Arcadian Review: A Somewhat Scary Apocalyptic Horror Feature

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Arcadian Review: Benjamin Brewer had the thought of making a horror action drama with alienism that had been done and dusted by Ridley Scott in the late 1970s. Arcadian is on the same lines as Scott's classic Alien, or The Thing, minus sci-fi stuff and genuine thrills. Actually, the idea of thrills has changed now. The visual effects and sound design give you an edge over old movies that didn't have these facilities back in time. If you are still having problems matching those films, then there is definitely something wrong with your filmmaking. Arcadian suffers from the same issue because it has every element that's dated and seen, even though some of those scavenger creatures actually looked scary. It's the execution that was subpar.

15 years after the pandemic, Paul (Nicolas Cage) is living with his twin sons, Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), in a derelict farmhouse. They try to find a livelihood during the day and shelter themselves in locked rooms at night to keep the monstrous photophobic creatures away. One day, Thomas, who is secretly in love with Charlotte (Sadie Soverall), goes to meet her, and on his way back, he falls into a cave, concussed and unconscious. Worried, Paul goes out to save his son and is injured by those evil monsters. Will he live? Can Thomas and Joseph save him?

Michael Nilon penned a mediocre script. Mediocre, because all the tantrums and conflicts are too old to look fresh and excite audiences. If the film looks slow, even with a runtime of 90 minutes, you know things aren't right. You can't bore people with a 90-minute film, and I was feeling bored during the entire first half. The creatures finally brought some scary moments and entertainment in the last 25-30 minutes to wake me up from the boredom. The screenplay hits the right notes there, while the rest of the screentime goes in vain. All that building up of the farm, house, and night battles was so tedious. Coming to the climax, I think we have had enough of those cliches now. It's been years... I guess. Don't give me that again.

The film is entirely led by Nicolas Cage until his character gets enjoyed and is then seen lying down. As expected, the comeback happens, and we enjoy those moments too, even though they're too predictable. Jaeden Martell plays that techie brother who wants to update the living and sounds smarter as well. That handsome hairdo looks attractive. On the other hand, Maxwell Jenkins is that Romeo type brother who is somehow responsible for the whole thing. Had he not gone out to meet the girl and gotten stuck, his father would have never been injured. At one moment, it all comes down to his choice, and he makes the wrong one. You hate him there, and that's why his character wins the battle. We definitely saw a change of mind sooner than expected. Sadie Soverall is that beautiful girl he is in love with, and she looks gorgeous as well as performs beautifully. Joe Dixon and the other supporting cast have nothing much to do, but they are decent.

Well, there are flaws in the technical and visual aspects of the film. It definitely looks like a very low-budget film, and that's why the visuals don't really scare you enough to call them scary. The same happens with the sound design and the background score, which aren't exciting and heart-thumping. The cinematography is below par, and the production design is banal. Moreover, the prosaic presentation by the director makes things difficult. I can't really digest the cinematic conflict of any creature wasting time making noises, biting teeth, and puking some dirty things out. If it wants to kill the human and eat the human, then it should do it immediately, not as per the writer's convenience. Things don't work like that anymore. Benjamin Brewer surely needed to look at things in modern style rather than sticking to old rulebooks that have been read and torn already. Overall, Arcadian is a mediocre attempt at recreating the thrilling experience of Alien (1979), but for freshers, it has some of those scary and enjoyable moments.