It’s weird when a film essentially checks off a bunch of boxes and yet doesn’t add up to a satisfying experience. “Onslaught” has a ton going for it and all the pieces for a great genre flick are there…but the sum is ultimately less than its parts. Director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett have turned out some incredible fare together in the past with “You’re Next” and “The Guest” (and “Onslaught” takes place in that same universe). Their latest looks great, has cool characters and fun dialogue, with an amazing score…but it feels like it’s lacking scenes and sequences that would really bring those elements together in a way that would make it an instant classic for action/horror fans. Instead “Onslaught” is a well-made movie that has lots on its mind but fails to deliver on its promise in a meaningful way.
In a lab in the southwestern desert of the United States, an experiment is underway. Led by a third-generation Nazi scientist (Dan Stevens), a team has turned three combat veterans into the perfect killing machines. Unfortunately, things go awry and the super soldiers are loosed upon the world. Soon they are on a collision course with Celeste (Adria Arjona), her trailer park compatriots (Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim, amongst others), and her daughter (Blake Kennedy). While a government agent (Drew Starkey) is on the trail, it is up to these misfits to save themselves from a trio of unrelenting monsters.
I could list out all the strengths of “Onslaught,” and it would sound like the greatest John Carpenter/Shane Black collaboration that never happened (literally). On paper, this is a dope film that does everything right in assembling ingredients for a fantastic experience. DP Oren Soffer shoots the hell out of it with so many cool images and visual delights, backed up by composer Matthew Pusti’s incredible synth score that drives the menace and mayhem. Wingard and Barrett’s story is a promising one that also is about something—how constantly being at war takes its toll on the populace as well as the soldiers themselves, inflicting generational conflicts that spread its trauma for many decades in horrific ways that people still can’t appreciate. The script by Barrett has some killer lines and great characterization that is fascinating when they’re all lined up to interact. There are decent action sequences of awful violence that are well-staged and effectively upsetting while still being viscerally engaging. The actors are all dialed in to their own wavelengths but in a way that’s entertaining, creating full performances that clash but are not tonally dissonant. You root for the protagonists and admire the menace of the villains.
Doesn’t that all sound awesome? So why isn’t it enough?
There are some obvious flaws with “Onslaught”—it’s missing at least one necessary action sequence for Celeste to show her prowess and fully engage audiences; there’s a completely unnecessary plot contrivance late in the film that pushes viewers out of the experience due to its nakedly absurd and superfluous nature; the climax feels underwhelming after so much build-up between the two opposing factions (it should’ve been more epic and slightly more drawn out). But these are minor hiccups in the movie that could easily be waved away if audiences were fully bought in to what’s happening. It’s not that “Onslaught” is bad—it’s frequently fairly entertaining—it’s just that it never gels the way it needs to in order to be as propulsive and captivating as it should be. It’s hard to prove a negative, but there is certainly something missing in the connective tissue of all these aspects, which holds “Onslaught” back from being a rousing success.
Wingard’s film will shine as clips bandied about online or even as background entertainment at a bar (though they’ll be missing out on Pusti’s excellent score and some great needledrops). “Onslaught” will befuddle fans in the future who will read about all its promising components and yet find themselves let down by the lack of central thrust from the finished product. It’s a tight 92-minute movie with the first half driven by a cool countdown towards havoc being unleashed that allows the quiet moments to have an urgency they would otherwise be lacking. But once zero hour hits, there aren’t enough exciting scenes for the antagonists or protagonists (especially in combination) to make it mean something. As it stands, “Onslaught” is just an okay cinematic meal, albeit one made with some of the finest ingredients around.
3 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Adria Arjona, Reginald VelJohnson, Blake Kennedy, Dan Stevens, Drew Starkey, Rebecca Hall, Michael Biehn, Eric Wareheim, Alex Pereira, Dave Campbell, Tyler Hall
