Onslaught (2026) ***1/2
Much like its spiritual predecessor, The Guest (2014) [review], Onslaught (2026) again successfully mashes Halloween (1978) [review], The Terminator (1984) [review], and Universal Soldier (1992) to create an immensely entertaining and subversively funny action/thriller/horror hybrid. This time, director Adam Wingard threw nods to Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) [review] into the mix as well. Dan Stevens returns, in a different role (and he's great), and Adria Arjona is an empathetic and strong lead. Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim, Michael Biehn, and Rebecca Hall all have fun supporting roles.
The cinematography in Onslaught isn't as eye-catching as The Guest—though it does feature some striking shots of its villains—but it's no slouch either. The soundtrack also isn't anywhere near as good as the one for that earlier Wingard film, but Onslaught's soundtrack is still quite good, with a few choice cuts (including a wonderful German Stones cover, a childhood earworm, and a Steely Dan classic). I did miss having Steve Moore on board to provide a score, as well, but Matthew Pusti's score is very good, featuring several nods to John Carpenter.
Onslaught is a tad more grim in tone than The Guest, and its political subtext is a bit more at the forefront. Make no mistake, though, this is a genre film, and it never takes itself too seriously. I said in my review of The Guest that that film isn't quite a slam dunk for me. I wrote that while I do appreciate the fact that there is a level of mystery to the titular character's origin, other characters and themes (such as PTSD) feel underdeveloped, and at times the lack of resources shows (particularly in the climax). Most of that applies here as well, but on the flip side, Wingard has upped his game. Clearly, he had a bigger budget, and his directing chops have improved.
Again, like The Guest (which I've seen three times), there is an undeniable charm to Onslaught—I appreciate its simplicity and efficiency (lean runtimes are key in films like this), and I like that it never drowns in its nostalgia. In some ways, I think I liked it even more The Guest, but I don't want to rely too heavily on recency bias, so I feel I should give it at least another viewing before deciding which film is better (not that it really matters). As to whether Onslaught will hold up well on revisits remains to be seen.
The cinematography in Onslaught isn't as eye-catching as The Guest—though it does feature some striking shots of its villains—but it's no slouch either. The soundtrack also isn't anywhere near as good as the one for that earlier Wingard film, but Onslaught's soundtrack is still quite good, with a few choice cuts (including a wonderful German Stones cover, a childhood earworm, and a Steely Dan classic). I did miss having Steve Moore on board to provide a score, as well, but Matthew Pusti's score is very good, featuring several nods to John Carpenter.
Onslaught is a tad more grim in tone than The Guest, and its political subtext is a bit more at the forefront. Make no mistake, though, this is a genre film, and it never takes itself too seriously. I said in my review of The Guest that that film isn't quite a slam dunk for me. I wrote that while I do appreciate the fact that there is a level of mystery to the titular character's origin, other characters and themes (such as PTSD) feel underdeveloped, and at times the lack of resources shows (particularly in the climax). Most of that applies here as well, but on the flip side, Wingard has upped his game. Clearly, he had a bigger budget, and his directing chops have improved.
Again, like The Guest (which I've seen three times), there is an undeniable charm to Onslaught—I appreciate its simplicity and efficiency (lean runtimes are key in films like this), and I like that it never drowns in its nostalgia. In some ways, I think I liked it even more The Guest, but I don't want to rely too heavily on recency bias, so I feel I should give it at least another viewing before deciding which film is better (not that it really matters). As to whether Onslaught will hold up well on revisits remains to be seen.
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