SPOILER: This column contains potential spoilers for “Apex.”
Editor’s note: This column discusses violent themes.
Netflix’s newest action thriller, “Apex,” released April 24, tells the story of an intense hunt deep in the Australian wilderness. Although the film succeeds in providing an overwhelming sense of doom, it’s far less interesting than other films in the action genre.
The film starts off with a cinematic ascent up Norway’s Troll Wall, commencing Sasha’s (Charlize Theron) final climb with her partner Tommy (Eric Bana). As a huge storm ravages the mountainside, their journey becomes even more challenging. In this chaos, Tommy gets struck unconscious by a falling boulder, and Sasha, still tied to him, makes the difficult decision to cut the rope to free herself.
Months after Tommy’s death, a grieving Sasha goes on a solo kayaking trip through a fictional Wandarra National Park in Australia. While attempting to navigate the dense terrain to make it to the fictitious canyon of Grand Isle Narrows, she meets Ben (Taron Egerton), who helps her navigate and gives her supplies.
Although at first Ben seems sane to Sasha, she soon discovers he is a sadistic psychopath who forces her to engage in a game of cat-and-mouse in which she is the prey.
I felt that Ben truly exudes the essence of a deranged hunter, creating his own unjust moral code to explain hanging his victims to dry in his secret hideout, making literal human beef jerky. The fact that Ben barely has any human qualities, however, made it increasingly hard for me to see him as a believable villain.
Within his almost laughable stereotypically evil exterior is a dull character that could not hold up to other hunter-prey type antagonists such as those in the movies “Prey” or “Ready or Not.” Despite his cunning ability to predict many of Sasha’s moves, his ignorance ultimately forces him to meet his demise.
I felt more interested in the film’s depiction of the Australian wilderness than the actual plot. The story became less important to my viewing experience because the insanely beautiful and cinematic view of nature overshadows the plot. Sasha’s fight against the harshness of nature becomes more intense than her combat with Ben.
Considering the tragic backstory of Sasha’s character, I was able to recognize parallels between each of her climbs. For example, Sasha is forced to become tied to Ben like she was tied to Tommy. However, the two stories share alternate connotations. While Tommy’s death is full of sorrow and regret, Sasha willingly tries to kill Ben and free herself from their tie.
In the climax, Sasha must make amends with Ben after he becomes severely injured. They have to work together to climb up the mountain, but Sasha ends up betraying Ben, and he falls to his death.
Sasha’s journey is quite symbolic, offering multiple narratives for roughly the same situation. The way she perseveres throughout these battles, despite all her previous emotional baggage, is a testament to the lengths of the human spirit.
The story of the hunt is inspired by Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” published in 1924. IIt depicts the wealthy General Zaroff using his island to hunt humans because of their intelligence and ability to potentially match his expertise.
In Connell’s story, Zaroff does not make the playing fields equal. While Zaroff uses hunting dogs and weapons, “Apex” makes the experience gap narrower and thus grittier. Even though Ben still has knowledge of the land and a crossbow, Sasha has enough experience to successfully traverse through the unfamiliar land, putting them on similar footing.
While I enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of the film, for an action thriller, I felt that “Apex” falls shy of reaching any remarkability within its rudimentary plot.
