Apex, 2026.
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
Starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana, Caitlin Stasey, Bessie Holland, and Zachary Garred.
SYNOPSIS:
When an adrenaline junkie sets out to conquer a menacing river, she discovers that nature isn’t the only thing out for blood.
In a film about conquering the elements, it behooves the filmmakers to strive for practicality and a semblance of realism. From director Baltasar Kormákur, Apex (a title that alludes to several meanings here) makes it very clear when the viewer is watching characters interact with a green screen and when Charlize Theron is actually, say, rock climbing. Simultaneously, it is also unrealistic to expect everything here, whether it be climbing mountain summits in the winter or kayaking through dangerous streams, to be captured on screen as some death-defying stunt. The problem is that so much of Apex looks fake, and when something is clearly real (to an extent), it only reinforces how choppy and frustrating large portions of the film are, and how little palpable peril they contain.
As for the rest of the premise (from a screenplay by Jeremy Robbins), it follows grieving adrenaline junkie Sasha (Charlize Theron), looking to make peace with the tragic death of her husband (a brief appearance from Eric Bana in the prologue) in the Australian wilderness Before finding herself in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with Taron Egerton’s Ben, who points her in the direction of a terrific well-kept secret of a camping spot that is, in actuality, a hunting ground for him to test his skills against fellow adventurers looking to tackle whatever nature has in store.
This mostly results in, as mentioned before, a hell of a lot of kayaking in sludgy digital waters that don’t do much to sell the tension here. It also doesn’t help that the premise here is already familiar, riddled with cliches, and only continues to follow down that path. However, there is undeniable, admirable creativity in how the film loops back to tie its final set piece to a sense of overcoming what happens in the tragic opening. Again, this is a sequence that sees Charlize Theron putting in the physical work, making it easy to feel sore in your muscles and bones by the conclusion.
With the exception of just how psychopathic Ben is (which also rejuvenates the proceedings with some much-needed life, as it feels repetitive by the halfway mark), why he is hunting travelers, and what he does with the bodies (let’s just say he believes in hunting for a reason, not sport), Apex is dull. Much of the traversal and survival is bogged down by that overuse of CGI, whereas the story isn’t necessarily novel to begin with.
Take nothing away from Charlize Theron, giving everything she has regarding physicality when the film calls for it, and Taron Egerton playing someone eccentrically bonkers with his hunting song playlist and warped goals (although his motives fall back on lazy cliches that are underdeveloped to boot), out in full feral force (he even caws when searching for Sasha), as there is simply too much else here that isn’t realized immersively. By the second or third time Sasha kayaks through a fake river, or even during a wintry mountain climb that also looks animated and struggles to elicit the sense of fear one gets from a documentary about adrenaline junkies taking similar gambles with our lives, the wilderness element feels off and almost pointless. The survival thrills from the case are also minimal until the later stages.
It is worth considering that Baltasar Kormákur ends Apex with a character-focused sequence and seems to care about Sasha beyond whether she survives. Otherwise, the film doesn’t reach many highs, though it certainly gets elevated enough off the ground and is watchable thanks to intensely committed performances.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
