User reviews

Unfortunately the direction totally ruined this for me. Camera so shaky I felt like my head was spinning. And when action does happen the camera just turns away. Performances were above average, the kids were pretty good but the effects were fairly poor. I usually love little movies like this but just can't get past the camera work. I swear it was recorded on a bouncy castle.

Soundtrack was nice and Cage is as solid as he always is.

Interesting monster designs but again, we could hardly make out anything we were seeing when they showed up.

Overall had a feeling of "A Quiet Place" but smaller which I can appreciate.

I'd Watch It Again

"Arcadian" claws its way onto the screen with a promising premise: a post-apocalyptic world where a father and his sons fight for survival against nocturnal horrors. Nicolas Cage delivers a subdued performance as Paul, the father desperately clinging to normalcy for his children.

Nicolas Cage is, as always, a compelling presence. His performance grounds the film, even when the shaky cam and creature design falter. The young actors portraying his sons are believable as well.

Overall, Arcadian is frustrating. It has the potential to be a terrifying exploration of survival, but shaky camerawork and underwhelming creature design hold it back.

Fair warning to all Nicolas Cage fans: contrary to what the poster may lead you to believe, he is NOT the lead. And he does NOT have any crazy-Cage moments. Even so, Arcadian is still a solid horror flick.

When it comes to these types of low-budget isolation movies with tiny casts, they frequently don't have enough substance to warrant the runtime. Not enough happens to make it entertaining. But that's not the case with Arcadian. There are lots of intense and suspenseful moments.

It does a great job with the horror elements and designs. There are a few highly memorable scenes with maximum creepiness. And the whole cast gives good performances.

Not everything works and there are a few flaws. And it doesn't reach the level of recent Cage hits Dream Scenario and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But I think genre fans will have a good time with this one.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 4/11/2024)

A father and his twin sons have survived the end of the world for fifteen years. As teenagers, the boys have grown into young men and become independent and rambunctious. As they quarrel and go their separate ways one day, their lives are threatened again, and they must fight for survival.

This is a simple end-of-the-world, post-apocalypse survival movie. The story gets straight to the point, giving little to no backstory on the characters or what caused the world's end. There is not a lot of action and a bit of suspense. The runtime of the movie is short. This might not be worth watching in theaters, but it is worth streaming.

Don't watch this move right after you eat something. The super shaky camera work could make you sick. 5 minutes into the movie I could not bear it. Just too uncomfortable.

The story line is easy and straightforward: people try to stay alive after some sort of apocalypse.

What is missing from the movie is the horror and the family dynamics. You either make the move very scary or you focus on the family and the bonding. Or make both the focus. However, this movie does not have enough either. Turns out the movie becomes boring and losing focus. So people can easily predict what's to come in the next 3 minutes.

It could be much better if they add some mysteries to the creatures. What causes the apocalypse is not that important to me.

Adroitly written dialogue, believable characters, nice special effects, creative enemy design and a coherent, concise story that makes sense. They also did away with a lot of detail for background to put us into the moment. Very much the essence of "less is more" in every scene and it works well. Nothing's missing, and there's just the right amount of what we need to know.

But is it a good film? It's work like this that makes me appreciate how complicated and involved filmmaking actually is. Arcadian is arguably a competent piece of work, but none of it will stay with me. I enjoyed everything I watched along with how it was put together, and yet had I not seen it at all that would have been okay too. This would also not be on my list of recommendations unless it was for a fan of the genre, and even then I would tell them to curb their expectations. There's something about the way it was shot that hurts the movie, and whatever it is reduces an otherwise decent film into something that's rather forgettable.

If you're a fan of the medium and appreciate the artistry I would say this is worth your time. If you're looking to passively enjoy something in this genre there are better options out there.

I'm 46 years old and I've seen every science fiction movie that exists. Movies can be divided into two classes: those that explain everything at some point, and those that explain everything all the time (the worst ones), and this gem, where nothing is explained at any moment.

This is what makes it unique. Why do UFOs always attract attention? Because they are a mystery, and one wants to understand... if they exist... if they don't... if there is a conspiracy... if the government knows... why they come... etc. This is what makes them interesting. There isn't an alien movie that doesn't leave a bad taste, and that bad taste is precisely because they have a closure, which is always disappointing. Here, you don't know absolutely anything; the movie starts... and you try to understand what's happening... not even the protagonists themselves know what happened, which is even better. What do you think would happen in real life if something like this occurred? Without media, without resources, without cell phones, only a few would survive, and they would have precisely these attitudes.

