Dallas Fisher

I won’t lie, going into this I was fully expecting something a lot more offensive. I am shocked and thrilled to say it is not only not offensive, it’s entertaining. It also no longer feels like Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton are being held against their will in the streaming realm and putting them in the Australian Outback together was one of the best decisions of the year.

That’s right where we kick things off, the wild wild world of Australia. Well, there is the cold open and I wasn’t super paying attention to where that was, but we’re going to focus on the known part. Sasha (Theron) is reeling from a personal tragedy and decides to use one of every item from REI, and her skills, on a quest to find herself in the Outback, one of the most dangerous habitats on Earth.

Charlize puts up a fight against the elements. Not just with her character, but her very clear real life stunts are downright impressive. This movie basically only has two characters and that can usually lead to a slog on one or all of the characters, but the determination to feed the audience from her was very clear. I love a role where we get to see Theron shine, and she’s proven time and time again that she is capable of almost anything. That’s no different here, as watching her fight the ups and downs of the environment is a sight to behold.

Having a character so full of determination only works when there’s a force destined to take them down a notch, and that’s where Ben (Egerton) comes into play. This man is a psycho! I’m so glad we got this type of performance out of him finally, as it really feels like this was a calling card of his career. His animalistic nature is finally unleashed and you’ll have to watch to find out if the Outback or Egerton is a more dangerous foe for Theron. If you thought Batman and The Joker were a match made in heaven, wait until you see Sasha and Ben battle it out.

Watching these two people toy with each other in the elements was far from difficult to enjoy. The predator and prey roles become interchangeable to the point where you are always wondering who has the upper hand. Even within a 90 minute runtime, it never feels like it’s moving too fast, as it gradually goes deeper and darker in the most delicious of ways. There is a certain sheen that can’t be washed away in types of movies like this though, especially when you spend a lot of the time in a raging river that fluctuates on its levels of believability. Two minutes in I was thinking to myself that this felt like Everest meets Beast, and what do you know, they’re all directed by the same guy.

I’d say aim your expectations for Apex a little higher, because this is a tight, blast of a thriller where the performances go toe to toe with one another. The Most Dangerous Game hits a lot harder when it feels like the actors are just doing these things for real. Netflix, you surprised me!

7/10