Since it premiered on Netflix on April 24, 2026, Apex has been a hit film for the platform. For the entire week, it has ranked atop the charts for the streaming service, which should come as no surprise. The premise of the movie is one that will grab almost any subscriber, especially when you add in the actors involved. Apex centers on Sasha, a rock climber played by Charlize Theron, as she becomes hunted by a dangerous man, played by Taron Egerton, in the wilderness.

Those ingredients are enough to pull a viewer in and then the movie received solid reviews from critics and audiences, making for the kind of crowd-pleasing thriller that always does well on a streaming service. With that said, there is clearly a precedent for this type of film being a hit, meaning that people are always looking for more projects along those lines. Interestingly, there was a movie that shares a lot in common with Apex released on Netflix two years ago, which mostly flew under the radar.

It involves a woman in the wilderness who gets hunted down by someone dangerous, except it adds an interesting twist to the premise that allows it to stand out from the pack. In fact, this twist actually makes it a more frightening situation than Apex, which isn’t easy to pull off.

Don’t Move Has A Similar Vibe To Apex

Released in October of 2024, Don’t Move is an intriguing entry into the survival thriller subgenre. The film has a relatively simple setup and only features a handful of cast members, with Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Daniel Francis, and Moray Treadwell playing the few characters. Keeping things small actually works in the movie’s favor, as it truly feels like a confined, claustrophobic tale, which adds to the fear that you feel as a viewer.

What makes Don’t Move different from other survival thrillers, including Apex, is the situation the protagonist is put in. Iris (Asbille) is a grieving woman who stumbles upon a man named Richard and they form an unexpected bond over their shared trauma. He then suddenly attempts to abduct her with a stun gun and zip ties. She fights hard and manages to get free, only to learn that he also injected her with a paralyzing agent. She makes it into the forest but becomes incapacitated.

That sets the stage for a terrifying situation as Iris must find a way to survive even though she can’t move. The audience puts themselves in her shoes as best as they can, forcing them to consider what it might be like if they had to fight for their life without being able to move. The film also benefits from getting creative with this setup, finding clever ways to keep you engaged and keep Iris alive without feeling unrealistic.

Don’t Move Actually Received Slightly Stronger Reviews

As noted, Apex was met with solid reviews from critics. After a week on Netflix, the film sits at a solid 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Most reviews praised the performances of Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton, though they criticized the plot for being predictable. While Don’t Move wasn’t quite as popular as Apex, nor did it feature that same level of star power, the film actually received better reviews. Don’t Move holds a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being that it wisely gets a lot out of its premise to make for an exciting thriller.

While neither movie was ever going to be in contention for major award shows like the Oscars, Golden Globes, or BAFTAs, Don’t Move did land a notable nomination. At the 2025 Saturn Awards, it was up for Best Television Presentation against big hitters like Fargo, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

It makes sense that there’s an extra chilling nature to Don’t Move because one of the film’s producers is Sam Raimi. The legendary horror filmmaker has been behind some classics of the genre, from Evil Dead to Drag Me to Hell. He didn’t direct Don’t Move, which was helmed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, but you can tell that someone with his penchant for scares was included. It helps that Schindler and Netto are both horror buffs.

Director Baltasar Kormákur’s Specialty Is Survival Thrillers

If someone is a fan of both Apex and Don’t Move, there are still plenty of other movies to check out. In fact, Apex is directed by Baltasar Kormákur’s, a veteran filmmaker who is actually best known for his efforts in the survival thriller genre. In 2012, he put out The Deep, an Icelandic movie about a fisherman who had to survive six hours in freezing water. That was just an early look at what he can do with survival thrillers, though.

Fans of these kinds of movies should check out two of his biggest American releases before Apex. First, there was Everest in 2015, which is based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where eight climbers died. Kormákur’s ability to depict the harrowing conditions and the struggles that these people went through as they tried to just get out alive is exactly the kind of thing that he does so well in Apex, even with a totally different setup.

Kormákur also directed Adrift in 2017, which is a different kind of survival thriller. Nobody is hunting anyone and the characters aren’t in the harsh conditions of Mount Everest. Instead, it tells the true story of Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp, a couple who gets stuck adrift in the Pacific Ocean following a hurricane. It’s a different kind of survival tale to watch them try to make it out alive with nothing but open water surrounding them. Yet again, Kormákur manages to ensure that we are captivated throughout.

It’s hard to determine which of these movies is Kormákur’s best, but Apex does get to be in the conversation, especially since it combines a survival thriller with action, which is the other genre Kormákur has directed often (2 Guns, Contraband). Still, a movie like Don’t Move is proof of why this genre works so well and those who like Apex are sure to appreciate it.