By Robert Scucci
| Published
Have you ever found yourself watching A Quiet Place and thinking to yourself, “this is great, except for the disappointing lack of Nicolas Cage?” Of course you have (it was a rhetorical question), and our one true god must have heard us loud and clear because Arcadian occupies a post-apocalyptic world similar to the one found in A Quiet Place while also prominently featuring one of the greatest actors of all time.
Here’s another question for you to consider before I get into why you should stream Arcardian on Hulu:
When the world is no longer a safe place and it’s us against some mysterious hoard of creatures that crave human flesh, who would you feel the most safe with?
Cameron Poe from Con Air?
Or Jim from The Office?
They Come Out At Night
Arcadian immediately lets the viewer know what’s at stake when we’re introduced to Paul (Nicolas Cage) during the film’s opening flashback sequence. Surveying the area before breaking into a sprint, Paul runs through a decimated cityscape after a day looking for supplies. Gunshots and explosions can be heard in the distance, indicating an end-of-the-world scenario in which survivors like Paul are few and far between. When Paul arrives at his makeshift shelter, it’s revealed that he has twin baby boys, whom he tends to with care before figuring out his next moves.
Paul’s twin sons, Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), are next seen 15 years later, living and working under his care and supervision. Though Arcadian doesn’t first explicitly reveal its source of terror, it’s made clear that whatever otherworldly antagonist they’re facing only comes out at night.
Paul doesn’t have to worry about Joseph breaking curfew because he’s a borderline genius, and a homebody who would rather read and tinker in the safety of the family’s fortified farmhouse than stray too far from home.
Thomas, on the other hand, continually pushes his luck in the form of staying out late at the Rose family’s nearby farm because he’s in love with who we could reasonably assume is the only living girl his age, Charlotte (Sadie Soverall).
Don’t Do That, You Idiot!
The conflict that takes place in Arcadian could have been avoided entirely if Thomas wasn’t such a risk-taker. When Joseph, who successfully restores an all-terrain vehicle, sets out to scavenge with Thomas, Thomas instead decides to break away and head back to the Rose family’s farm. Though the boys agreed to meet back at a designated checkpoint before curfew so they can return home together, Thomas has a nasty fall, and ends up in the bottom of a cave.
Paul, knowing full well that whatever’s trying to break into their house every night will claim Thomas’ life, leaves the compound so he can find his son. Joseph follows the usual nightly lockdown routine while Paul and Thomas have a run-in with a group of monsters that are seemingly afraid of light.
Back at the house, Joseph catches an intruding monster in a homemade fortified cage after using himself as bait, and waits out the night.
Arcadian is at its most tense in the stillness of night, when the creatures start to show themselves but have yet to act aggressively. The banging on the door, the piercing shrieks in the dead of night, and the looming sense of dread as the film builds up create a healthy number of jump scares when your senses are most heightened.
No Real Surprises
While Arcadian wins some serious points for its acting and creature effects – most notably, that horrifying flapping sound the monsters make before going in for the kill – its third act doesn’t really offer anything new to the post-apocalyptic horror genre. I said earlier that this film is comparable to A Quiet Place, and I truly mean it because it pretty much follows the exact same beats with little variation. The father/son dynamic between Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, and Maxwell Jenkins was my favorite aspect of Arcadian because they believably portrayed a family who’s trying to survive through the end of days when there’s no clear answer if society will ever be restored to the “before times.”
Nicolas Cage portraying a hyper-vigilant father trying his best to care for his two boys who have completely different personalities makes Arcadian worth watching. Though I’d be lying if I told you that it has a totally original premise.
But still, if you’re a Nicolas Cage fan and enjoyed A Quiet Place, you should stream Arcadian on Hulu for its cinematography and performances alone.