Arcadian

Arcadian, a post-apocalyptic horror film, featuring Nicolas Cage in a (mostly) subdued role and performance, owes a lot to other films of this ilk. There are elements of M. Night Shyamalan’s work, along with A Quiet Place and Cloverfield. Directed by Ben Brewer, with a script by Michael Nilon, the film does indeed tread familiar territory. It also attempts to be a calm, more intellectual horror film, yet still, perhaps a bit often toward the final act, relies heavily on slightly gory visuals.

The film, while a monster movie, does a few things very wrong and a few things very right, starting with avoiding the cardinal sin of showing too much of the monster. The film takes time establishing character and place, but does not give enough depth to the background of the characters or events. There are suggestions of what caused the world to “end” but only suggestions, and while that is an artistic choice, one cannot help but feel that perhaps a bit more illumination, if only the experiences of others in surviving those early days, might have helped. In this, the film lacks not only depth but gives a sense of being both incomplete and saving something for a sequel.

Courtesy RLJE Films

If such a sequel were to occur, the cast as constructed is fine, with the three younger leads carrying the bulk of the film rather well. Even here, though, the script lets them down, as the teens seem to miss a world they never knew, rather than yearn for one they might have had. In this, Jaeden Martell, as Joseph, the younger and more cerebral of the two sons of Paul, played by Cage, gets to do a lot of “intense thinking, brow knit” work. Yet, you can sense he cares for his hot-headed brother and dedicated father, and wants to help make their lives easier. As Thomas, Maxwell Jenkins gets the film’s romance, with the very real Sadie Soverall, who has the meatiest material to play of the younger cast.

This is not a film where you watch it for the acting.  It is an action film, and in that, it does not disappoint, though there are moments during the third act where the editing is a bit too chaotic. There is good tension throughout, and the film avoids one of the other cardinal film sins, in that a parent becomes bitterly angry with one child after something happens to the other. Beyond that minor spoiler, no more will be said but it is a scene that this reviewer cannot recall ever seeing in a film before, of any genre.

Courtesy RLJE Films 

In all, it is a solid work that does not achieve greatness but is very good and worth the time. The film does not give you all the answers (lots of story setup and not enough payoff) and while this is partly by design, it also feels like it was an oversight, or franchise setup and that becomes distracting as the film progresses. There are moments you expect to move forward, but nothing happens. There could well be twenty minutes of excellent character and story or plot work on the proverbial cutting room floor, somewhere. I would never say to avoid the film because of this. If, like this reviewer, you like your monster movies just a little gory, with character work and a good sense of atmosphere and mood, then this is the film for you. If not, keep looking, though it may still be worth a checkout.

ARCADIA is now playing in theaters