that feeling of dread that units in once you’re making an attempt to get pleasure from nature — a hike by the woods, or a day on the seashore, for example — after which some impolite jerk exhibits up blasting music from a bluetooth speaker? Nicely, now think about the jerk with the speaker additionally needs to hunt you for sport. That is what occurs in “Apex,” a predictable however largely pleasurable new Netflix thriller from director Baltasar Kormákur. On a number of events, the movie’s villain fires up a speaker and dances round within the woods, and I discovered that extra scary and alarming than his homicide plans.
In “Apex,” Charlize Theron is Sasha, a girl consumed by grief and guilt following the tragic demise of her boyfriend. Sasha and her lifeless lover have been avid outdoorspeople specializing in mountain climbing, and now she’s come to Australia to clear her head by way of an arduous kayaking journey. Virtually instantly, Sasha encounters hostilities by way of some drunken native guys who declare they’re simply “making an attempt to be good.” There are such a lot of completely different motion pictures about folks touring to Australia and being threatened by locals that you need to surprise what that is performed to the Aussie vacationer business.
Sasha additionally meets native beef jerky salesman Ben, performed by a buff, bald Taron Egerton. Ben appears type and useful at first, however after all, that is all an act. Ben is definitely a full-blown psycho who likes to recreate “The Most Harmful Sport” by searching human beings to the demise. Quickly, Sasha, alone and secluded within the woods, is operating for her life whereas Ben chases after her with a crossbow (and that aforementioned bluetooth speaker).
Apex largely works due to its two leads
The story of a good looking girl being chased by the wilderness by a killer is fairly well-trod territory, and “Apex” does not actually attempt to reinvent the wheel right here. It unfolds roughly precisely as you’d count on it to, with a number of twists right here and there for good measure. The pacing can be a bit wonky — after an thrilling first act, issues grind to a little bit of a halt for a time frame that feels far too drawn out.
But, the dedication of the 2 leads in the end retains this overly-familiar thriller going. Theron is wholly convincing as a girl who is aware of the best way to deal with herself within the wild, and a prolonged sequence the place she’s climbing up a cliff barefoot feels fully plausible, to the purpose the place you may really feel how bodily exhausted Sasha is on this second. However whereas Theron is a convincing heroine, “Apex” actually belongs to Egerton’s weirdo unhealthy man efficiency.
Jeremy Robbins’ script properly solely provides us bits and items of Ben’s backstory, assuming the viewers can put these items collectively to kind a little bit of a psychological profile of this creep who appears to actually get pleasure from his work (his work being “searching folks,” after all). This offers Egerton, in his second huge Netflix unique, loads of room to go nuts, taking part in Ben like an enormous child who sees no actual subject with what he is doing. He is not conflicted or tormented; he is giddy. The truth is, he even sees himself as higher than “regular” hunters who use searching as an excuse to get drunk and shoot some weapons.
Apex was filmed on location, however it does not all the time look that method
“Apex” reportedly filmed on location in Sydney and New South Wales, and whereas there are a handful of photographs that showcase the grandeur and fantastic thing about all that nature, the movie additionally has that unlucky Netflix sheen that makes all the things look barely pretend. A second the place Sasha stands on the sting of a cliff searching on the huge, uninhabited wilderness is framed as one thing awe-inspiring, however all I saved considering was whether or not or not they actually put Theron on prime of that cliff, or if this was a wholly digital creation. There are additionally a number of underwater moments which might be very clearly not being filmed underwater.
These types of issues will be distracting, however, hey, “Apex” is the kind of easy-viewing Netflix thriller that you simply get pleasure from whereas watching after which overlook all about because the credit begin to roll (see additionally: the current Netflix shark movie “Thrash”). I am positive a lot of the movie’s scenes will slip from my reminiscence as the times go on, however whereas I watched, I loved the battle between Theron and Egerton. It’s totally straightforward to root for Theron’s character and it is simply as straightforward to hope she finally sends Egerton to his demise. In spite of everything, he performs his rattling bluetooth speaker exterior. What may very well be worse than that?
/Movie Ranking: 5.5 out of 10
“Apex” is streaming on Netflix April 24, 2026.
