Critic Reviews

The movie is packed with deep colors, glorious texture, and striking sequences, plus plenty of drone footage showcasing unspoiled, rough wilderness. Apex’s narrative simplicity (and the fact that it’s a Netflix movie) might lend itself to second-screen viewing, but anyone who lets their attention wander to their phone is going to miss some beautiful footage that makes this story seem a lot bigger than it is.

Baltasar Kormákur delivers a compelling survival thriller with both Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton throwing themselves into their adversarial roles. Theron crafts a relatable and grounded performance bolstered with emotional sensitivity and physical prowess, while Taron Egerton proves his worth as a weirdly menacing antagonist. Immersively conceived and nerve-rackingly realized, Apex is a visually-commanding action film bursting with impressively dynamic stunt sequences.

It will prove a literally breathtaking adventure, depending on one’s phobias about heights, water and psychopaths. But it is an ordeal saga, a predator thriller with horror-film accents—and a considerable amount of violence and pain for the character played by the ageless Ms. Theron, who may be giving the most athletically demanding performance of her action-movie career.

Just a solidly made cat-and-mouse thriller, with muscularly committed performances from its two leads. It’ll make you want to explore the Great Outdoors and simultaneously never leave your house again.

A no-frills survival thriller that’s as rugged as its wilderness setting.

Because Apex is only interested in surface-level backstory about the characters, the pursuit between the duo can feel repetitive on occasion. Then again, prioritizing white-knuckle thrills over excessive emotion and explaining is one of the most refreshing qualities of this gorgeously shot picture about survival and fortitude.

The taut nail-biter is well-acted, crafted with skill and briskly paced, running a tight 95 minutes. It’s the rare breed of streaming original that can safely be called a real movie.

Kormákur’s film doesn’t trade in surprises, but offers more than enough heart-in-mouth action spectacle to compensate.

This Netflix thriller is a fun-enough time that is elevated by the performances of predator and prey.

Though Apex's story largely just updates survivor-thriller tropes we've seen many times before, it's effective enough in its repackaging that it's certainly worth firing up on Netflix during a lazy night in. The physicality of Theron's performance, along with the film's vertigo-inducing cinematography, ultimately make Apex an adventure vacation from hell worth taking.