“Onslaught” follows Celeste, a former Army sniper who must unleash hell to protect her daughter after a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers breaks loose in the desert.
Based on that synopsis, you may be quick to assume that “Onslaught” is an action movie. To some degree, yes. Mostly, however, it lies in the horror and thriller genres. This is because the antagonists — three “super soldiers” — act just like killers from throwback slashers. They may be conditioned to be killing machines, but they don’t really act like it. Instead, the three figures lurk in backgrounds, slowly stalk their “prey” and wield weapons in cartoonish fashion. They’re often filmed to look like black silhouettes with glowing eyes, which adds a sense of unease every time that they appear. Does this eliminate some of the realism? Absolutely. But director Adam Wingard isn’t necessarily attempting to tell a story grounded in reality here. In fact, it takes place in a shared universe with two of Wingard’s previous entries, “You’re Next” and “The Guest.”
From the start, the film is intentionally overstimulating. Director of photography Oren Soffer keeps the camera in close proximity to characters’ faces, while also amplifying the environment around them. He also experiments with more obscure shots: locked onto the spinning rim of a tire or shooting from a gun POV. Editors Adam Avery and Josh Schaeffer jarringly splice these abstract shots in the middle of tense sequences, which adds to the chaotic tone that Wingard goes for. There is also never silence in “Onslaught.” The sound design, Matthew Pusti’s musical score and the soundtrack create a nonstop barrage of audio. This makes the film restless at times, even when it attempts to generate an emotional response.
The first half reaches near-“disaster” status. Simon Barrett’s screenplay (based on a story by him and Wingard) attempts to count down to the breaking point from multiple angles. The main focus is on Celeste and her daughter, but it also gives backstory to the “why?” behind the unfolding events. Despite having a recurring onscreen ticking clock, the 92-minute runtime ends up feeling like a slow trudge toward predictability. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, this approach grows even more confusing. Because, ultimately, Wingard doesn’t really care to tackle heavy themes. Ideas about corporate greed and governmental control are present, though they don’t feel overly consequential as the credits begin to roll.
Black-and-white flashbacks are also interwoven, halting the momentum more than adding weight to the stakes. By attempting to add a personal touch to the madness, this just elevates the suspension of disbelief required. And viewers will have to be prepared for a lot of that. After watching countless people be brutally murdered within seconds of seeing the “super soldiers,” Celeste manages to escape on more than one occasion. She may be a “super mom,” but it more so feels “super convenient.”
“You f–ked with the wrong mom.”
Adria Arjona (Celeste) brings the necessary rage to the role. While her character arc is limited, Arjona creates a believable mother-daughter relationship with Blake Kennedy (Daisy), alongside also crafting believable physicality. She has “final girl” energy written all over her, and it shows here. But this doesn’t mean her character is always likable. At first, all that “Onslaught” shows viewers is a disheveled woman who has plenty of guns and despises her ex-husband. Any emotional beats regarding military trauma and her separation from her daughter are put on the back burner. Because of this, there’s only so much she can do with the performance itself to overcome that.
Also appearing are Reginald VelJohnson (Josiah), Dan Stevens (Hans Kammler) and Eric Wareheim (Kovacks). VelJohnson is the source of many of these “too good to be true” moments. Nonetheless, he delivers laughs with his lighthearted, charismatic personality. Stevens is a caricature himself, portraying a sleek yet clumsy individual. Wareheim is mainly present to yell. Really, that’s practically all he does.
With a title like “Onslaught,” you would expect there to be an “onslaught” of action. There is — but it’s not typical. Slow motion plagues virtually every thrilling sequence in the movie, turning the violence into close-up spectacle rather than fast-paced chaos. This leaves many of the sequences feeling empty, despite how well-staged they are.
“Onslaught” doesn’t have a lot to say, nor the action to back it up. The film delivers slow-mo spurts of blood, but the story to get there is virtually nonsensical.
Rating: 2 out of 5
