cross-posted from: https://leminal.space/post/16079763
I’m going to start off by saying I would recommend watching The Gorge as blind as you can. The trailer doesn’t spoil much but it does reveal the framework and direction of the story. If you like the ‘vibe’ or setting of Annihilation though you may like it.
If you don’t mind a bit of a reveal this is what I mean by the last part:
spoiler
Both movies are about a quarantined area where mysteries lurk.
It’s near-future sc-fi but leans a bit more into horror and action than Annihilation.
Here’s what I liked and disliked about the movie (real spoilers):
spoiler
I went into The Gorge after only seeing the movie poster so I thought it was going to be some kind of Cold War-style forbidden love movie. I was glad to see it evolve into something else.
What I liked the most was the setting and premise. A heavily defended remote and isolated area full of mutated mysterious creatures and plants where attacks are infrequent but when they happen they’re in World War Z style is something I find neat. I feel like I see elements of this regularly in video games but less so in movies.
Once they were inside the gorge I would have liked to have seen the mutations as a bit more grand or awe inspiring like they appeared in Annihilation. Maybe a bit less humanoid. That might be a bit hard though considering how dark and foggy it was and how they immediately were trying to get out rather than explore.
I liked it, very cool setup. I think the twist a but unimaginative, but still fun and entertaining. My main criticism is that I feel like the twist was a missed opportunity for something more narratively relevant or thematic. The one they went with feels a bit like an after-thought, but I suppose the mystery somewhat second fiddle compaired to the relationship between the main characters.
I wonder if they did a reshoot/rewrite for the conclusion?
The designs for some of the things really don’t make sense for what the origin turned out to be.
Yea, “genetic virus” seems like a cheap answer to why everthing is human bones plus wood/animal
Agreed. Honestly, the whole third act felt a bit rushed to me. They spent so much time setting up the characters relationships - not complaining - but then speed ran any of the mystery.
While I liked the characters, I found the mystery more interesting. Still enjoyed the film
Same, that’s why I really wish they spent more time revealing and unwinding the mystery of the gorge. It just felt like an afterthought.
