On April 3, a post-apocalyptic horror film «Arcadian». The film will feature the already quite faded, but still unquenchable star of Nicolas Cage. And where he is — you can expect anything — from low-budget bloody fun to completely unrecognizable transformations, as, for example, in last year’s sensational horror «Longlegs». Unfortunately, the creators of the new film (although, let’s be honest, not so new) with Francis Ford Coppola’s great and terrible nephew have completely abandoned any crazy antics and are playing serious movies. Read our review to find out what happened.
Pluses:
a very well filmed first scene, which can even be said to be intriguing; Nicolas Cage in the frame at his current stage of career — always a plus; several spectacular episodes with monsters;
Minuses:
It’s a typical movie from Nicolas Cage’s late filmography, which is already a certain marker of quality; the monsters are clumsy; the cinematography is epileptic; there’s not enough Nicolas Cage;
«Arcadian»
Genre post-apocalyptic horror, action movie
Director Benjamin Brewer
Starring Nicolas Cage, Jaden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins, Sadie Sowell, Joe Dixon, Samantha Coughlin
Premiere movie theaters
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb
Against the backdrop of the sudden apocalypse, a stern man with a backpack on his back is confidently walking somewhere. His name is Paul. As the camera follows him as if glued to his heels, we learn that Paul has two small children in his arms. Despite his unenviable situation, he promises the kids that everything will be fine.
15 years later, the protagonist and his teenage sons, Joseph and Thomas, have taken refuge on a remote farm. During the day, they fortify their shelter, and at night they make sure that bloodthirsty monsters do not enter the house, crawling out and trying their best to get into the house.
One day, after another visit to the neighbor’s farm, where a pretty girl lives, Thomas doesn’t return home until sunset. So Paul has no choice but to go out searching for his son, while Joseph is left alone to take care of the house. It is easy to guess that the coming nights will not go quietly and smoothly for the father and sons.
«Arcadian» is equal to a post-apocalyptic monster movie in the spirit of «A Quiet Place», but you have to understand that it is a very, very, very low-budget movie. It’s not even John Krasinski’s hit that we should mention here because thanks to the quality of the talented performances, the modest budget there was definitely not a problem. The films are less flashy, closer in terms of realization to the hero of our review.
For example, at the beginning of the movie, it reminds us «Never Let Go» with Halle Berry, where a single mother also lived in a lonely cabin with her two sons, who were restricted in their freedom. Because somewhere in the fallen world, mortal danger lurks. However, this comparison comes to naught later on because screenwriter Michael Nylon and director Benjamin Brewer, who know Cage well and are not the first to make a movie with him, prefer to go a different way. They are far from Shyamalan-esque hints and mysteries. Instead, they offer a good old-fashioned confrontation with monsters, even in the most passable «Elevation» It looked at least visually more decent.
If anyone is interested in answers to burning questions, or even the slightest explanation of what the hell is going on here, then good riddance. Because we never find out what kind of soil it is, where it came from, or even where Paul stocks up on cigars. The filmmakers are much more interested in the relationships between the characters, and unfortunately, Cage’s character quickly turns into a piece of furniture, and with it the elusive energy and charisma that usually fills the frame disappears.
When teenagers come to the fore, and here, as it turns out, we also have a coming-of-age story, the lights go out. Watching the interaction between the young brothers, as well as the girl from the neighborhood, is quite a challenge. At the same time, 22-year-old Jaden Martell plays the teenager — he has been growing up on screen since «It» (2017), but in all these years, poor thing, he still can’t grow up.
At a certain stage, the audience is revealed the appearance of the snarling disturbers of the night, and how to treat them is an open question. On the one hand, these are not the typical glossy monsters from Hollywood blockbusters that disappear from your head 5 minutes after the final credits. But on the other hand, it’s a complete cringe, a figment of a clearly unhealthy imagination multiplied by pathetic special effects. However, one cannot deny the fact that the most spectacular scenes, and there are indeed some, are associated with these shaggy chupacabras — the one where one of the monsters demonstrates robot skills with his finger is worth a look Т-1000.
In addition to the fantastic beasts, the only thing that gives the local setting away as post-apocalyptic is the dimness of the frame and the lack of electricity — otherwise, the few locations shown are ordinary remote shacks, which would not tell you anything about the world being in ruins. At times the picture is so darkened and the camera twitchy that it’s impossible to make out what’s going on, and that’s not something anyone will like.
Perhaps only Nicolas Cage, after plunging into the abyss of all kinds of low-budget trash, is able not only to stay off the radar, but literally reinvent himself — this is a truly superman-like ability. At the same time, the actor has already proven himself in this niche, so it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to surprise his audience.
