An analytical deep dive into the symbolism of Netflix’s Apex: we explore the psychological meaning behind The Chemical Brothers’ song, Ben’s sharpened teeth, and Sasha’s final climb.
There are certain things that linger when watching Netflix’s Apex. They cling to you as the narrative unfolds and continue to circle your mind even as you approach the finale, as persistent as an insect that has singled you out in the heart of the jungle. These are seemingly fleeting symbols that, in reality, construct the true meaning beneath the story—the foundational blocks that transform the film into a resonant, long-lasting experience.
Take, for instance, that song signaling the start of Ben’s hunt for Sasha. It is a sudden explosion of sound, a jarring contrast to the silent peace of the wilderness that had dominated the screen until that point. Or the shocking revelation when Ben holds Sasha captive, baring his true nature: a set of sharpened teeth designed to tear through his prey.
These are the moments that elevate Apex beyond the genre tropes we might have initially expected. And by the time we reach the finale, witnessing Sasha and Ben scale that wall as a pair—after spending the entire film attempting to destroy one another—it generates a profound layer of symbolism that demands to be unraveled.
Let us proceed with order.
The Clockwork of Terror: The Chemical Brothers Song that Ignites the Hunt in Apex
The manner in which the serene dialogue between Ben and Sasha rapidly devolves into the inception of a harrowing manhunt is a masterclass in psychological tension. As viewers, we are acutely aware of Sasha’s innate wariness; despite her profound internal fortitude, she remains a solitary figure in an alien landscape where every presence feels like an intrusion into her personal sphere.
Ben, however, initially appears to be different. He presents himself as a kindred spirit—someone who truly understands her, standing in stark contrast to the aggressive local hunters. Yet, in that pivotal conversation, Ben’s authentic nature is unveiled: he is no humble hiker with a penchant for the outdoors, but a cold-blooded predator who has already claimed the lives of dozens of tourists. Now, he has narrowed his sights on Sasha.
We then witness him seize a loudspeaker and activate a specific, jarring track: Go by The Chemical Brothers. A modern testament to the unparalleled, visceral energy that electronic music can command.
The Metamorphosis from Individual to Beast: 3 minutes and 40 Seconds of Inhumanity
“Go” is a quintessential specimen of what music connoisseurs know as “Big Beat”: a category of electronic music that historically erupted in the 1990s, etched into the annals of history by immortal legends such as The Prodigy (Firestarter), Fatboy Slim (Rockafeller Skank), and The Crystal Method (Keep Hope Alive). The Chemical Brothers were already architects of that legacy during those years with tracks like Block Rockin’ Beats and Hey Boy Hey Girl. Go belongs to a more recent era—the year 2015—yet it remains a vessel for the full, visceral power of that distinctive sound.
In many respects, electronic music has always possessed an aura contrary to the natural spirit that human evolution instinctively anticipates from musical expression. Always “the sound of the future,” never the present. And hearing a track like Go as the sonic backdrop to Ben’s transformation into a feral creature in Apex underscores precisely that: three minutes and forty seconds in which the human element vanishes from the design, replaced by the predator of the future.
Can’t think, can’t sleep, can’t breathe
Send your body to flight
Everybody got a target tonight
Everybody come along for the ride
All you studs and you duds and you ladies, let’s flyGo!
No time to rest
Just do your best
Go!
What you hear is not a test
We’re only here to make you
We’re only here to make you
We’re only here to make you
We’re only here to make you… go!
And with that final “Go!”, the song terminates. Sasha has had only a mere handful of minutes to widen the distance between herself and the man who has decided to hunt her. From that moment, those two human beings—who moments earlier were discussing societal integration—are gone. In their place: a ruthless predator who, from then on, will emit only animalistic sounds devoid of humanity, and a prey whose every drop of adrenaline is focused entirely on survival.
Ben’s Teeth: Tribal References and Cultural Distortion
The bestial version of Ben emerges also through the second major symbol of Apex: the sharpened teeth he bares suddenly, in that scene where he holds Sasha captive and speaks to her as if she were someone who could truly understand him.
Seeing Ben with those teeth, so similar to those of a shark, paints him exactly as the wild beast he is: horrific to behold, an appearance triggering instinctive fear. Yet, Ben speaks of these sharpened teeth as a tradition practiced by certain tribes.
It’s his attempt to normalize his disposition, but in reality, it is the mocking distortion of an actual tribal ritual that originally possessed a fundamentally different spirit.
