A better Netflix thriller than you may realize.
I’m not surprised that the generic shark thriller “Thrash” would make it to Number 1 most streaming movie chart on Netflix a few weeks ago. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the new Charlize Theron vehicle “Apex” would reach the top, but unlike “Thrash,” this one is a better thriller than expected.
This is another one of those adventure movies where the main heroine has to dodge killers, the way a gazelle would try to dodge a cheetah. And we’ve seen this kind of movie before and will probably keep seeing them. But I have to admit it has a certain kind of consistency and energy that keeps us watching.
Theron plays a thrill seeking alpinist named Sasha, who goes on a climbing trip with her husband Tommy (Eric Bana), but it ends up it ends up being fatal for him during a bad storm. Months later, she decides to go on another adventure with less climbing and more hiking and kayaking by herself, which wouldn’t be recommended considering that people get lost in that region.
There are hints that she could be in danger, starting with some hunters who look like they’re going to hit on her, and she does meet another adventurer named Ben (Taron Egerton), who gives her a choice of which path on the trail to take. The easy way or the hard way. And you know that saying: “We can do it the easy way or the hard way.”
One day, she finds her stuff stolen and comes Ben, who seems like a nice guy, but is actually a psychopath trying to be the apex predator. He gives her until the end of the Chemical Brothers’ “Go” to get away from him, but of course, the song has to end early, so the hunt can begin.
Why is he targeting her? Does he want revenge? Is she required for a sacrificial ritual? Or is he just crazy? You decide. But I think the movie knows we need a little break from sacrificial movies after we got the entertaining sequel “Ready or Not 2” and the derivative “They Will Kill You.” Maybe next year.
I was bored with the CGI effects of most of the river adventures, because they aren’t as crisp as a real mountain river. After all, I have seen naked people riding in rapids in the documentary “The Bend in the River” at the Boulder International Film Festival. But I wasn’t bored with the performances from Theron and Egerton, who both play the genre with different vibes. She specializes in the genre, while it’s very rare that he would play a villain. Or maybe it’s his first villain role. I’m not entirely sure.
I recall reviewing “Fall,” which was about a girl who climbs great heights and lost her husband as a result. She returns to the game and ends in great danger. I didn’t go for that movie, as much as other critics did, because I grew tired of the formulas that were added and extended to qualify it as a feature. “Apex” has its formulas, but they’re handled with the right actors and direction by Baltasar Kormakur, who seems to enjoy the genre.
The better piece of adventure entertainment to stream is the four-part documentary series “The Dark Wizard,” which is on HBO Max and tells the story of the thrill-seeking alpinist Dean Potter. But “Apex” is still a solid Netflix entry and a better one than “Thrash.” Now, this is a real force of nature.
Now Streaming on Netflix