I Almost Noped Out Of Netflix's Apex In The Opening Scene, But I'm Really Glad I Didn't

When I first noticed Apex, the new movie starring Charlize Theron, Eric Bana, and Taron Egerton on the 2026 movie schedule, I was skeptical I would bother to use my Netflix subscription to watch it. It’s not because I don’t like the cast or anything like that, I’m a fan of all those actors. It was the title alone. I sensed what it was going to be about, and I wasn’t wrong. However, I’m glad I powered through the opening moments and got into the movie, because it’s pretty fun.

I Don’t Like Movies With Climbing Scenes

I just knew Apex was going to involve some harrowing moments on the side of a mountain, and I can’t watch stuff like that. My acrophobia, which they call a fear of heights, but we all know is really a fear of falling, gives me terrible anxiety and vertigo when I watch anything with scenes like that. I couldn’t watch the scene in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol when Tom Cruise climbed the Burj Khalifa, and I flatly refused to watch Alex Honnold climb El Capitan in Free Solo.

Apex does indeed begin with a climbing scene, complete with distressing looks down the mountain, slipping hands, and swinging ropes. It has everything that stresses me out in scenes like this. I mean, they were even camping in a tent attached to the side of the cliff. My stomach churned, and at one point, I just picked up my phone and played Wordle for a few minutes. After the white-knuckle start, however, I got pretty into the movie.

It’s Not A Perfect Movie

I’m not going to sit here and write that Apex is the…um…pinnacle of filmmaking achievement. It’s not. It’s chock full of well-worn tropes and plot holes the size of a mountain in Yosemite National Park. It also has some dodgy CGI, but those things didn’t stop me from enjoying it. It’s a pretty typical Netflix action movie in a lot of ways. It clearly had a decent budget and obviously landed some big stars, but it’s not going to be added to a list of the best action movies ever.

I won’t spoil the movie, but it’s an adventure-horror movie featuring a heroine played by the always great Theron and an even better villain. It’s pretty clear very early on just what kind of movie this is going to be, and I was ok with that. Nothing in the film is particularly unique, either; the plot is something we’ve all seen before. High cinema it’s not, but for a rainy Saturday afternoon, it’s pretty much exactly what I’m looking for. As I said, it’s just a fun movie.

If you’re like me and you love fun-but-cheesy action movies, but can’t watch scenes involving extreme heights, I would say power through the opening. I think you’ll end up having a pretty good time with this movie, just like I did.