furiosa) as Drasa.
The love connection that bonds a pair of presumably cool and calculating assassins is enhanced by the palpable chemistry exhibited by Teller and Taylor-Joy — upping the investment in the characters’ survival when all hell breaks loose. By the time that the third act of The Gorge shifts into more familiar CGI-heavy thriller territory and Levi and Drasa must battle what dwells in the gorge at close quarters, the actors, screenwriter Zach Dean (Fast X, The Tomorrow War), and director Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone) have done such a good job selling the duo’s warm rapport that it’s hard not to cheer them on.
The Gorge is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
‘Companion’
Companion is a savvy, sci-fi-fueled, horror-tinged thriller with more than a few comedic moments and a little criminal activity to further spice the proceedings. The premise is deceptively familiar: Nice guy Josh, played by Jack Quaid, and his seemingly perfect and loving girlfriend, Iris, played by Sophie Thatcher, join three of Josh’s friends for a weekend getaway at a remote house belonging to a boorish but nouveau riche Russian guy, but Iris is very uneasy about gathering. In short order, the true and bizarre nature of things is revealed, and then the situation somehow gets crazier. The push and pull and backstory of the Josh-Iris coupling, given dimension by Quaid and Thatcher, set it apart from previous movies that may have served as influences, such as Ex Machina and Lars and the Real Girl.
Quaid, whose filmography ranges from the rom-com Plus One to the droll animated TV series Star Trek: Lower Decks to the blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer, brings every-dude likeability to Josh, while Thatcher is a rising young actress whose impressive turn as an imperiled teenage Mormon missionary in the elevated horror movie Heretic is exceeded here by her multifaceted portrayal of Iris. Familiar faces in the supporting cast include Harvey Guillen of TV’s What We Do in the Shadows as one of Josh’s friends, Megan Suri as a sarcastic woman in the group who is sleeping with the Russian and seems to have issues with Iris, and Rupert Friend as that mysterious Russian himself. Screenwriter-director Drew Hancock nailed and expertly melded the different elements of Companion, including its satirical punch regarding the power dynamics in romantic relationships that are on the brink.
Although Hancock previously worked in television as a writer, Companion comes off as the work of a veteran filmmaker. It starts sly, shifts to sinister, and ends up a full-on rager, and while it cooks, it looks as impressive as movies with much bigger budgets. To be fair, a lot of it is set at an upscale house by a lake, so there aren’t a lot of locations involved, but Companion doesn’t need anything beyond that to deliver its devilish twists, turns, and shockers and its tongue-in-cheek take on the perils of love and sex in the tech age.
Companion is in theaters and was just made available for digital rental via streaming platforms including Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
