Apex is the new survival thriller that landed on Netflix on April 24, 2026. The film comes from director Baltasar Kormákur, the man behind Everest and Adrift. It stars Charlize Theron as Sasha, a rock climber dealing with a terrible loss. She goes into the Australian wilderness to find some peace. But a local hunter named Ben, played by Taron Egerton, decides to turn her trip into a twisted game. He gives her a head start and then hunts her like an animal. The movie runs for 95 minutes and has an R rating for strong violence and language. Critics have praised the two leads and the beautiful, harsh landscapes. If you like tense, simple survival stories, this one is worth a look.
Where to Watch Apex
You can only watch Apex on Netflix. It is a Netflix Original, so no other streaming service has it. The movie is available worldwide. Netflix releases new titles at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time. If you live on the East Coast, that means 3:00 a.m. ET. You just need a Netflix subscription to stream it.
Release Date
Apex premiered on April 24, 2026. That is a Friday. Netflix usually picks Fridays for big releases so people can watch over the weekend. The film came out in all regions on the same day. There was no theatrical release. It went straight to streaming.
Full Cast of Apex
Charlize Theron plays Sasha. She is a climber haunted by an accident that killed her best friend. Taron Egerton plays Ben, the hunter. This is Egerton’s first time playing a villain.
Eric Bana joins the cast as Tommy, a man from Sasha’s past who shows up at a key moment.
The rest of the cast includes Matt Whelan, Bessie Holland, Aaron Pedersen, Rob Carlton, Zac Garred, and Caitlin Stasey. Every actor brings something solid to the story.
Plot of Apex
Sasha loves danger. She climbs mountains and takes risks. But after a climbing accident kills her closest friend, she carries a heavy weight. She blames herself. To escape her guilt, she travels alone to a remote part of Australia. The land is rough and beautiful. She expects to find quiet and maybe a little healing.
Instead, she finds Ben. He is a local hunter who has done this before. He gives her a head start. Then he follows her through rivers, cliffs, and open land. Sasha has no gun and no help. She only has her climbing skills and her will to live. The movie follows their chase. It is brutal and simple. There is no big twist. Just a woman trying to survive against a man who enjoys the hunt.
Rating and Critical Response
The MPAA gave Apex an R rating. The reasons are strong violence, grisly images, nudity, and language. It is not a movie for kids.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 70% score (as of when writing this article) from early reviews. The audience score sits a little higher at 75%. Most critics agree that the movie works because of the two leads. Taron Egerton said in an interview, “I would never excuse the monster that he’s been, but I think there are enough clues in the storytelling to know he’s a pretty broken individual, someone beyond rescuing. And he was great fun to play.”
Charlize Theron did most of her own climbing stunts. That gives the action a real, grounded feel. The cinematography is another strong point. The Australian outback looks both beautiful and dangerous. Some reviewers say the story plays it safe. It does not try anything new. But for a Friday night thriller, it does the job well.
Apex is not trying to change the survival genre. It knows what you came for. A strong hero. A creepy villain. A beautiful place that wants to kill you. The movie delivers all of that. Theron and Egerton make it worth your time. If you have Netflix, give it a watch.