The True Story of Apex‘s Sharpened Teeth: The Mentawai, the Maya, and African Culture
The reference to sharpened teeth belongs to the “true story” behind the film: real tribes have adopted such a practice, such as the Mentawai of Indonesia, the Mayan elite, and the Makonde in Africa. But in none of these cases was it a way of assuming a greater predatory stance as Ben does.
For the Mentawai, sharpened teeth were a symbol of beauty, and obtaining them was part of the necessary process of grooming the physical appearance to ensure the soul’s satisfaction. Among the Maya, teeth were not only sharpened but also decorated with precious stones to represent membership in the tribe’s most noble hierarchies. And in the Makonde, tooth sharpening was a rite of passage to integrate among the tribe’s adults and mark the end of youth.
Ben, instead, seizes this ancient cultural practice, distorting its meaning. When he shows his sharpened teeth to Sasha, after having spent the entire day hunting her like a wild animal, Ben is actually presenting her with the symbol of his most animalistic side. Something diametrically opposed to the spirit of integration and “ennoblement” belonging to the tribes that use this ritual.
Once again, Ben is a violent being who violates the nature of things, as he is already doing by transforming Sasha into a prey forced to flee. But in the finale of Apex, the roles are reversed.
Apex Ending Explained: Sasha’s Final Climb and the Reclamation of Destiny
When the film begins, Sasha is a climber facing one of the most dangerous walls in the world; in the ending of Apex, she is climbing a mountain once more. But this time, she is the master of her own fate.
Tommy’s death during the storm that overwhelmed them in that initial ascent marked Sasha’s character throughout the film. It transformed her into an introverted, wary, suffering creature. Her solitude is the cure she adopted to regain control of her spirit. Yet, the hunters of Wandarra National Park see only a defenseless woman upon whom to impose their grip.
Sasha’s silence can be seen as a sign of fear. In reality, it’s a slow process of rebirth, inevitably accelerated after being hunted by Ben. The flight into the inhospitable nature of the Grand Isle Narrows succeeds in resurfacing Sasha’s grit. And when we reach the end, after the roles have been reversed, Sasha uses her dominant position to force Ben to accompany her on this final ascent.
Climbing a vertical wall is a manifest symbol of her spiritual rising. Sasha retraces the tragedy that scarred her life, but this time, the creature behind her must be suppressed. We see history repeat itself, though now with intention—the rope cut, the hunter cast down. A way of asserting her dominance over the world and, ultimately, over her own life.
From the deep waters of the rapids that jeopardized her existence to the well-deserved stillness of the summit: Sasha has claimed the place she always deserved in the world. Thanks to her, the bodies of Ben’s victims are finally recovered. It’s life reclaiming its dignity through death: a philosophical perspective that only a true hunter can truly understand.
Frequently Asked Questions: Decoding the Mysteries of Netflix’s Apex
The track is “Go” by The Chemical Brothers, featuring vocals by Q-Tip. Released in 2015 as part of the album Born in the Echoes, it is a high-velocity Big Beat anthem. In the context of Apex, the song serves as a psychological metronome—a 3-minute-and-40-second timer that Ben uses to ritualize the hunt and induce physiological panic in Sasha.
No, the sharpened teeth are a prosthetic chosen to symbolize Ben’s descent into a bestial, “Apex” state. While the film presents them as a horrific deformity, the practice of tooth filing is rooted in real-world cultures such as the Mentawai of Indonesia and the Makonde of East Africa. However, where those tribes use the practice for beauty or social integration, Ben distorts it into a symbol of predatory isolation.
The finale sees a role reversal where Sasha, the original prey, becomes the dominant force. By forcing Ben to scale the vertical wall with her, she retraces the trauma of her partner Tommy’s death. In a final act of redemption and reclamation, she intentionally cuts the rope—letting the predator fall to his death. It is a symbolic “slaying of the ghost” of her past guilt, allowing her to finally reach the summit of her own life.
While Apex captures the raw, unforgiving beauty of the Australian wilderness, Wandarra National Park is a fictional location created for the film. The production was primarily filmed across the rugged landscapes of the Northern Territory and South Australia, utilizing the ancient, silent backdrop of the outback to heighten the contrast with the modern, electronic “noise” of the hunt.
Ben’s decision to give Sasha “the length of a song” to run is an act of pure arrogance. He does not view the hunt as a necessity, but as a performance. By setting a literal soundtrack to his violence, he elevates himself from a mere killer to a “director” of terror, proving his perceived dominance over both the victim and the environment.
