2024 / Benjamin Brewer / Shudder / R
"There are those who believe they came after the pollution the people caused. And they're here to cleanse the planet of the virus of the human race. So we'll all become extinct."
Plot
A man and two boys (the film never explains if they're his boys or if he found this pair of fraternal twins under a log or something) hunker down in a farm home and attempt to survive the apocalypse. Snap-jawed monsters roam the forests at night, and resources have become scarce unless you live at the Rose Farm. Can these boys set their egos aside and save themselves from the monsters or will they follow in their father's footsteps? Is the Rose Farm as good as it seems? All of these questions and more are answered in the hour and a half run-time that Arcadian takes up.
Creators
The visual effects artist behind 2022's Everything Everywhere All At Once puts on his directors hat for this creature feature. He's also responsible for writing the Netflix original film Reptile, so Benjamin Brewer is an exceptionally talented man. The writer of this film, Mike Nilon has plenty of producing credits including The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, another Nick Cage film. Nick himself is the star of Arcadian. You've seen him in National Treasure, Face/Off, Conair, and many more. Jaeden Martell has really built a resume over the last few years, with films such as It, and Knives Out.
Jake's Take
It's no surprise to me that when Nicholas Cage has twin boys they both end up a little psycho. There's enough Cage in this film, not too much and not too little. Jaeden Martell is becoming one of my favorite young actors. He brings so much empathy to his characters. If you haven't seen Metal Lords, or Mr. Harrigon's Phone, you really should. The glue that holds this film together though is the monster design. They're ability to decoy themselves, stretch their fingernails and assemble into a rolling wheel of death, is goddamn frightening. I haven't even mentioned the way they discombobulate their prey by smacking their jaws against their skulls like a plastic clacker toy.
The world of Arcadian is a bit bland, the characters motives and decisions don't always feel necessary, and the exposition is a cop-out. But those monsters though! The film comes to a fiery climax which is just a horde battle, but I'd love to see this concept kept alive. I think Arcadian deserves a sequel starring Jaeden Martell, set in an arctic backdrop. I'm sure the director could find more cruel and unusual ways to hunt the protagonists on the side of a mountain.
What way would you prefer to die?
Being rolled over by a flaming wheel of hairy monsters.
Getting chomped alive by a flaming wheel of hairy monsters.
Nick Cage.
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