I don't live in the US, so I can watch the movie as many times as I want. I think I've seen it 20 times. For those who have the opportunity to watch it, take my advice: watch it for what it is, listen to every dialogue, every attitude of the characters. Everything, absolutely everything, has a reason. The perfect movie doesn't exist because the audience has changed a lot, and everyone is used to movies that can be understood or explained entirely. Use your imagination, that's what it's for, and if you love science fiction and don't have imagination, you're not lovers, you're spectators.

Fabulous tension, if this doesn't have you with knotted guts, I don't know what will Cage is excellent, really believable as a fierce father. The two boys are great, as is the rest of the cast The premise is a well worn trope, but that's ok, these "It follows"..."A quiet place" ....etc, can really work in the right hands This could have been amazing if the DP had more time setting up shots. He didn't.... this was made on a shoestring budget, probably with a freaking IPhone.

The creatures are terrifying, and relentless , this flick could have a follow up movie, showing where the kids start to win against the creatures The Cage renaissance continues.

There are two reasons you should watch this film. One, Nicolas Cage, and two the monsters in the film. Another major factor; do not listen to reviews. This is a solid B movie that deserves more than a 5.5 I mean come on. I'm telling you, if you give it a chance you will not come out disappointed. Fair warning though; for any viewers who don't like things out of the ordinary don't watch it. By the way this film is not a Nicolas Cage film, I say this because he is not the main character. He in fact does a great job and gives us this other point of view on him. He is always this crazy energetic character in all his other movies, but in this he is a calm and responsible character. This is probably one of his best performances in a while. I fully recommend you go and watch this flick, ESPECIALLY if you love creature features.

P. S. DO NOT READ ANYTHING ONLINE ABOUT THIS FILM!

If you like dystopian sci-fi thrillers, this is a lovely little film. Fans of 28 Days Later and The Monster will appreciate this for what it is - good entertainment. It's not going to change your life, but it's a post-apocalyptic monster movie made with love and a lot of attention to detail.

Nicholas Cage plays it subtle and the mostly newcomer cast are, quite frankly, great. It's bleak, and it's scary enough to give you a buzz. The monsters are really original and the whole thing makes for a delightful little independent movie.

Personally, I hope there is a sequel - the world painted here is worth living in ... provided you bring a shot gun.

The story of a father and two teenagers in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by bloodthirsty creatures. The first thing that cannot be agreed with is that Nicolas Cage has not aged in 15 years, probably the atmosphere of the post-apocalypse has influenced him so much. Secondly, it's a twitching camera, it's like shaking the screen in a movie theater - a nightmare for epileptics. Thirdly, the operator does not know what a mise en scene or composition is at all - there is nothing beautiful in camerawork, there is nothing for the eye to cling to. Fourthly, it is very boring. Watching this is like standing in line for an appointment with a therapist: it's unbearable, and I want it all to end as soon as possible. I couldn't watch it to the end, it's beyond me.

This film was enjoyable to watch, as a father myself I really enjoyed the way the film portrayed cages characters bond with his two boys. The film didn't really need backstory and was interesting enough to hold my attention during the quieter parts with less action. This film for me is what the quiet place should have been and was in my opinion better than the fore mentioned film, more action and good creatures this film is well worth a watch. This film was a good 90 minute flick that didn't waste an hour on slow burn stuff that failed to lead anywhere, the ending was good and bothy partner and I thought this film was a solid 7.

Well, I like to think director Benjamin Brewer (best known for directing music videos and leading the VFX efforts for Everything Everywhere All at Once) had a few neat tricks up his sleeve while conjuring up this creature-feature starring Nic Cage. It has a pretty interesting first act that reminded me of films like A Quiet Place and It Comes At Night, with Cage being the difference-maker.

I'd see anything with Cage in it at this point - heck, I've watched all his bad DTV-movies when was going through a career slump in the 2010s before reinventing himself towards the end of the decade. I just enjoyed seeing him turning into a red-hot act once again. Arcadian evidently descends into a B-horror territory, with deliberate campiness in the presentation of the creatures and a plot that only gives away bits and pieces of its lead characters. The action is layered with some shaky cam, just so that the creatures' appearance isn't entirely given away; that's a creative decision I can applaud. That said, the plot advancement remains utterly predictable.

