Onslaught (2026)
Onslaught Review: A Bloody, Scrappy Throwback That Doesn’t Quite Find Its Footing
Onslaught arrives as a reunion between director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett, the duo behind cult favorites You’re Next and The Guest. It’s a scrappy, blood-soaked siege thriller that wears its 80s action and slasher influences proudly, pitting a resourceful former sniper against a trio of genetically engineered super-soldiers in a sun-scorched New Mexico trailer park. Critics have been divided on whether it’s a lean, mean throwback or a hollow rehash, and the box office tells a similarly conflicted story.
The numbers reveal a film that has struggled to gain traction. On Rotten Tomatoes, Onslaught sits at 59% from critics (one point below the Fresh threshold) and a 61% Popcornmeter score from audiences [citation:3]. Metacritic shows 53% positive reviews, indicating “mixed or average” reception [citation:2]. Commercially, it was a significant disappointment for A24: against a reported $15 million budget, it grossed just $3.4 million worldwide, including a $1.9 million opening weekend [citation:3][citation:7]. Its 86% second-weekend drop set a new record for the studio [citation:3].
Critics have been sharply divided. IndieWire‘s Wilson Chapman praised it as “a lean military slasher” and noted that it represents Wingard going “back to basics” [citation:1]. The A.V. Club called it “a consistent pleasure to actually look at, and there’s scarcely a moment where it fails to entertain” [citation:2]. AwardsWatch declared it “a fun ride that refuses to compromise its vision,” adding that “in today’s milquetoast filmmaking landscape, that makes it a film worth seeking out” [citation:2].
Others were less convinced. RogerEbert.com found it “not thoughtful or inspired enough to make you care about its paint-by-numbers story beats” [citation:2]. The Guardian observed that “in trying to tick off both action and slasher, Wingard often falls in the unsatisfying gap in-between” [citation:2]. The Film Verdict was harshest, writing that “the overwhelming result of Onslaught is ennui” [citation:2]. What most reviewers agree on is that Dan Stevens delivers a scene-stealing turn as a cartoonishly fiendish Nazi mad scientist, and that the film’s synth-heavy score and practical gore effects are highlights [citation:6][citation:16]. For fans of Wingard’s early work or 80s action-slasher hybrids, there’s enough here to warrant a watch—but it never quite becomes the cult classic it aspires to be.
Onslaught Cast: Adria Arjona Leads an Eclectic Ensemble
The film assembles a surprising and colorful cast, mixing action veterans, comedians, and a UFC champion:
Adria Arjona anchors the film as Celeste, a former Army sniper living in a trailer park who must return to combat mode to protect her daughter. Critics praised her physical presence and commitment, with Exclaim! noting she “carries the film in full-on Sarah Connor mode” [citation:16]. Dan Stevens, reuniting with Wingard after The Guest, delivers what many consider the film’s most entertaining performance as Dr. Hans Kammler, a “cartoonishly fiendish Nazi mad scientist” [citation:16]. Plex reviewers called his work “one of the film’s biggest pleasures” [citation:6].
Rebecca Hall plays Hanna Kammler, the doctor’s equally commanding partner. Drew Starkey appears as Cyrus, a “molly-dropping government operative” [citation:16]. Michael Biehn, a veteran of The Terminator, plays Baylor, the leader of a mercenary team tasked with containing the super-soldiers [citation:12]. UFC champion Alex Pereira makes his acting debut as The Butcher, one of the genetically engineered soldiers, reportedly bringing his real-world combat skills to the role [citation:12]. Eric Wareheim and Reginald VelJohnson portray members of the trailer park community caught in the chaos [citation:12]. Blake Kennedy plays Celeste’s young daughter Daisy.
Onslaught Plot: A Mother’s War Against Unstoppable Soldiers
The story follows Celeste (Adria Arjona), a former Army sniper now living a quiet, hard-drinking life in a New Mexico trailer park with her young daughter, Daisy (Blake Kennedy). Her peaceful, if troubled, existence is shattered when a secret military experiment goes catastrophically wrong. Three genetically engineered super-soldiers—codenamed Crybaby, Cockroach, and The Butcher—escape from a classified facility and embark on a brutal rampage through the desert [citation:1][citation:8].
These soldiers are described as “the human equivalent of a heat-seeking missile,” relentless killing machines that will stop at nothing to reach their objective [citation:8][citation:20]. When their path of destruction leads them directly to the trailer park, Celeste must rely on the very skills she left behind to protect her daughter and her neighbors. With the help of a ragtag group of locals—including trailer park residents played by Eric Wareheim and Reginald VelJohnson—and pursued by a mercenary team led by Baylor (Michael Biehn), Celeste transforms from a struggling mother into a one-woman army [citation:12].
What unfolds is a brutal, close-quarters siege as Celeste fights to survive against adversaries who are stronger, faster, and seemingly impossible to kill. The film builds to a bloody, chaotic confrontation that forces her to confront the military past she tried to escape. According to Wingard, Onslaught exists in the same universe as his 2014 cult film The Guest, with the super-soldier program being an expansion of the shadowy organization from that movie, making it the final chapter in an informal trilogy alongside You’re Next [citation:1][citation:10].
“They unleashed their deadliest weapon on us.”
