TL;DR – An interesting, if very convoluted, survival-horror film.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

Warning – Contains scenes which may cause distress.

Apex Review Introduction

As horror still comes in leaps and bounds in 2026, there has been an uptick in the survival-horror space. Today’s film is absolutely playing in that space as it pits two of Hollywood’s biggest stars in a fight across the Australian landscape. And well look, as far as pitches for a film go, that is a solid one.  

So, to set the scene, deep in the grand mountains of the Troll Way of Norway, Sasha (Charlize Theron) and Tommy (Taron Egerton) are making their ascent to the summit. They are the sort of people who find it exhilarating to sleep on the side of a cliff. When the weather turns, they decide, with some reluctance, to head back down, but it is too late, and in the calamity, Tommy does not make it. Months later, Sasha is trying to move on from the tragedy in Australia, out where the terrain is tough, and the satellite signal is poor. Stopping off for supplies, a local, Ben (Taron Egerton), recommends a secluded camping spot, not as secluded as advertised. But worse, as Sasha goes deeper into the bush, she quickly realises that help might not be friendly, and there is something sinister hiding in the bush, something that will give her to the end of a song to run, and then the hunt is on.      

Welcome to Oz

One of the things this film does is play on a lot of anxieties that exist in the Australian context. People tend to be completely unprepared for how remote things can get in Australia when they have only experienced the outer fringe. Backpackers and tourists can get lost or, worse, just out of sheer dumb luck. It is in this space, and thanks to some isolated real-life examples, that a wave of horror has emerged in the footsteps of Wolf Creek. People going missing and never seen again create the perfect fodder for films like this. Though I think the scale of his production does stretch belief that no one would have cottoned on.   

For a film set in Australia, the question is, how did they do with their representation? Well, there are some geographical oddities to be found in the opening set-up, given they filmed this around the Blue Mountains, but it is suggested to be much deeper into the continent, but you can put things like that aside. One of the good things the film does is show off just how beautiful that part of the world is. Taron Egerton is giving a serviceable Australian accent, and any weirdness can be chalked up to his character coming to Australia as a child. Though the use of the term “gas station” is almost criminal.

On the Run

Once Apex makes its shift from ‘woman finding herself in the aftermath of a tragedy’ to ‘woman being hunted for sport by a cannibal,’ it does find its feet in the chase. Starting with the song countdown is a great way of setting the tone, before anything goes down. Taron throws his whole body into this film and becomes truly menacing in his portrayal. You know Ben is creepy from his first introduction, and even then, he outdoes himself, and that is before they reveal what is in the cave. Charlize Theron is more than capable of stepping to his energy, even while playing someone who is both in and then very out of her element. While from a pacing issue, it is good that the chasing part is not the whole film, but it is less than you would expect.

From a production standpoint, they do get a lot right. A good example of this is when those crossbow bolts fly through the air and crack into the trees and ground around Sasha. There is a visceral feel each time it fires, which makes it the menace the film needs. One area where it does not work as well is in those moments when they transition from real-world footage to digital doubles, and then back again. They are very noticeable in a way that almost rips you out of the film. I will say I did roll my eyes when they announced how the climax of the film would play out. It is the sort of ending that only exists because this is a movie script and we need to have thematic mirroring for some reason with as much subtlety as a club to the head.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Apex? If you are looking for a Survival-Horror film where the real monster is humanity, or at least a human, I think there will be enough here to recommend it to you. If you are into rock climbing, I suspect you will be either very impressed or very annoyed, so your mileage may vary. But I am not sure there is enough here for anyone else.

Have you watched Apex? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Apex, we would recommend Send Help to you because it is also playing in the space of isolation, survival, and testing yourself against the elements.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Apex
Directed by – Baltasar Kormákur
Written by – Jeremy Robbins
Music by – Högni Egilsson
Cinematography by – Lawrence Sher
Edited by – Sigurdur Eythorsson
Production/Distribution Companies – Chernin Entertainment, Ian Bryce Productions, Denver and Delilah Productions, RVK Studios, & Netlix
Starring – Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana, Matt Whelan, Bessie Holland, Aaron Pedersen, & Rob Carlton
With – Duncan Fellows, Julia Ohannessian, Niam Hogan, Willow Seager, Zac Garred, & Caitlin Stasey
Rating – Australia: MA15+;