Apex (dir. Baltasar Kormákur)

By: Adam Freed

There’s something about the simplicity and tidiness of Netflix’s rugged outdoor thriller Apex that makes it easily digestible.  Nestled inside the diminutive 95 minute Baltasar Kormákur (Beast, Everest) adventure is a thread of connective tissue that links audiences to their most basic survival instincts.  The white-knuckled grip on life itself is manifested successfully by a pair of gravely performances by Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Taron Egerton (Rocketman, Carry-On).  While the direct to streaming adventure doesn’t strive for originality, it certainly satiates within the realm of home entertainment.

Audiences are introduced to adrenaline junky protagonist Sasha (Theron) in a stomach churning opening scene in which she and her partner Tommy (Eric Bana) attempt to summit a desperately precarious cliff face.  While the scene goes to great lengths to build Sasha’s tragic backstory, it also comes with a hint of deja-vu that closely echoes the opening sequence of Renny Harlin’s Cliffhanger (1993). Five months post catastrophe, Sasha embarks on a solo journey in the rugged wilds of Australia's "Wandarra National Park" on a kayak trip just outside the range of being sensible.  Without wasting much time Down Under, Sasha crosses paths with Ben (Egerton), an obvious wolf in sheep's clothing, a fact that is betrayed heavily within Netflix’s marketing campaign for the film.  As Ben, Egerton unleashes a physically imposing and demonstrative performance very much akin to the type of hyper masculine mania present in the performances of James McAvoy in Split (2016) and Speak No Evil (2024).  Watching Egerton’s Ben is like witnessing a live wire, a form of villainous rabidity that many actors may find outside of their range.  

The traditional hunter and hunted dynamic takes a delightful turn as soon as Apex allows Theron’s impressive physicality to support that Sasha is far from a damsel in distress.  The seasoned actress is in prime condition as she is savagely pursued by the physically imposing Egerton.  Although bite sized, the ground that Apex covers is beyond palatable and delightfully weaponizes its R rating to unearth some genuine thrills.  While a theatrical audience may exit cinemas slightly underwhelmed, this Netflix original seems like the perfect solution to a rainy afternoon at home.

Target Score 6.5/10: Netflix‘s Apex is a rugged and raw game of mono e mono pursuit in the Australian wild.  When it comes to streaming entertainment, one can do far worse than spending a gripping 90 minutes with Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton both in peak form.