The “man is the ultimate apex predator” idea is one clear source for the title of the latest movie in this very specific subgenre. Netflix’s survival-thriller Apex stars Charlize Theron as a wilderness thrill-seeker and Taron Egerton as the local predator hunting her for sport through the lush forests and raging rivers of an Australian national park. It’s a back-to-basics movie with minimal frills, apart from a CG-heavy opening sequence set on Norway’s Troll Wall. And while Apex echoes other wilderness survival thrillers, from Deliverance to Cliffhanger to 127 Hours, it most resembles a Predator movie where all the characters happen to be from the same planet.
