ARCADIAN
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins, and Sadie Soverall
Director: Benjamin Brewer
KATIE
I had not seen any trailers or even read the synopsis of Arcadian before watching it, I just knew Nicolas Cage was in it, which is good enough for me. That said, I am so glad that I went into this nerve-racking post-apocalyptic thriller blind. Whilst Cage, playing Paul, definitely has his moments to shine, I was more impressed by the young cast, not to mention surprised by a creative creature design that truly is the stuff of nightmares. The monsters are so well utilised towards making a film that is genuinely scary, with quietly chilling moments as well as full-on creature-feature carnage.
QUENTIN
As far as A Quiet Place ripoffs go, Arcadian is a flawed but entertaining enough B-level addition to the genre that features frighteningly terrific creature design and fairly solid performances. However, the pacing and direction leave something to be desired. The almost handheld-style camerawork and extremely poor lighting often make it difficult to see what is happening on screen. That aside, the slow-burn story generally works, especially the dynamic between Paul (Nicolas Cage, who isn’t given much to do) and his sons (Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins), despite, at times, being undermined by the teenagers making typically dumb teenager-y decisions. Genre fans likely will be satisfied.
PAIGE
Arcadian is a grounded post-apocalyptic film with a horrifying and inventive monster design that is strikingly similar to A Quiet Place. While this creature feature is a thrilling watch, there’s not much to chew on when it comes to story. The movie really only succeeds because of the genuine family dynamic between the three leads (Nicolas Cage, Jaedan Martell, and Maxwell Jenkins) because it lacks the world-building element necessary to give the narrative a well-rounded context. All in all, it's a straightforward yet suspenseful movie that just leans too far toward mystery for its own benefit.
