written by: Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (story) & Simon Barrett (screenplay)
produced by: Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett, Adam Wingard, Jeremy Platt, Alexander Black & Simon Barrett
directed by: Adam Wingard
rated: R (for strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language)
runtime: 92 min.
U.S. release date: September 4, 2026

“Onslaught” is a movie that really tries to sell itself as something more than it actually is. It feels like it could’ve easily been one of those fake exploitation trailers that preceded 2007’s “Grindhouse”, rather than the 92 minutes of mindless, bloody action that it is. Director Adam Wingard, helmer of the last two “Godzilla vs. Kong” movies, reunites with screenwriter Simon Barrett (after their work on 2011’s “You’re Next” and 2014’s “The Guest”), for an insipid B-movie exercise that exists solely to revel in viciousness and poor attempts at humor.

Somewhere in the New Mexico desert, former Army sniper Celeste (Adria Arjona) lives where she works as a property manager at the Windy Oasis trailer park. Wracked wth combat PTSD from her previous tours in the Middle East, her trailer is fortified with an arsenal that would make Frank Castle proud. She’s anticipating a low-key weekend, listening to Steely Dan with her headphones until her ex-husband, Griffin (Jacob Scipio), shows up unannounced, dropping off their precocious young daughter, Daisy (Blake Kennedy), after something abruptly came up. While Celeste loves her daughter, having the self-sufficient girl around creates awkwardness that upends her comfort. Despite that, she tries to make the most of it, introducing Daisy to her Korean War veteran neighbor Josiah (Reginald VelJohnson, “Die-Hard”), and steering her clear of her other neighbor, local oddball cop, Kovacs (Eric Wareheim, of “Time & Eric” fame).

Meanwhile, at a nearby secret military base, bald albino Dr. Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens), is overseeing a top secret super soldier program that uses veterans as test subjects. When we first meet this Nazi doctor, he is with his cold wife, Hanna (a wasted Rebecca Hall), who seems almost as strange as he is. The mysterious goal is to unleash these unstoppable war machines on civilians, but during a visit from investor Baylor (an underutilized Michael Biehn), a trio of these monsters, The Butcher (former MMA fighter, Alex Pereira), The Cockroach (Dave Campbell), and The Crybaby (Tyler Hall), break from their programming and escape into the wild. The silent, menacing trio, armed to the teeth and ready to eliminate anyone they encounter, inevitably make their way to the Windy Oasis.

“Onslaught” exists to capture a specific vibe, not to create resonating drama or compelling characterization. Wingard is clearly influenced by John Carpenter (with a dash of early James Cameron), creating a mood that emulates the veteran filmmaker’s sound and vision, right down to credit fonts and synth beats (thanks to composer Matt Pusti). Yet the genetically-modified behemoths are blank slates, programmed with a single goal of obliteration, which creates a problem. Their movement is like a combination of Terminators or slasher threats; think Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, as they rampage through an unsuspecting trailer park, except they like the personality of those threats. When we were introduced to Schwarzenegger back in 1984’s “The Terminator”, he exuded an undeniable steely coolness and unforgettable aura as he coolly spoke his deadpan, emotionless lines. That’s not what we have here.

These three pitiless, masked creations are strictly one-dimensional, and because we know little about who they were before they became vessels of death, it doesn’t take long for their presence to become rote and the threat level to dip. Actually, there is a third-act revelation that connects The Butcher with Celeste’s past, but it seems so far-fetched and unearned that it only elicits an eye roll.

“Onslaught” has some suspense in the air once the deadly trio arrives at the trailer park, since we know what they are capable of. However, that quickly gives way to disappointment, since we barely get to see Arjona’s Celeste use her arsenal. The first act builds her up to be a formidable force to be reckoned with, deftly handling an assortment of deadly weaponry, yet we barely get to see any of that. Arjona has continued to show an impressive range since 2023’s “Hit Man” and her main role in the “Andor” television series, to lesser-seen films like “Los Frikis”. Next year will be huge for Arjona, with the latest “Thomas Crown Affair” and her undisclosed role in “Man of Tomorrow”, James Gunn’s Superman sequel. She’s quite good here, but Simon Barrett’s screenplay just doesn’t give her enough to dig into. Alas, she’s not singled out, though; the same can be said for all of the characters here, which is how Wingard winds up wasting talents like Biehn and Hall.

There’s also a subplot involving another would-be antagonist: a curious character named Cyrus (Drew Starkey, last seen in “Queer”), basically a slimy government fixer. It seems he’s purely around for some brief comic relief, but other than that, he winds up like so many of the other one-dimensional characters.

From the trailer, “Onslaught” seems to promote more mayhem than it actually delivers. There are more moments of child endangerment in this eccentric endeavor than there are insane action sequences. It’s a competently made, albeit odd, effort that suffers from pacing issues and falls short, despite its short runtime.

RATING: **