Summary

Arcadian’s eerie creatures are creatively unsettling, raising the bar for horror elements.
The film lacks detailed worldbuilding, impacting character dynamics and tension levels.
Despite some character and worldbuilding flaws, Arcadian delivers gripping horror and suspense.

Director Benjamin Brewer’s apocalyptic action thriller, Arcadian, is intense. It’s the kind of horror that will actually make you jump or, as the audience did during its SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere, gasp. The film features a small, but crucial role for Nicolas Cage, whose opening scene, featuring him running to get to his infant sons, sets the tone for what’s to come in the story. Arcadian may falter in its story details, building some character tension that is never fully fleshed out, but it succeeds in creating a gripping, tense experience that is elevated by its disturbing creatures.

Arcadian is a sci-fi thriller film by director Benjamin Brewer and released in 2024. Set after the events of a near-world ending event, Arcadian follows Paul and his twin sons as they battle against unseen forces from beyond the stars that look to destroy anything they lay eyes on.ProsArcadian has fantastic creatures that are appropriately chillingThe horror elements work for the story ConsThe film could’ve used more worldbuildingThe tense family dynamics are underwhelming

Arcadian’s Creatures Are Deliciously Eerie

The film’s creature design is creative and deeply unsettling. It makes zombies look like fun by comparison. When it comes to dystopian stories that are tied to some mutation or disease that got out of hand, there’s nothing that hasn’t been explored before. And yet, Arcadian, which was written by Michael Nilon, finds new ways to be refreshing and thrilling. The warped creatures are genuinely terrifying, especially when they’re snapping their jaws at the characters, ready to take their heads off without their sharp teeth and enormous jaws.

As a standalone horror thriller, though, Brewer’s film works at a basic level that chills and entertains in equal measure.

Arcadian gets bloody and the violence — though thankfully not excessive — is effective, with Brewer actively employing jumpscares to ramp up the tension. The film has a solid payoff at the end as the characters face down the lethal, intelligent creatures using the resources they have. Where the film dips in quality when it comes to character development and worldbuilding, it makes up for in a riveting battle between humans and the creatures threatening to overthrow them from the top of the food chain. To that end, Arcadian offers grit and gore without allowing it to overpower the struggle for survival.

And that is what’s at the core of the story — survival, and doing what it takes to ensure it at any cost. The love of family is also a theme, most notably displayed with Cage’s Paul, a dutiful, caring father who’s fought tooth and nail to keep his sons, Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), alive. Cage is in Arcadian a good amount, but he’s happy to move out of the way so that Jenkins and Martell can enter the spotlight. The trio has a solid rapport, one that isn’t particularly open, but that works like a well-oiled machine.

Arcadian’s Character Development & Worldbuilding Is Lacking

As a horror thriller, Arcadian works, but it would have been even stronger had the script fleshed out the family dynamics even further. Thomas and Joseph’s relationship is strained, to say the least. After an incident with the creatures leaves Paul out of commission, Thomas blames himself for his dad’s condition, and Joseph is more than happy to lay into him for his mistakes. In their own way, they’re each trying to prove themselves, but there’s little indication as to why they’re not close, especially considering their world has very little in it.

Arcadian (2024) Director Benjamin Brewer Release Date April 12, 2024 Studio(s) Saturn Films Distributor(s) RLJE Films Writers Michael Nilon Cast Nicolas Cage , Sadie Soverall , Jaeden Martell , Maxwell Jenkins , Joe Dixon , Samantha Coughlan , Daire McMahon , Joel Gillman Runtime 92 Minutes

It’s almost as though the brothers’ dynamic had to be contentious because there’s no one else they really interact with besides their dad, except for Thomas’ rendezvous with their closest neighbor, Charlotte (Sadie Soverall). With not much built into their relationship, Arcadian leaves the tension between them undercooked. The same goes for the film’s worldbuilding. There are glimpses of it, and there’s even a confrontation between Thomas and a group of men who are salivating for the opportunity to act violently, but there’s a gap in what we see onscreen that leaves much to be desired.

Despite these setbacks, Arcadian has much to offer in terms of its horror and suspense. What we do get from the characters provides the film with emotional stakes that elevate the intensity brewing throughout the film. The film’s final moments are exciting, leaving us with a sense of sadness for the way things transpired and a sliver of hope for humanity’s future. Considering the evolution of Arcadian’s creepy mutated critters, there’s room to discover what might come next. As a standalone horror thriller, though, Brewer’s film works at a basic level that chills and entertains in equal measure.