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Onslaught (2026)


Onslaught is a grindhouse action/horror movie, and I had no idea it was going to turn into a slasher until about five minutes in. Adam Wingard, a V/H/S alumni, writes and directs, and while the action can be pretty good at times, it's also flawed in some pretty obvious ways. The biggest problem is the plot armor given to the heroine. Why can these super soldiers hit everyone else just fine, but suddenly can't hit her? It makes some of the action feel less exciting when you know the movie is going to bend the rules to keep her alive.

Adria Arjona spends the majority of the movie dressed like she's headed to Walmart, but somehow she doesn't look bad. Few people could probably pull off an outfit like that and still make it work. She does a decent job in the role, even if the character is clearly protected by the script whenever the action gets going.

Dan Stevens has a great cameo, and Reginald VelJohnson brings his classic acting chops to the movie. Drew Starkey plays a pretty weird character who doesn't really do much, while Rebecca Hall is unfortunately underused. There are enough recognizable faces here to make the cast interesting, but several of them feel like they're capable of doing more than the movie actually gives them.

There's also a Chekhov's Gun moment in the story that seems like it's obviously going somewhere, only for it to completely fail to go off. When you introduce something that prominently and then don't actually do anything with it, it leaves the movie feeling even more disappointing than it otherwise would have. Onslaught has some entertaining action and a fun grindhouse vibe, but the plot armor, underused cast, and missed setup keep it from being anything particularly special. Result: C

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