‘Onslaught’ Review: Adria Arjona and Dan Stevens Star in Adam Wingard’s Fun but Scattered Military Slasher

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‘Onslaught’ Review: Adria Arjona and Dan Stevens Star in Adam Wingard’s Fun but Scattered Military Slasher

Variety · 2 hours ago

Variety critic reviews "Onslaught," an A24 military-slasher film marking director Adam Wingard's return to lower-budget genre filmmaking after the two big-budget "Godzilla vs. Kong" instalments. Written with longtime collaborator Simon Barrett, the film follows a 12-hour countdown to a violent showdown, blending war-movie imagery with slasher horror; the reviewer calls it Wingard and Barrett's most visually accomplished work to date, though flawed and in need of further tightening.

The story centres on Adria Arjona as Celeste, a traumatised former sniper managing a veterans' trailer park while caring for her young daughter, whose life collides late in the 92-minute runtime with a parallel plot involving Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall as scientists conducting sinister experiments on genetically enhanced soldiers for a private military contractor. Supporting cast includes Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim and Drew Starkey; the review praises Arjona's performance and the film's inventive kills but criticises its scattered structure, delayed pacing and underdeveloped social themes around race and the military-industrial complex.

  • Variety reviews A24 slasher "Onslaught," directed by Adam Wingard.
  • Stars Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall in dual storylines.
  • Praised for style and performances, criticised for scattered pacing.

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