Now Streaming: Baltasar Kormákur's APEX Pits Charlize Theron vs. Taron Egerton

Four noteworthy genre movies have splashed onto four different streaming services this week. Happily, we have reviews from three of them (by three different writers) already banked -- so I've linked to them below -- plus one that I watched this morning.

As always, your mileage may vary. Here we go.

Apex
The film is now streaming on Netflix.

Usually, Netflix foregrounds premises and, where available, stars, so the advance publicity did not alert me that Baltasar Kormákur directed Charlize Theron's new thriller. Instead, it focused on a wild-eyed and frequently screaming Taron Egerton chasing Charlize Theron through a forest.

Watching another obnoxvious male villain chasing an innocent female victim did not seem too appealing to me, especially since I suspect that, in a fair fight, Theron could easily kick Egerton's butt. What made it more appealing, though, was the presence of Baltasar Kormákur in the director's chair. (We've long been fans of him on this site.) The Icelandic filmmaker's early films, like 101 Reykjavik and The Sea, set a very high bar for him to follow, yet when he's gone mainstream, as in Everest (2015) and Beast (2022), his thrillers exude combustible, kinetic energy.

That same dynamite vibe elevates Apex's best action sequences. Jeremy Robbins' script begins on Troll Mountain in Norway in the middle of winter, as Charlize Theron and Eric Bana go their separate ways during a disastrous climb. Five months later, Theron lands in Australia, where a not-so-friendly park ranger ominously warns her that many people have gone missing in the thickly-wooded forest.

Soon enough, Theron finds herself pitted against Taron Egerton at his most giggly and irritating, contorting his face and screaming to SHOW HOW EVIL HE IS -- HA HA HA! Combined with director Kormákur's tendency to shoot him in extreme close-ups, practically shoving the camera in his face, it's quite overbearing to endure. The script eventually must contort itself into knots in order to push the narrative where it wants to go, breaking believability entirely.

Even so, the settings are absolutely spectacular. The transition from action-adventure into horror thriller has potential, so at least that angle is new. What holds it together is the very rugged Charlize Theron. We're convinced that she simply must survive, which makes it difficult to watch the personal distress that her body and soul suffer, but also makes it easy to cheer for her to overcome everything to emerge victorious.

That's not a spoiler; it's an inevitability.

No Other Choice
The film is now streaming on Hulu.

Our review by James Marsh: "After losing his job of 25 years, an increasingly frustrated family man is driven to the brink in his efforts to protect his comfortable life in Park Chan-wook's outrageous black comedy. ...

"Ultimately, No Other Choice proves once again that Park Chan-wook is one of world cinema's most talented and versatile filmmakers, every bit as capable at making us laugh as making as wince in pain. This is a film that will almost certainly reward repeat viewings, as the fullness of its opulent style and intricate plotting are almost too rich to be absorbed in a single sitting."

Marty Supreme
The film is now streaming on HBO Max.

Our review by Mel Valentin: "For Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), the 23-year-old table-tennis prodigy at the roiling, chaotic center of writer-director Josh Safdie's extraordinary new film, Marty Supreme, the 'American Dream' isn't just a vague, undefined promise of personal or professional advancement: It's a dream that Marty can literally will into reality. ... Becomes a must-watch for serious and casual moviegoers alike."

Dolly
The film is now streaming on Shudder.

Our review by J Hurtado: "A romantic couple's weekend in the woods turns dangerous when they cross paths with a reclusive psychopath in a porcelain mask in director Rod Blackhurst's Dolly. ...

"It all adds up to a less than stellar Chain Saw clone that feels closer to something like Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects, but with none of that film's pathos or interest in character. Clocking in well under eighty-five minutes, Dolly still manages to drag, mistaking atmosphere for story in many cases, and by the time it was over all I could think of was that I'd rather have watched Hooper's original than this pale imitation."

Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.