Written by Matt Swanson
Apex is a film about adrenaline junkies. Many have seen videos of these fearless people online: tightrope walkers, skydivers, and race car drivers might all come to mind. But mountain climbers might be the craziest of them all. Arguably the world’s greatest free solo climber, Alex Honnold, famously had his brain scanned and it showed that his amygdala had minimal response to fear stimuli, suggesting an unusually muted response to danger. Apex is a story that follows a rock climber and explorer as she finds herself fighting for her life in the Australian wilderness. The film has moments of tense survival-action, but suffers from undeveloped characters and a shallow plot.
It opens with Sasha (Charlize Theron) and her Australian boyfriend Tommy (Eric Bana) climbing the Troll Wall in Norway. As Sasha struggles to get over a ledge and rough weather begins to roll in, Tommy persuades her that they should descend. She begrudgingly agrees, but as they rappel down the cliff, the weather turns and a rockfall rains down around them. In the chaos, Tommy falls off the wall and into the abyss below.
The story resumes several months later, as Sasha is in Australia to spread her boyfriend’s ashes in his homeland. Sasha runs into some sketchy strangers who repeatedly warn her of the danger ahead as she journeys into Wandarra National Park. A hospitable man gives her directions for an adventurous kayaking trip. However, after her first night in her tent, she wakes to find her bag and phone are gone. She wanders along the river searching for clues about what animal could have taken her possessions, when she comes across a lean-to and an active campfire. Emerging from the campsite is the same man who gave her directions. He introduces himself as Ben (Taron Egerton), and his demeanor quickly turns from affable to eerie. Suddenly, he retrieves three items from his lean-to: Sasha’s bag, a speaker, and a crossbow. He puts on upbeat music and tells Sasha that she has until the end of the song to run for her life. The hunt begins.
Apex is a mixed bag. On one hand, it is a tense and thrilling odyssey through an Australian wilderness. On the other, it doesn’t develop its characters enough to give the plot proper dramatic weight. Sasha losing her boyfriend provides a tragic introduction to the character, but the film doesn’t go far enough in exploring the themes of guilt, trauma and grief that it introduces. It seems like characterization of Sasha is neglected in order to focus on the more interesting serial killer, Ben. This hunter is portrayed well, as erratically creepy and maniacally unhinged. He rambles about tribal rituals and the respect for his hunt. He dances to electronic music and jumps into the river, nude. He’s a great twisted villain, but that doesn’t help in raising the stakes of the film. The choice to focus on him more than the grieving Sasha robs the film of an opportunity for poignancy among the chaos.
Now, just because the film doesn’t use its characters to their full potential doesn’t mean it’s unworthy of praise on every front. The mad pursuit through rapids, jungle, cave, and canyon as Sasha evades the hunter makes for exhilarating sequences with impressive stunts. The sweeping views of the Australian wilderness are stunning, showcasing both the inherent danger and beauty in the scenery. The climbing scenes in particular are incredibly tense. Sasha faces perils on many fronts in this film as she is hunted by a serial killer, but the cliff is indifferent to her as she traverses up it. Nonetheless, the reality of a free-fall to guaranteed death surrounds her as she navigates the rocky wall. While the film falls short in characterization, it certainly delivers as an exciting survival tale.
