Arcadian review: Nicolas Cage is underused in curious indie horror
Nicolas Cage lends his star power to this curious indie horror. In a post-apocalypse, his character
Paul lives in a country house with his teenage sons Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell
Jenkins). By day they life a peaceful life, but at night they defend themselves from bloodthirsty
monsters who dwell in the darkness. When Paul is taken out by an accident, it’s up to Joseph and
Thomas to defend their home.
Director Benjamin Brewer creates a horror-thriller that has sparks of brilliance. The direction is
interesting, with the gritty landscape bringing to mind parts of 28 Days Later. The monsters are also
terrifically realised, with moments of tension that are heart-stopping. Where it’s let down is the
story, with only rough sketches of interesting characters for the talented cast to work on. It should
also be noted that the similarities between this and A Quiet Place become impossible to ignore, with
certain plot points very reminiscent of John Krasinski’s film. That’s no a bad thing necessarily, many
other films have copied from that playbook. However, when the characters and story are so bare
bones it feels like more of a problem.
Much of the film rests on Martell and Jenkins, which is a bit cheeky given Cage is at the centre of the
movie’s advertising despite being out of action for most of the film. They are two capable young
actors who lift the material above its threadbare base (Jenkins is the reckless rebel, Martell is the
thoughtful genius, causing no end of clashes). Cage himself has a handful of useful scenes, but is
there presumably to give the film a selling point.
With more character development, Arcadian might have been an elevated horror hit. As it is, it’s an
entertaining creature feature that will keep the jump scares coming while audiences wait for A Quiet
Place: Day One.
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