IR Film Review: ONSLAUGHT [A24]
From the trailers, the bedlam of “Onslaught” seemed much more broad but director Adam Wingard, coming back to basics after playing in the big budget sandbox, makes something crisp, lean but also brutal with his new film starring Adria Arjona from A24. The film takes place in a compacted setting for a specific reason and the scope could have been much bigger but that would be much more expensive. The film owes a lot to "Aliens" and John Carpenter but it does have a feeling all its own. Arjona is good but doesn’t play as far out of the box that one would think but does show her acting chops. It is Dan Stevens hidden behind make up and prosthetics as a would-be Nazi scientist called Hans that really steps it up. Add to that a lot of the characters that are brief but fun. It was great to see Michael Biehn back in form but would have been nice if he was given something more to do. Wingard works with Stephens on "Kong" (as well as "The Guest") so letting him play the freak flag in a way with Rebecca Hall as his companion/would-be handler is fun. Those two need a Mickey and Mallory movie in a way since you only see a glimpse of what they are. Reginald Van Johnson gets his moment and is a far tide away from "Family Matters" and "Die Hard" but he takes it in stride even if he plays the vigilante at times even more than Arjona.
Arjona’s Celeste is a sniper and some of the black and white flashbacks are pretty cool but just barely bridge the surface of what she is which again makes sense but doesn't deliver as much as one would like. Matthew Pusti’s score really ups the ante and Wingard's slick but still slightly grindhouse aesthetic really serves the film well. A set piece at a truck stop is fun and brutal. Another secondary character (with his own proclivities — including an interesting sidestep at a certain kind of club), is fun and lurid as well but almost unnecessary. However, it does keep in line with the odd personalities (though this assassin doesn’t really do anything anybody else could do) The three killing machines of sorts (aka super soldiers) have their own backstories but are kept fairly basic simply because they are just bulldozers without any sense of conscience or differentiation which is a freeing aspect in this kind of movie.
Their bedlam only goes so far and the reason it pushes them to this exact trailer park instead of going towards the next major city (considering their transportation) does not make much sense (in the bigger picture -- beyond keeping the budget down). There are a lot of lapses in plot mechanics like this but certain cinematic flairs make up for it. The soldiers' glowing eyes, which has been a motif in other films, is a simply practical effect but is extremely effective. Their use of weapons and running out of bullets does make the film more visceral and practical helping to stick the landing. However the aspect of Celeste being a sniper and not really unloading her cache of guns of them (they could take a few rounds) is almost a wasted opportunity. Granted it is both an after effect but course of action of the plot but that is what the trailer built it almost as. The story is open ended in a certain way though it’s ultimate pertinence as a story comes off more like a fun "Tales From The Crypt" or a later "X-Files episode that went too far. “Onslaught” definitely entertains and has its own style while paying homage. 85/B/B+
By Tim Wassberg
