Onslaught review: super soldier slasher doesn't go hard enough
Onslaught, Adam Wingard's A24 super-soldier slasher starring Adria Arjona, earns decent reviews but critics say it doesn't go hard enough. The Guardian calls it a "B-minus" that lacks the promised mayhem, though Variety praises its midnight verve and Yahoo notes an 81% Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of its September 4 release.
Adam Wingard returns to indie roots after two Godzilla vs. Kong films with Onslaught, a 92-minute military slasher from A24. Early reviews paint a mixed but generally positive picture as the film prepares for its theatrical debut.
Key Takeaways
- Onslaught holds an 81% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 critics, per Yahoo.
- The Guardian's Benjamin Lee says the film "never goes hard enough" despite Adria Arjona's committed lead performance.
- Variety calls it Wingard's most aesthetically accomplished work, though structurally scattered across three plot threads.
- The R-rated thriller arrives in U.S. cinemas September 4, 2026, with a UK release set for December 11.
What Is Onslaught About?
Onslaught follows Celeste, a paranoid ex-army sniper played by Adria Arjona, who manages a trailer park for U.S. veterans. Her domestic life with daughter Daisy is upended when three genetically engineered super-soldiers escape a covert military facility run by Nazi-linked scientist Dr. Hans Kammler, played by Dan Stevens.
The soldiers, described as "the human equivalent of a heat-seeking missile," slaughter their way through a desert town before eventually reaching Celeste's compound. A cleanup crew led by Drew Starkey's hit man Cyrus adds a third narrative thread that Variety says distracts from the main event.
Why Do Critics Say Onslaught Doesn't Go Hard Enough?
Writing for The Guardian, Benjamin Lee calls Onslaught a "B-minus success." Wingard delivers A-list polish learned from studio blockbusters, but Lee argues the film feels "strangely restrained and at times a little tame."
Lee notes that arming slasher villains with guns reduces tension, and Wingard often cuts away from the carnage rather than showing gnarly kills. "For an action film it feels like we're missing a set piece or two and for a slasher it feels like we're missing some gore," Lee writes. "After all, we were promised an onslaught."
How Is Adria Arjona's Performance in Onslaught?
Both The Guardian and Variety praise Arjona as the film's standout. Lee calls her a "magnetic rising star" who gets to "shoot, quip and chainsaw" her way through the frame. Variety's Siddhant Adlakha says her "rankled, hard-as-nails performance" creates genuine proximity with the audience.
Arjona's Onslaught role arrives as she builds momentum ahead of James Gunn's DCU film Man of Tomorrow. For more on celebrity film buzz, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
What Is Onslaught's Rotten Tomatoes Score?
Per Yahoo, Onslaught holds an 81% Tomatometer from 15 critics at time of publication. The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han called it "gloriously crafted if narratively undercooked," while IGN's Tom Jorgensen praised Wingard's genre-blending style.
Not every review is glowing. The Film Verdict's Alonso Duralde called it "a particularly loathsome bucket of guts" even by grindhouse standards. Variety still finds enough "midnight verve and visceral violence" to make the film worthwhile before spooky season arrives.