Apex (2026)

Every now and then Netflix releases a trailer that practically tells you the entire movie before you’ve even pressed play. Apex looked like one of those films. A survival thriller with a big star, a familiar premise and all the hallmarks of a forgettable streaming original. To my surprise, while Apex never escapes those clichés, it proved far more entertaining than I expected.

The biggest reason the film works is its two leads. Charlize Theron has built an entire career on making physically demanding roles look effortless, and she once again brings a level of commitment that elevates the material. The movie opens with Theron’s character and her partner, played by Eric Bana, scaling a cliff in Norway. When a storm strikes, tragedy follows and Bana loses his life. That emotional burden hangs over the entire film and becomes the driving force behind Theron’s journey. While the character isn’t the most deeply written protagonist you’ll ever encounter, Theron does an excellent job of carrying that grief throughout the story, making her struggle feel believable and giving the audience a reason to invest in her survival.

Opposite her, Taron Egerton delivers what is easily the standout performance of the film. His character could have been a one-note movie psychopath, but Egerton injects enough unpredictability into the role that you’re never quite sure what he’s going to do next. He feels genuinely unstable, the kind of person who can switch from calm conversation to terrifying menace in an instant. It’s an unhinged performance in all the right ways and one that consistently keeps the tension levels high.

And honestly, I would be doing this review a disservice if I didn’t mention the scene everyone is talking about online. At one point, Egerton’s character plays “Go” by The Chemical Brothers and gives Theron’s character until the end of the song before he starts hunting her. On paper it sounds ridiculous. In execution, it’s one of the most memorable scenes in the entire movie. The sequence somehow manages to be tense, darkly funny and incredibly entertaining all at once. It’s easy to see why the moment has exploded into a meme across social media, and I’ll freely admit the song has now found a permanent place on my gym playlist.

The easiest way to describe Apex is Wolf Creek meets Cliffhanger. If you’ve seen either of those films, you’ll immediately understand the formula. You’ve got a relentless predator stalking their prey through dangerous terrain, combined with plenty of climbing, survival and environmental hazards. The movie never really hides what it is, and in some ways that’s actually refreshing. It knows exactly what type of thriller it wants to be and sticks to that lane throughout.

What impressed me most was the production value. Movies like this often feel surprisingly cheap, especially when they debut on streaming services, but Apex genuinely looks fantastic. The mountain locations are stunning, the cinematography is far stronger than I expected and there are several sequences that feel far more cinematic than your average Netflix thriller. If someone had told me this was a major theatrical release from a few years ago, I probably would have believed them. Unfortunately, while it looks better than most films in this genre, it doesn’t necessarily do anything new with the formula.

What Apex does particularly well is make the wilderness feel genuinely hostile. Even when Egerton’s character isn’t on screen, the mountain itself feels like a threat. Whether it’s sheer cliff faces, dangerous drops or fast-moving rapids, the environment constantly reminds you that nature can be every bit as deadly as the man pursuing Theron. That extra layer of danger helps keep the suspense alive and prevents the film from feeling like a simple chase thriller.

In fact, the film’s biggest problem arrives around the halfway point. The first half is where Apex is at its strongest. The tension steadily builds, the cat-and-mouse dynamic is engaging and there’s a genuine sense of danger hanging over every scene. Once Theron’s character is captured, however, the movie loses some of the momentum it had worked so hard to create. The suspenseful chase largely gives way to a prolonged sequence involving Egerton dragging her towards what is essentially his cave of death. It’s still watchable, but the tension hook that had me invested early on begins to fade.

That’s not to say the movie becomes boring. Far from it. Apex remains consistently entertaining throughout. The story keeps moving, the action is solid and the suspense is effective enough to hold your attention. It’s one of those films that never quite reaches greatness, but it also never becomes frustrating or tedious. If you’re scrolling through Netflix wondering what to watch on a Friday evening, there are certainly far worse choices available.

The standout action sequence arrives during the finale. Theron and Egerton find themselves scaling a cliff face, with Egerton nursing a badly broken leg while Theron essentially has to assist both herself and him during the climb. It’s a well-constructed sequence that makes excellent use of the environment and creates some genuinely nerve-racking moments. The problem is that it’s also completely predictable. You’ll probably figure out exactly how the scene is going to play out long before it gets there. Thankfully, strong performances and confident direction help compensate for the lack of surprises.

Apex won’t be appearing on many end-of-year top ten lists, and it certainly doesn’t reinvent the survival thriller. What it does offer is 100 minutes of tension, two committed lead performances and one scene involving The Chemical Brothers that people will be talking about long after the credits roll. Sometimes that’s enough.