It's an okayish affair that progressively sees less involvement from Cage, but they establish the brothers' equation fairly well for us to believe in their survival journeys. Jaeden Martell (from It), especially, is a promising talent. A needless love angle is also introduced, only to bring more characters that the monsters can munch on. I'm also curious how the dog in the film survived the whole ordeal, though I'm glad he did :)

In 2024's "Arcadian" we are introduced to a father and his two twin teenage sons after the world has been overrun by creatures. When I heard about an apocalyptic monster movie with Nick Cage as the lead, I was really hyped because he has been part of some amazing projects in the last couple of years and this sounded like something right up my alley. Sadly his character is a little bit underused but Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins do a great job as his two teenage sons and the overall acting from everyone was solid and convincing. The movie overall felt really similar to A Quiet Place and I'm pretty sure that some inspiration was taken from there. That is not necessarily a bad thing but if you would compare these two, then Arcadian is nowhere close to the quality of those movies. But that doesn't mean that it is not entertaining because I had a pretty good time watching it and I think the creatures from this movie were pretty interesting in their own weird way. They come out at night and have a unique unsettling look to them and are equipped with some surprising abilities and attacks. Sadly we don't get to see those that much because in every action scene where the creatures attack, the camera is being shaken non-stop. This made the attack scenes confusing and less suspenseful. I would have loved to see a more detailed look whenever the creatures were on screen but that is really not the case. Also the movie lacked some beauty or good cinematography in general which gives it this rather cheap look. But overall I still enjoyed it mostly and I would take a movie like this over another Haunted House movie any day. [6,7/10]

Most people I'm sure saw the trailer and thought; Oh look a ripoff of A quiet place. Well they wouldn't be completely wrong but it does survive on its own accord even having similarities especially in plotting and visuals . The settings are also like minded. What this particular film does differently is with the bloodshed and gruesome factor. The intensity and threat is much more on display with creatures that might even be even more grotesque than even its influence . As far as the main draw, Cage is always entertaining. The other cast is solid as well. What really shines in this will be the fantastic bleak settings and disgusting creatures . Sometimes movies that borrow can do certain things better than the originals.

I am sorry to say that Nicholas Cage was not at his best. The other characters, the girl and the brothers, were nominal. Nothing compared to In A Quiet Place parts 1 and 2.

Normally Nicholas Cage is a multi-dimensional character full of surprises. In this movie, he seemed bland and unemotional. Maybe he wanted the kids to shine? Not sure.

There was no real emotion or sense of urgency in any of the character's facial expression or voice. They were so bland. Maybe the movie came out too soon.

The monsters were good and those special effects looked real.

So much was left out. Where was the mom? When did this happen? Was this all over the world?

I would not recommend the movie.

Giving this an 7.5/10 rating

Many thanks to director Benjamin Brewer and writer Mike Nilon for delivering a really disturbing and great survival horror, which Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins star, with very subdued, but splendid performances. Sadie Soverall is the leading lady in this and also has a great time too as she adds humour and light, as this is a dark tale of the end of days.

Cage plays a father who struggles with the very worst life situation that has given him and his two sons, who are growing and have their own wants as teenagers do, but can't really have, as the day to day life is do what you must to live.

Don't let the poster or the trailer put you off this, the horror creeps slowly and then really does bite you, and it is very horrifying, the creatures they face, are nothing but terrific and monstrous, some of best in ages, deaths follow and blood, chaos, erupts in the very best way for this film. This is what you demand of horror, be horror! And it's under two hours, lean and straight to the point, even with the plain colour palette and production design, which all suits the tale of all is lost or not lost? A surprising treat of a film.

I really don't understand where from such high (6.2) rating comes for Arcadian. I mean, everything above 5 should be considered as a solid movie. Has the criteria really fallen that low recently?

Nothing in this movie is sharp (except titles) and camera is swaying all the time as it would be recorded with smartphone handheld. Actually one can get better result with smartphone.

Story is paper thin: no plot, no surprise and nothing to think about. It's a typical zombie flick in slightly different package. Needless to mention amateurish dialogs.

And as is to be expected for C-class movie, scenery is extremely scarce as well. If we forget the wood in the night, then the whole "story" happens inside old falling apart house (a shack actually).

As one reviewer already mentioned, name Nicholas Cage is only used to catch the attention. I'm quite a fan of N. Cage, but I just don't understand why a Oscar winner accepts such roles...is kinda embarrassing.

This was a great movie!!!

It's only a good Nicolas Cage movie but it's a great movie. Nicolas Cage is a little tame in comparison. After all he's battling a herd of the strangest monsters I've seen so far. These things were the most freighting monsters I've seen so far. I feel the movie gave clues on what they were but I'm still not sure. Whatever they were they stole the show with the outright horror they brought to this masterpiece. Just one of the best and exciting horror movies I've seen, especially this year. Having Cage in this film was pure icing on one of the most delicious cakes I've ever eaten.