Arcadian
RLJE Films | Release Date: April 12, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
Film ThreatAlan NgMar 28, 2024
Arcadian should be the sleeper hit of the year. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 9, 2024
It’s not trying to make a grand statement about the world, at least not any more than movies like this do... But it is trying to scare you, and it does. Read full review
80
ColliderChase HutchinsonMar 11, 2024
Not only is director Benjamin Brewer’s Arcadian a good Nicolas Cage movie, but it’s one of the most fun cinematic experiences that he has been a part of in recent memory. It's a work of horror worth taking seriously even as things go gloriously off the rails. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedApr 12, 2024
Balanced and solid, with equal measures of terror and suspense, the movie is Arcadian and I’ll be darned if it didn’t scare the daylights out of me. Read full review
75
The PlaylistMike DeAngeloApr 10, 2024
Arcadian is more than a mere horror film; it’s a haunting meditation on the fragility of humanity and the enduring power of hope in the face of despair. It turns out that mixing heart with horror still works. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRoss McIndoeApr 10, 2024
Even as the shotgun shells start flying, it makes time for the quiet dramatic moments that carry its family drama forward amid the carnage. Read full review
75
IndieWireChristian ZilkoMar 12, 2024
An elegant little film about the things in life that are worth taking risks for, Arcadian is a reminder of how much Cage has to offer us when he’s not contorting himself into something indescribable. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMar 11, 2024
It truly feels like “The Walking Dead” and now maybe “The Last of Us” have spawned a wave of films about how humans respond when civilization collapses—“Arcadian” is one of the better entries in this growing genre about how screwed we all are. Read full review
70
Screen DailyRobert DanielsMar 13, 2024
While Arcadian is far from being a new modern horror masterpiece, it makes for a satisfying B-movie romp. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerApr 11, 2024
Too often, the kid in such cinematic scenarios ends up teaching the parent some life lesson. Instead, Nilon’s script depicts a different and deeply compassionate dynamic between father and sons. Read full review
60
EmpireBarry LevittJun 13, 2024
Though things go off the rails in the third act, Arcadian’s intriguing premise and inspired monster design pack plenty of scares into this post-apocalyptic fable. Read full review
60
The GuardianSteve RoseJun 13, 2024
It’s an effective little thriller that knows the conventions and doesn’t stray too far from them. Read full review
60
IGNJesse HassengerApr 15, 2024
Arcadian is an effective creature-feature B-movie that gets the job done in under 90 minutes. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredMarco Vito OddoApr 10, 2024
Mixing Nicolas Cage's unique talent for weird horror movies and a post-apocalyptic family drama story, Arcadian stretches thin in too many directions. Fortunately, the movie’s unique creature design makes up for every plot mistake. Read full review
60
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiMar 25, 2024
Arcadian may falter in its story details, building some character tension that is never fully fleshed out, but it succeeds in creating a gripping, tense experience that is elevated by its disturbing creatures. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeMar 14, 2024
Most of Arcadian’s potential lies in its performances (including compelling turns from Martell and Soverall) and the design of the monsters. Read full review
50
The New York TimesCalum MarshApr 11, 2024
A competent director can do only so much with a poor script, and Arcadian is littered with shortcuts and screenwriting clichés. It is vague to the point of careless, and often seems to be inventing rules for its monsters as it goes along. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussApr 9, 2024
The action ramps up so much toward the end that there’s really no time to care whether it makes visual or logistical sense. It’s sustained, exciting and increasingly gory fun that’s a pleasure to get to after some of the film’s earlier, dour stretches. It’s sustained, exciting and increasingly gory fun that’s a pleasure to get to after some of the film’s earlier, dour stretches. Read full review
45
PolygonTasha RobinsonApr 12, 2024
Arcadian does a few things remarkably well for a sci-fi/horror movie, but it needed a lot more to really spark: more commitment to its vaguely realized setting, more energy between the two very different brothers at its center, and above all, more Nicolas Cage — either version of him. Read full review
43
Paste MagazineBrianna ZiglerApr 10, 2024
Arcadian isn’t a time-waster, but its execution is too rote and unimaginative to warrant its existence as another addition to our post-apocalypse glut. Read full review
40
Total FilmLauren MilesJun 13, 2024
Cage disappointingly disappears for a good chunk of the runtime, but Martell and Jenkins hold the fort until he reemerges in suitably dramatic fashion during Arcadian’s climax. Sadly little else in the finale works so well, with ropey special effects and ludicrous set pieces undercutting the intrigue created at the start. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeyJun 13, 2024
First-time director Brewer was the visual effects supervisor on Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s this department that’s his forte, rather than marshalling actors, or stitching scenes together with functional continuity. Read full review
40
VarietyPeter DebrugeApr 11, 2024
Unfortunately, Brewer and screenwriter Mike Nilon ignored an essential rule: Conceiving an original monster isn’t nearly as important as coming up with compelling human characters Read full review
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