Charlize Theron's latest action movie, Apex, is available with a Netflix subscription and has maintained a solid hold at the peak of the platform's popular movies. I'm not surprised, as I absolutely loved the action thriller and all the rock climbing, but I am surprised at how middling the response is to it by others.
Apex's 65% critic score prevents it from "Rotten" status on Rotten Tomatoes, but not by much. Audience approval is even lower than that, with 52% enjoying the movie. I'm here as someone who legitimately thought it was one of the best Netflix movies I've seen in a good while, and ready to defend it on two major things that set it apart from similar offerings.
Apex Makes The Most Of Filming In The Blue Mountains National Park
One thing that I love so much about Apex is how it's set in the Blue Mountains National Park, located in Australia. While I've never been there, I'm a big lover of National Parks in general, and as a true crime lover, aware of the various crimes that can occur there. Just take a look at the cold cases provided by the National Parks website. Amidst all that beauty and wonder, there's always a possibility of danger lurking.
Article continues belowI certainly had that vibe when hiking through an isolated path in the Great Smoky Mountains, desperate to find a spot that wasn't overrun by others. Once I found it, I was enjoying a nice hike until I heard a rather large rustling in the bushes. My first instinct was a bear, but it was probably a rabbit.
In any case, I did get to thinking about how wild it would be to be out in the forest and pursued by someone, and the powerless feeling associated with that. Some people are unfortunate enough to have lived what happened in Apex, though not quite in those exact circumstances. To me, I feel the movie provides an authentic experience of that, and shows how even the most beautiful locales (with mountains that may make people motion sick) around the world can be the setting for a tragic story.
Taron Egerton's Ben Is The Perfect Mix Of Creepy And Bizarre
I'm a big Taron Egerton fan in general, and have been among those looking for him to take on a grittier role like Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We'll probably never get that, but we now have Ben, and I'm a big fan of this villain's transition from friendly Aussie hunter to full-blown psychopath.
So much of Apex is Sasha and Ben that he has to be a level 10 to keep things interesting. Obviously, not everyone feels that way, but for me, this was a classic character that reminded me of the backwoods folk in Deliverance.
All this to say, I'm encouraging people to take a chance on this movie if they haven't already. You may not like it as much as I did, but you certainly won't leave feeling like you weren't entertained. I'd rank it in my top ten of favorite Charlize Theron movies, and that's quite a list if you look at it.
Apex is available to stream right now on Netflix. Tune in to see what becomes of Sasha and Ben's showdown in the wilderness, and stay for the chaotic action in between.
