Apex review: Charlize Theron and Egerton Elevate a Familiar Survival Thriller
Rating: 3/5 Suyog Zore
It is often said that humans are born with an innate fear of heights—an evolutionary "gift" from our ancestors who slept in the forest canopy to evade predators. Personally, I am no exception to this survival instinct. I experience vertigo just looking down from a fifth-floor balcony, and my inability to swim makes open water equally daunting. It is perhaps a quirk of human nature that we are often most captivated by the things that terrify us, which is why I was so drawn to Netflix's latest survival thriller, Apex.
The film stars Charlize Theron as Sasha, a woman who serves as the ultimate antithesis to these common phobias. Not only is she a world-class mountain climber, but she is also comfortable navigating treacherous waters alone. Watching a character face the very environments I dread created a compelling hook from the start. While director Baltasar Kormákur's Apex may not reinvent the genre or offer a truly unique narrative, it stands as a solid, high-tension "one-time watch." The story follows Sasha who is still reeling from a tragic accident in Norway that claimed her husband, Tommy (Eric Bana). She travels to the remote Wandarra National Park in Australia for a solo kayaking and camping trip, where crosses paths with friendly and helpful Ben (Taron Egerton). But it turns out, he is a calculated predator who hunts humans as a part of a ritual.
The tension is built on a stark power imbalance. Ben has the home-field advantage, possessing an intimate knowledge of the forest’s lethal traps and winding rivers. Sasha, meanwhile, is forced to use her professional climbing skills and survival instincts to navigate treacherous rapids, dense woods, and rely on pure instinct and her physical prowess to navigate a landscape that is as unfamiliar as it is hostile. The film launches with a breathtaking high-altitude prologue set against the stark Norwegian landscape—a sequence so visceral it immediately commands the viewer's attention. For the better part of the first act, director Baltasar Kormákur and screenwriter Jeremy Robbins collaborate effectively to sustain this momentum, punctuating the narrative with a series of nerve-wracking set pieces designed to keep the pulse racing. They find genuine success here, managing to wring fresh tension out of a familiar survivalist blueprint. Kormákur utilizes the natural geography to heighten the film’s stakes, turning the isolation of the outback and the volatility of the river into visceral instruments of suspense. Especially for someone like me, who can't swim, the river sequences were particularly harrowing; the director uses the landscape to transform Sasha’s environment into a living, breathing threat that fuels a constant state of anxiety.
However, as the story progresses, the thrill begins to lose its edge. Once the novelty of the environment wears off, the thinness of the character development becomes harder to ignore. What started as a gripping chase eventually succumbs to a sense of repetitiveness, as the layers of suspense are stretched thin across a narrative that feels increasingly predictable. The central hunter-versus-prey dynamic eventually begins to feel overly familiar, particularly in the way Ben toys with Sasha. While the film attempts to inject psychological depth by hinting at Ben’s origins—alluding to unresolved childhood trauma and a strained maternal relationship—these narrative beats feel more like an afterthought than a cohesive character study. However, because these elements aren't explored with any real depth, they feel intrusive rather than organic. I found myself wishing the film had leaned into more simple but visceral approach of portraying Ben as a relentless psychopath killer who finds ritualistic joy in the hunt, rather than burdening the plot with underdeveloped psychological tropes.
Theron is exceptional here, portraying Sasha not just as a survivor, but as a woman navigating a deep, five-month-old grief that heightens her sense of isolation. She captures the raw intersection of physical fatigue and mental anguish, making the character's unfamiliarity with the Australian outback feel truly harrowing. Taron Egerton is chillingly effective; his portrayal of Ben hinges on a twisted sense of morality, treating his violence as a justified ritual. His greatest strength is his unpredictability; he maintains an edge of danger that ensures we are never truly certain of his next move.
Overall, Apex is an effective survival thriller; while it fails to break new ground, it provides a decent 90-minute experience anchored by the powerhouse performances of Theron and Egerton.
Cast: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton'
Writer: Jeremy Robbins
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
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