Onslaught is a gore-soaked thrill ride

Onslaught is a brand-new action horror film by Adam Wingard that follows Celeste (Adria Arjona), a former army sniper residing in a sleepy desert trailer park. As an underground super soldier experimental program breaks open in her backyard, she must protect her young daughter and the fellow residents from blood-soaked carnage delivered by three hardened mercenaries programmed to kill at all costs.

Onslaught is Adam Wingard's latest foray into the horror adjacent space after taking some time away to direct some Kaiju blockbusters. The Blair Witch (2016) director has given us little gems throughout the years with genre darlings You're Next and The Guest, and fans were thrilled to hear that he views this film as the third in a sort of continuity that all three films exist in. The constant across the three are genetically enhanced soldiers, trained to eliminate threats. Onslaught is very simple and straight forward. It sets up its characters early, plunges them into chaos, and takes viewers along for the ride. I appreciate the fleshing out of the backstory of the program that we get here. There is still a thick layer of mystery to where this all came from and why, but Wingard seems to allow the viewer in on more and more of the secret every time.

Courtesy of A24

I love the casting choices here. The eclectic bunch include UFC superstar Alex Periera, Family Matters dad Reginald VelJohnson, and skit comedy legend Eric Wareheim and it all feels completely natural. Pereira has no speaking lines but absolutely dominates with his presence and overall intimidating nature. Meanwhile, the comedic bits from both VelJohnson and Wareheim sprinkle levity across this otherwise brutal watch. The tonal shifts are done seamlessly, blending together a refreshing mix of thriller, action, horror, and even comedy in a way that felt much more calculated than confusing. The secret sauce seems to be in the rotation of tones, with some of the more intense, scary moments generally being quickly buoyed by levity and a laugh. Arjona turns in a stellar performance, and she's likable but tough. You can really get behind her character while she delivers several fist pump moments throughout. This seems to be the kind of role she can crush over and over again as her career progresses.

These cat and mouse action thrillers can sometimes feel incredibly formulaic and redundant, but for the most part, Onslaught avoids these pitfalls. While there were points that felt like long chases, there is tons of originality and style points that this film racks up both in the kills themselves, the setting and the way the characters are used. Wingard's ability to frame all these films in a sort of continuity that feel so similar to one another, while also being vastly different films both in scope and tone, is incredibly impressive. Wingard isn't reinventing the wheel here in any way. If anything, he just seems to be having fun and making things that feel good to him. I can feel the joy that he has for this continuity and the purpose is consistently achieved. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more in this universe and if you are looking for a fun, bloody action thriller to turn your brain off to, I think Onslaught can give you exactly what you seek.

Onslaught is currently in theaters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L24CYVpQ-LI