There is a lot to enjoy in director Baltasar Kormákur’s Netflix survival thriller APEX. We’ve got Charlize Theron once again showing off her trademark action chops, some genuinely breath-taking imagery, and Taron Egerton clearly having the time of his life as the villain — chewing through every scene with a manic grin while proving he’s not exactly the sharpest shot with a crossbow.
Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, it’s a lean, no-nonsense thriller that will certainly entertain in places. But from the moment it begins, there’s an overwhelming sense of familiarity hanging over it. APEX feels like the offspring of several — and better — films that came before it. Despite a few barnstorming set-pieces, the twists never quite land with the sting they should.
The opening sequence is a perfect example. Theron’s Sasha and her husband Tommy (Eric Bana) wake up in a tent… suspended mid-air on a mountain face. It’s a striking image and will definitely rattle anyone with a fear of heights. We quickly learn Sasha is an adrenaline junkie — someone who needs that constant rush — while Tommy is clearly starting to long for a quieter life.
For newcomers, this might hit hard. But for those who grew up on Cliffhanger or even the often-forgotten Vertical Limit, the tension feels recycled rather than reinvented — and that’s a problem that lingers throughout.
Fast forward a few months, and Sasha heads to Australia, ignoring the very clear warnings about venturing into the outback alone (because of course she does). There she meets Egerton’s Ben — initially charming, but clearly hiding something far darker. Before long, we’re thrown into a familiar game of cat-and-mouse — essentially The Most Dangerous Game with an outback twist.
It’s all fairly standard stuff. Kormákur’s direction is undeniably slick — there are moments where you genuinely believe Theron is hanging from a cliff with nothing but sheer willpower keeping her alive. One sequence in particular, where we follow her fall into deep water, is genuinely breath-taking and briefly elevates the film. But moments like that only highlight the bigger issue:
This is style over substance.
The outback setting inevitably invites comparisons to the Wolf Creek franchise, and APEX ends up feeling like the tamer, more mainstream cousin — built for audiences who prefer their thrills without the full brutality.
But if, like me, you enjoy your horror with a bit more bite, don’t be surprised if you find yourself wishing for Mick Taylor to wander in and show this pretender what real terror looks like uttering a famous line from another Mick – “That’s not a knife…”THAT’S a knife...
APEX may not reach the heights of The River Wild, but it’ll do just enough to satisfy those after an easy, undemanding thrill.
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