Arcadian

Adroitly written dialogue, believable characters, nice special effects, creative enemy design and a coherent, concise story that makes sense. They also did away with a lot of detail for background to put us into the moment. Very much the essence of "less is more" in every scene and it works well. Nothing's missing, and there's just the right amount of what we need to know.

But is it a good film? It's work like this that makes me appreciate how complicated and involved filmmaking actually is. Arcadian is arguably a competent piece of work, but none of it will stay with me. I enjoyed everything I watched along with how it was put together, and yet had I not seen it at all that would have been okay too. This would also not be on my list of recommendations unless it was for a fan of the genre, and even then I would tell them to curb their expectations. There's something about the way it was shot that hurts the movie, and whatever it is reduces an otherwise decent film into something that's rather forgettable.

If you're a fan of the medium and appreciate the artistry I would say this is worth your time. If you're looking to passively enjoy something in this genre there are better options out there.

Don't watch this move right after you eat something. The super shaky camera work could make you sick. 5 minutes into the movie I could not bear it. Just too uncomfortable.

The story line is easy and straightforward: people try to stay alive after some sort of apocalypse.

What is missing from the movie is the horror and the family dynamics. You either make the move very scary or you focus on the family and the bonding. Or make both the focus. However, this movie does not have enough either. Turns out the movie becomes boring and losing focus. So people can easily predict what's to come in the next 3 minutes.

It could be much better if they add some mysteries to the creatures. What causes the apocalypse is not that important to me.

I'd Watch It Again

"Arcadian" claws its way onto the screen with a promising premise: a post-apocalyptic world where a father and his sons fight for survival against nocturnal horrors. Nicolas Cage delivers a subdued performance as Paul, the father desperately clinging to normalcy for his children.

Nicolas Cage is, as always, a compelling presence. His performance grounds the film, even when the shaky cam and creature design falter. The young actors portraying his sons are believable as well.

Overall, Arcadian is frustrating. It has the potential to be a terrifying exploration of survival, but shaky camerawork and underwhelming creature design hold it back.

There are two reasons you should watch this film. One, Nicolas Cage, and two the monsters in the film. Another major factor; do not listen to reviews. This is a solid B movie that deserves more than a 5.5 I mean come on. I'm telling you, if you give it a chance you will not come out disappointed. Fair warning though; for any viewers who don't like things out of the ordinary don't watch it. By the way this film is not a Nicolas Cage film, I say this because he is not the main character. He in fact does a great job and gives us this other point of view on him. He is always this crazy energetic character in all his other movies, but in this he is a calm and responsible character. This is probably one of his best performances in a while. I fully recommend you go and watch this flick, ESPECIALLY if you love creature features.

P. S. DO NOT READ ANYTHING ONLINE ABOUT THIS FILM!

Unfortunately the direction totally ruined this for me. Camera so shaky I felt like my head was spinning. And when action does happen the camera just turns away. Performances were above average, the kids were pretty good but the effects were fairly poor. I usually love little movies like this but just can't get past the camera work. I swear it was recorded on a bouncy castle.

Soundtrack was nice and Cage is as solid as he always is.

Interesting monster designs but again, we could hardly make out anything we were seeing when they showed up.

Overall had a feeling of "A Quiet Place" but smaller which I can appreciate.