Apex (2026) - Review 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I’VE long been a fan of Baltasar Kormákur for his approach to filmmaking: muscular energy and opting to shoot in real-life locations as much as possible.

Apex offers more of the same, following in the footsteps of past successes such as 2 Guns, Everest and The Deep.

It’s a survival thriller with occasionally strong horror elements that features notable and extremely physical performances from Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton.

The film prioritizes practical locations and authentic physical performances, allowing both stars to perform most of their own stunts. Theron did her own climbing. While real-life locations were used for most of the shoot - whether that’s the film’s primary location, the Grand Canyon Walking Track, in Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, or the Troll Wall in Norway, which provides the backdrop to the film’s intense opening sequence.

It adds an extra dynamism to proceedings, arguably making it a missed opportunity for not giving it a cinematic window. Some of the sweeping shots that Kormakur deploys are genuinely exhilarating and occasionally vertigo inducing - one can only imagine how audiences would have been made to feel if they had gotten the chance to experience it on the big screen.

That being said, the film loses some points for feeling a little too derivative of other films, whether that’s Cliffhanger (courtesy of its opening climbing tragedy), horror films such as Wolf Creek, adventure films like The River Wild and, perhaps most notably, Richard Connell’s 1924 short story The Most Dangerous Game, which followed a rich, jaded big-game hunter who lures people to his remote island and hunts them for sport.

That last film probably forms the greatest source of inspiration, along with Cliffhanger.

As it opens, Apex finds Theron’s Sasha on a climbing adventure in Norway (the aforementioned Troll Wall) with her husband Tommy (Eric Bana), only to be faced with a terrible dilemma once the elements turn against them: to die together or cast her unconscious husband down the mountain.

Five months later, Sasha is attempting to move on by embarking on a solo adventure in Australia’s [fictional] Wandarra national park, near the entrance to which she encounters Ben (Taron Egerton), a seemingly friendly fellow adventure who offers her sympathy, respect and advice when she raises the unwanted attentions of another group of alpha males heading out for a hunt.

Ben points her toward a secluded camping spot he describes as a ‘well kept secret’, later meeting her there and enticing her to keep him company with some well prepared food.

But no sooner has Sasha let her guard down, then Ben reveals himself to be a full blown psychopath - setting her the challenge of running as fast as she can before the music stops and he comes after her with a bow and arrow.

From here on in, it’s a high stakes chase movie with Sasha forced to pit her wits against Ben’s increasingly unhinged and eventually horrific serial killer (and cannibal).

At around the halfway mark, Sasha finds herself at Ben’s mercy, tied up and led into a cave where the true extent of his depravity is revealed - and it’s a grim section of the film that feels a little at odds with the tone of the rest of the film. Certain elements leave an unsavoury taste (just as they did in Wolf Creek).

But for the most part, Kormakur keeps the emphasis on the thrill of the chase, enabling Theron to display the same kind of feisty female resolve she has previously displayed in the likes of Atomic Blonde and Mad Max: Fury Road, while showcasing her impressive climbing skills. The actress more than delivers.

Egerton, for his part, exudes the same kind of creepiness he displayed in the Apple TV series Smoke, while also presenting an imposing physical presence (right down to a shock reveal involving his teeth). It’s just a shame he doesn’t get the chance to bring as much nuance as he did in that series.

When together, however, the two stars bring a high level of intensity that makes them worthy and believable adversaries; as well as damaged goods in their different ways.

Again, Kormakur deserves credit for striking a good balance between the action and the performances, even if the film’s script doesn’t provide much room for digging into the raw emotions on display.

Overall, however, the film achieves what is expected, keeping audiences on their toes throughout with its mix of sweeping visuals, exciting choreography and sustained tension.

It’s a taut, exciting crowd pleaser driven by two performers on peak form and a director who knows how to handle the genre elements in suitably muscular style.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 95mins