Charlize Theron is literally rock-solid as she maneuvers through the rugged landscape, moving from one challenging situation to another in the extreme-adventure thriller 'Apex'. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, the film follows Sasha (Theron) on a solo trip to an Australian national park to honor her husband's death, only to find herself hunted by a manic serial killer.
Story
A woman on a solo adventure trip in Australia soon finds herself trying to escape the pursuit of a manic serial killer within the vast expanses of a thickly forested national park.
Review
Sasha (Charlize Theron) and her husband, Tommy (Eric Bana), are extreme-thrill seekers, evident from the first sequence of the film. While we innocuously watch the couple greet a crisp morning, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, a jaw-dropping moment reveals that their tent is actually pitched 90 degrees to a steep rock wall that the two are climbing. Through the course of the next 90 minutes, director Baltasar Kormakur ensures many more stupefying (and some vertigo-inducing) moments.
While Sasha wants to continue her pursuit to the apex of the Troll Wall, despite a sudden change in mountain weather, Tommy takes the more responsible decision of stopping for the day. But that doesn't seem enough to avoid a tragic end to this summit. Five months later, Sasha decides to take a solo trip to a national park in Australia to honor her husband's death. Her trail starts off with a strong warning from a ranger at the gate that lately many tourists have lost their way inside the park and still not been found. Add to that, a standoff with a couple of slimy hunters. She also meets Ben (Taron Egerton) here, who seems well versed with the landscape and friendly enough to offer advice on which routes to take inside.
Being an avid thrill seeker, Sasha seems at home in the wilderness and with her solitude, barring another uncomfortable meet-up with the hunters. But things drastically change after the first two nights when Sasha wakes up one morning to find her knapsack missing. Her search for her bag leads her to Ben, who turns out not as harmless as he seems. A full-throttle pursuit ensues as Ben tries to trap Sasha in a game of survival. He becomes the hunter and she, the hunted.
'Apex' moves fast—there is the relentless chase through rivers, crevices, and deep forests; intense action and non-stop grit. Even though Sasha seems to thrive on adrenaline, the unraveling of Ben's intentions pushes her to arduous limits. The film definitely has its 'Cliffhanger' and 'River Wild' moments; while the narrative charts familiar terrain, the tension and action keep it gripping till the end. But given most of the screen time is a toss between just Sasha and Ben and that there is not much more added to their character arcs, the cat-and-mouse chase begins to feel repetitive even at 90 minutes. There is some measure of gory visuals and a sizable chunk of nerve-wracking, edge-of-the-seat action which are enough to knot up your stomach.
Charlize Theron is literally rock-solid as she maneuvers through the rugged landscape, moving from one challenging situation to another. Climbing rock cliffs with gravity-defying finesse, tossing over and under waterfalls and boulders, running through jagged gorges, she is simply unstoppable. Taron Egerton channels a devious, evil side that is unhinged and chilling to the core. 'Apex' is formulaic and mostly predictable, but it also delves into the unforeseeable limits that survival instincts can push one to, including a reveal by Sasha in the second half. If you are an action and adventure junkie, it will keep you hooked.
Cast
- Charlize Theron as Sasha (also Producer)
- Taron Egerton as Ben
- Eric Bana as Tommy (also Producer, Writer)
- Caitlin Stasey (Soundtrack, Actress)
- Baltasar Kormakur as Director (also Producer, Writer)
Rating
Critic's Rating: 3.5/5 | Users' Rating: 3.5/5
