Onslaught: when the experiment escapes, survival becomes personal

By Janet Grant

Something is refreshing about a movie that does not spend too much time apologizing for what it is. Onslaught, directed by Adam Wingard, is a loud, violent, and unapologetically pulpy action-horror film that throws an Army sniper, genetically engineered super soldiers, and a protective mother into the same explosive pressure cooker.

Adria Arjona stars as Celeste. Celeste is a former Army sniper battling PTSD while trying to raise her young daughter. When genetically engineered soldiers escape from a secret military operation, Celeste’s survival instincts quickly return. Protecting her daughter means putting her military training to work again, and she proves she is far more dangerous than anyone expects.

What works

The biggest strength is Arjona. She gives Celeste physical toughness without losing sight of the character’s emotional damage. Celeste is not simply an action hero who happens to have a child. Her PTSD and complicated relationship with motherhood give the character more depth than the standard strong single mom or one-person-army formula.

Wingard also clearly understands the appeal of old-school genre filmmaking. Onslaught has a grindhouse quality, dark humour, and a deliberately excessive approach to violence. The action sequences are energetic, and the film has a wild personality that sets it apart from more polished studio action movies.

The supporting cast is another highlight. Dan Stevens seems to be having fun with the material, while Reginald VelJohnson shows a tougher, more unexpected side. Michael Biehn, Rebecca Hall, Drew Starkey, Eric Wareheim, and professional fighter Alex Pereira add plenty of recognizable faces and different flavours to the mayhem.

What doesn’t work

The biggest problem is that the story behind the action isn’t always as compelling. Once the bullets start flying, the movie finds its rhythm. Between those sequences, however, the pacing can feel uneven. Some characters lack development, and plot elements feel underwritten, making it harder to become emotionally invested in everything happening around Celeste.

Onslaught also could have pushed its outrageous premise further. For a film promising genetically engineered super soldiers and an Army sniper fighting to protect her daughter, occasionally the movie feels surprisingly restrained.

Still, Onslaught delivers enough blood, chaos, and dark humour to satisfy viewers looking for a throwback action-horror experience. It is not trying to reinvent the genre. It is simply trying to have a bloody good time.

My Take: Adria Arjona is the real weapon here, and Wingard gives her plenty of opportunities to prove it.

Adria Arjona leads Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, a bloody action-horror thriller mixing motherhood, military survival, super soldiers and dark humour.

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