Onslaught (2026 | USA | 95 minutes | Adam Wingard)
The opening title sequence for the latest from the A24 content mill, Onslaught, put me off immediately. It layered a collection of images and videos related to the War on Terror, including sound bites from past presidents, over loud, pulsing rock music. It immediately felt heavy-handed, while the volume created sensory overload. It is the first screening I’ve ever attended where I wished I hadn’t seen the movie in IMAX.
The film itself isn’t quite so politically laden, or at least not explicitly so, but if you were hoping to give your ears a respite, that won’t happen until you leave the theater.
Adam Wingard’s flick fits somewhere between grindhouse and 1980s action films, and it is made for anyone who found Rambo too timid.
We meet Dr. Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens), a German scientist who has been working to create a line of supersoldiers at a secret military base in the desert somewhere. He’s referred to as a “third-generation paperclipper,” referencing Operation Paperclip, the secretive post-WWII government program that brought Nazi scientists stateside. It did help get us to the moon, so maybe the ends justify the means after all.
He has three indestructible soldiers so far, trained to kill anyone in their path, but he cautions that after an hour, all bets are off. The most fearsome of the three is called “The Butcher,” played by MMA fighter Alex Pereira. Things take a catastrophic turn when the soldiers set their sights on Dr. Kammler.
Now lacking any means of stopping them (not to mention receiving the encouragement of Dr. Kammler’s widow, played by Rebecca Hall) the deadliest trio find themselves at a truck stop, where they make short work of everyone inside.
Next, they train their sights on a nearby trailer park. It is managed by Celeste (Adria Arjona), once a decorated soldier, who now finds herself unprepared when her ex drops off their child for the weekend. Some of the other characters/residents include Josiah (“Family Matters” dad Reginald VelJohnson) and Kovacks, a mostly inept police officer played by Eric Warheim. We also meet Cyrus (Drew Starkey), a government fixer with a penchant for illicit drugs, who is assigned to make sure the program remains under wraps while the soldiers run amok. Although the plot is entirely predictable, I will reveal no spoilers.
Although Adria Arjona is an appealing actor who could become an action star, Onslaught is far too flawed to be her breakout. Besides being much too loud and predictable, the script is wanting. It always seems like it is trying to artificially create a catchphrase whenever Arjona, VelJohnson, or Starkey opens their mouth. Despite the self-serious title sequence, this movie is pure camp. The blood and gore are excessive and over the top. Moreover, I’m not sure exactly how many times we need to see a dead person burning on a BBQ grill, but the correct answer, to me, is somewhere between zero and one.
Onslaught is a violent, gory mess of a movie that believes it has more to say than it actually does. It substitutes noise for a coherent plot, immediately feels overwhelming, and never really lets up. By the end, it reminded me of the time Homer Simpson tried to hide one of his farts by turning up the radio.
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Onslaught opens in theaters today, September 4.