Last weekend, Apple TV+ gave its biggest movie of the year a major platform at the Super Bowl. This weekend, TV+ is celebrating Valentine’s Day with an actual full-length film premiere. The Gorge, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, arrives on Apple TV+ this Friday, February 14—and early reviews just dropped.
The Gorge is the latest big-budget Apple TV+ swing
Apple TV+ is having a big moment right now thanks to Severance, but it’s also in the midst of a movie strategy pivot.
Until recently, Apple was giving many films wide theatrical releases each year. That changed after last year’s Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon disappointed at the box office.
The first sign of change involved canceling a theatrical launch for Wolfs, the George Clooney-Brad Pitt thriller. That move ultimately turned into a nice win for Apple TV+.
Now, the next big Apple TV+ movie is here, and per one review, it’s “the romantic sniper monster movie you’ve been waiting for.”
The Gorge, from director Scott Derrickson of Doctor Strange and horror flick fame, brings Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller together for a big budget, genre-defying romp that could be a lot of fun per early reviews.
Reviews for The Gorge are largely positive
The first reviews are still coming in for The Gorge, but early takes sound positive. Here are some quotes from a few critics:
Teller and Taylor-Joy are well matched and make this love story credible against all odds, both also proving to be action stars of the first rank. No doubt this film would have been a natural for theatres, even Imax, but, sadly for AMC, the Skydance production for Apple Original Films is headed straight to streaming.
Courtney Howard writes at Variety:
Though it often relies on a generic outline, the film excels when it shows it’s inventive enough to deliver the unexpected. The premise holds more than a modicum of intrigue, blending sci-fi, romance, horror and action in a slow-burning character study.
When The Gorge keeps its focus on charismatic star-crossed lovers falling in love as they fight off a dreadful threat, which is most of the time, it’s every bit the diversion anyone intrigued by that description would want it to be.
Overall, while the movie may not be right for everyone, it sounds like a unique experiment that largely works.
I’m excited to watch The Gorge, and think its cast, timing, and potentially broad demographic appeal could make it a win for Apple TV+ this weekend.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking.
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