Apex (2026)

There’s nothing quite like adrenaline. It's the hormone that motivates us, propelling us to reach new heights and accomplish feats we never even imagined were possible. The flip side of that feeling is fear, an all-encompassing terror that can at once be energizing and paralyzing. In Apex, Sasha (Charlize Theron) is forced to battle with both sensations as she attempts her journey to Grand Isle Narrows in Wandarra National Park.

This review will remain as spoiler-free as possible. If you’re someone who wants to know what happens ahead of time, Jo Moses already wrote a great summary of Apex!

Sasha is a woman of very few words, forcing Charlize Theron to act more with her facial expressions and body language than anything else. As could be expected from someone who’s been nominated for three academy awards, Theron does a fantastic job of this. The subtleties in the way she olds herself convey more than a word ever could. That, combined with the music choices, make every moment sickeningly eerie. I expected this to be a movie I could put on in the background, but it kept me engaged every step of the way.

At the start of Apex, Sasha is on a dangerous mountain climb with her boyfriend. He is clearly the anchor, encouraging them to go back to camp before it’s too late and to take the necessary precautions to survive. When the climb goes awry, a mistake from Sasha causes him to plummet to his death. Her journey through Australia is an attempt to grieve her Aussie partner. As a result, her kayaking already felt desperate before she realized how much danger she was truly in.

A year or so ago, there was a trend on TikTok where women would decide whether they wanted to be trapped in the forest alone with a bear or a strange man. Nearly everyone chose the bear, much to the surprise of the men on the app. This movie gives an (extreme) example of why. A bear may hurt you, but if you behave reasonably the odds you can coexist are high. With a man, you can do everything right and still be hunted through the wilderness.

I appreciate the film’s commitment to making Sasha’s journey at least somewhat realistic. The average person is ill-equipped to handle the dangers of the outdoors, especially when running for their life. Making it clear that Sasha is an outdoorsy adrenaline junkie from the start alleviated many of these potential plot holes. Despite her obvious competence and physical strength, Sasha is still scared in the situations that most women would be scared in. The tone of the film grounds it in realism, turning an adventure film into a real-life horror movie.

This film is certainly not for the faint of heart. It’s difficult to watch; the villain’s performance is so captivating that it made me ill. For those that want a bone-chilling horror movie that takes place in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, Apex is exactly what you’re looking for.

Netflix's new thriller Apex, starring Charlize Theron, puts a twist on survival horror. Despite its setting in the beautiful- yet-dangerous Australian wilderness, Apex is not a movie about man vs. nature. Instead, it’s woman vs. man. While checking out the title card and its unpretentious Netflix release might lead viewers to believe Apex is just another celebrity project churned out of the streaming machine, Apex - whether by luck or by intention - is a consistently harrowing film about the reality of being a woman in a public space. 

The film opens on Sasha (Theron) and her husband Tommy (Eric Bana), both adventurous rock climbers, facing a storm at Troll Wall in Norway. Unfortunately, Tommy has an accident and falls to his death, an experience which haunts Sasha and takes her to Tommy’s homeland of Australia on a solo venture five months later. From this point on, viewers are made keenly aware of Sasha’s vulnerability as a solo female traveler. She is menaced at a gas station by a group of hunters who later find her at her campsite, where she is reduced to cowering in her van holding pepper spray. Luckily, she escapes the next morning to a beautiful spot along the water where a seemingly decent man, Ben (Taran Egerton) has given her directions.

Viewers don’t get too comfortable, however - when Sasha’s supplies are stolen, she finds Ben who offers her provisions. He’s friendly at first, but begins dropping lines that hint at the danger Sasha faces. “Don’t worry,” he says as he hands Sasha a water bottle, “I forgot to pack my roofies.” Most importantly though, Ben - who is getting creepier by the minute - is a small business owner! In fact, he lives in a primitive hut most of the year, selling homemade jerky. When Ben takes out a crossbow and tells Sasha she has the length of his favorite song to run, it quickly becomes clear what (actually, who) the jerky is made out of. Sasha is forced to make a daring, desperate escape, relying on her camping and climbing skills to escape her cannibal acquaintance as she summits a narrow ravine freehand.

As for Ben, he has no deep backstory. In fact, the movie makes a point of emphasizing his delusional behavior as he screeches like a bird, skinny dips while blasting music, and reveals he’s gotten some very expensive dental work to sharpen his teeth into points. Despite all of this, however, Ben is ordinary. He’s an ordinary man full of extraordinary hubris and motivated by an exoticized view of indigenous people. Throughout the film he rambles about the indigenous tribes he admires. “Did you know there are tribes that file down their own teeth to sharp points? Enduring pain is a part of growing up. It's a rite of passage,” he says at one point. After dragging Sasha into his cave full of corpses, he informs her with wide eyes that “there are native tribes that say in order to capture the spirit of your prey you have to consume its liver.” Ben is not dangerous because he’s powerful, he’s dangerous because he’s average.