Anya Taylor-Joy’s penchant for offbeat and fascinating characters has led to her prominence in independent film. In recent years, that has led to household stardom in franchises such as the critically acclaimed Furiosa and Dune. The Witch actor had a fleeting appearance in Dune: Part Two as the unborn sister of Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) in a prescient vision. This has only stirred fan fervor for her to appear in Dune: Part Three as Alia Atreides, the female death spirit who walks without feet.
There are many months to wait for her next anticipated character, but until then, viewers can catch one of her most underrated performances in the science fiction genre. In 2025, Taylor-Joy starred alongside Miles Teller in The Gorge, an Apple TV film that fired on all cylinders. While this wasn’t apparent judging from reviews, the feature was a treasure that deserves a lot more attention.
‘The Gorge’ Is a Genre Mash-Up Everyone Needed
A couple of decades ago, an action-thriller movie with a heartfelt love story wasn’t so rare. Films like The Mummy benefited greatly from this genre mash-up, and The Gorge is only picking up where that franchise left off. Completely unserious as any good action film is, this story follows two snipers from different backgrounds.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
The Matrix
Mad Max
Blade Runner
Dune
Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Levi (Miles Teller) is an ex-US military sniper, while Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a Lithuanian with a similar skill set. Both are assigned to the Gorge, the aptly titled cavern, where they protect opposing outposts. Forbidden from communicating with each other, they are instructed to stop anything from coming out of the Gorge, without knowing what’s inside. Levi and Drasa fall in love easily, but the fun of the thrilling narrative is seeing the romance come to fruition. Both isolated and enduring personal foibles, they are the only comfort each other has.
Even more fantastic is the sharp turn that the film takes when Levi has to parachute into the Gorge. Drasa wastes no time in going after him, though blind to the horrors that await. The romance in The Gorge supports the main story, which ultimately turns into a lively horror ride. Levi and Drasa team up to discover that the area is a Silent Hill-level horror show filled with mutated people and other monsters.
It is a race to find out how to escape and what happened to create this place in the first place. This is a compelling second half to the story, which leads to a pulse-pounding finale. The narrative beats may be familiar in some ways, but The Gorge offers comfort and heart in an increasingly algorithm-centered entertainment industry.
‘The Gorge’ May Go On To Be a Cult Classic
The Gorge was a sleeper hit on streaming, outpacing the George Clooney and Brad Pitt caper, Wolfs. Critics were hard on the action flick, but such is the case for many features that go on to be beloved. The most important aspect of the story was the central relationship between the characters. Levi and Drasa are people who experience the dismal reality of loneliness, and it is genuinely heartwarming to see them find common ground with each other.
The Gorge also expertly diverts into horror-adjacent territory as soon as the pair enters the titular location. The eerie Hollow Men deliver thrills that elevate the story from a typical action film. Levi and Drasa find answers where the supposedly supernatural terrors actually have a real-world explanation. These horrific creatures were creations of the government and are protected because they are still using the mutations in the Gorge for their own purposes.
The real villain being the US government, is a concept that just gets better with age. This climax leads to a resolution for the characters that isn’t exactly surprising, but welcome nonetheless. Humor, romance, and adventure all come together in a feature that doesn’t need to be gritty to have merit. The fun and thrills of The Gorge are enough to draw audiences and keep them engaged the near future.
