Video summary
The reviewer describes Adam Wingard's latest film, *Onslaught*, as a project defined more by its aesthetic style than by any meaningful narrative depth. While the movie successfully delivers a high-energy soundtrack that works well in casual settings like driving or at the gym, these musical highs are quickly overshadowed by significant flaws in the storytelling. The reviewer notes that the film feels like it is missing an entire third of its runtime, leaving the audience with a sense of premature conclusion and unfulfilled promise. This lack of substance is particularly glaring given the hype surrounding the project as a spiritual sequel to Wingard's earlier work, *The Guest*, which was praised for having a solid plot, a compelling antagonist-protagonist dynamic, and fantastic style.
Despite the promising cast featuring Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall, their performances are described as wasted on characters that feel diabolically cartoonish rather than nuanced. The reviewer criticizes the action sequences as being largely superficial, noting that the film relies heavily on cool-looking shots of three super-soldier experiments standing in the dark with glowing eyes, rather than engaging combat logic. For instance, the super-soldiers are shown discarding their guns when they run out of ammo despite carrying extra ammunition on their costumes, a detail that undermines the tension and realism of the scenes. The reviewer suggests that the action portion of the film is so limited that watching the trailer alone captures nearly ninety percent of what happens, rendering the actual movie experience redundant for most viewers.
The core narrative follows Celeste, a former military operator struggling with PTSD while raising her child, who must contend with the three super-soldiers led by a German scientist played by Dan Stevens. Although the dynamic between Celeste and her child is decent, and there are some fun references to *Die Hard* involving a retired Sergeant A. Powell, these elements cannot save the film from its structural weaknesses. The reviewer expresses deep disappointment that A24 backed such a project, predicting that ninety percent of people who see the trailer will not bother watching the full movie due to the middling reception and lack of genuine plot progression. Ultimately, the film is characterized as a collection of stylish visuals where only about ten percent of the runtime actually attempts to advance a story, resulting in a thin plot that feels no thicker than a napkin.
In conclusion, the reviewer gives *Onslaught* a rating of two out of seven stars, emphasizing that while there were some neat bits and moments of style, the overall execution fails to deliver on its potential. The reviewer advises viewers who are looking for a better experience to watch *The Guest* instead, noting that at this stage in their careers, collaborations between Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett have become hit-or-miss affairs that often lead to disappointment. While the reviewer appreciates the creators' work and even jokes about Wingard returning to making *Godzilla* movies for fun, they firmly state that after the opening soundtrack beat, viewers will quickly stop caring about the proceedings. The final verdict is a strong recommendation to avoid this specific entry in favor of more substantial films, leaving the audience with a clear message that style alone cannot compensate for a lack of substance.
Read the full video transcript
Much like the lighting for this review,
this movie is all style, attempt, and
very little substance.
>> Woo! That's a hot mug, guys.
>> This is my [snorts] review for
Onslaught, the newest film from Adam
Wingard. I was quite excited for this
movie because the words spiritual sequel
to The Guest kept coming up over and
over again when there was any talk about
this movie. For those of you who have
been following me since I started doing
movie reviews, The Guest was one of the
first movies I ever reviewed, and I
really enjoyed that movie. Solid John
Carpenter-inspired
thriller. A good story in there, and
there's a good antagonist-protagonist,
and the film has fantastic style and a
great soundtrack. This movie, Onslaught,
was able to get one of those things, and
that's the soundtrack. The soundtrack is
bumping. I'm not going to deny that.
>> [music]
>> I've been listening to a couple of the
tracks when I've been driving and when
I've been going to [music] the gym, and
that's kind of where the positives end.
I saw Jeremy Jahns give this a critique
of pretentious artistic [ __ ] He's
not wrong with that assumption. [music]
The film follows Celeste, this former
military operator who is suffering from
a bit of PTSD, but also trying to take
care of her kid. And then randomly,
these three super soldier experiments
run by a weird, [music]
trying to attempt to look old but not
really pulling that off at all Dan
Stevens German scientist. They kill
everyone,
>> [music]
>> and then they go on this very
short-lived rampage. And I'm not joking
when I say short-lived. It really does
feel like there is a whole third of this
movie missing. There [music] is this
side story that's dedicated its
character called Cyrus, played by Drew
Starzky, which, I'll be honest, if you
removed him from the movie, he would be
not missed whatsoever. There's a thought
that maybe he would have some importance
to a sequel, but who the hell thought
this movie was going to get a sequel? It
is so unfortunate that you have Dan
Stevens and Rebecca Hall playing these
diabolically cartoonish evil German
characters,
>> [music]
>> and they are wasted. Maybe Rebecca Hall
is used well, but Dan Stevens, like holy
[ __ ] what a waste. For those of you who
are looking for some action,
watch the trailer, cuz that's almost 90%
it. I swear that 75% of the shot list
consists of these three dudes standing
cool in the dark. [music]
Yes, they've got glow-in-the-dark eyes.
That's wild. That's cool. But they
[ __ ] suck as super soldiers. They
have guns that once they run out of
ammo, they toss aside despite the
[music] fact they have ammo on their
costumes. Yeah, it's kind of cool when
they pull out a chainsaw, but my dude,
you have the clips on you. You
definitely can tell that Wingard was
taking references from Assault on
Precinct 13, and even the fog, I'd
almost say,
but it falls flat, guys. The fact that
A24 backed this movie itself is kind of
stupendous. Cuz I'm going to go out on a
limb here, but I bet you that 90%
[music]
of the people who watch the trailer will
not watch this movie. Half because I
don't think any of them know the movie's
out, and the other half because of the
very middling reception. The main
character does an okay job. I think
she's decent. I do like her the dynamic
with her and the kid, as well as her
relationship with Sergeant A. Powell
from Die Hard, a visit where he retired
after those movies. I think that's fun.
[music] But when the movie rolls
credits, I was sitting there going, "You
have got to be kidding me. Where the
hell is the other third of this movie?
Why does it feel like it ends
premature?" As I said when I started
this review, this movie is majoritally
"Look how cool this shot looks." And
then maybe
10% [music]
"Oh, yeah, there's kind of a plot here."
Either way, I would just say go and
watch The Guest. It's a much better
movie. At this point in their careers, I
think it's almost a given to be
disappointed with anything that Adam
Wingard and Simon Barrett make. I
appreciate these guys and I like what
they do, but it is definitely hit or
miss. I almost want to say he should
just go back to making the Godzilla
movies because at least those are fun.
But for this one, after the opening
soundtrack beat, you're just not going
to care. I'm going to give Onslaught a
two out of seven. I do not want to give
it a two because I thought there were
[music] some neat bits in this movie,
but oh my god, is the plot no thicker
than a napkin. I was severely
disappointed. Yeah, just go watch The
Guest. Anyways, those are my thoughts on
this movie. Let me know what you guys
think. Would have you guys seen it? What
do you think of it? What do you think of
Adam Wingard and the movies he makes
with Simon Barrett? Let me know in the
comments below. Otherwise, guys, that's
all for me. See you guys next time.