"Arcadian" - Review

Something has happened. In the aftermath, a man named Paul (Nicolas Cage) lives on a farm, locking the doors securely during the day. He is aided by his two sons, the argumentative and rebellious Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) and the more pensive, inward looking Joseph (Jaeden Martell), as they survive... something.

Bloody good actually.
There are few things which inspire more dread than "limited release Nicolas Cage movie" as, despite being the greatest and most talented actor alive (a statement I make with 100% sincerity), he has had a reputation of sorts: appearing in some true bottom of the barrel dreck in order to salvage it and make it memorable. Yet he'll keep putting out good or interesting or great movies in order to remind us why he's here. And the man has been on something of a tear of late: "Pig", "Renfield", "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent", "Dream Scenario", "Prisoners of the Ghostland" and "Willy's Wonderland", and I'm extremely excited for "Longlegs".
Here, we get an oddly subdued Cage performace. He's all over what little marketing there is, but his Paul is reigned in. It works. The film is refreshingly well done in the age of modern horror: we have a stark, simple introduction with no dialogue, where Paul flees from... something, in a city going wrong, which we never truly see, only getting a pretty beautiful (in a twisted sort of way) shot of the skyline, as it burns, smoke billowing from its bowels, before Paul walks away.
It remains enigmatic, mysterious and more of a character piece as the three men grow and adapt to a world around them: Thomas wants to go forth and explore the neighbouring farm, with a budding and blossoming friendship with Charlotte (Sadie Soverall); whilst the always reliable Jaeden Martell's Thomas is concerned with keeping the farm together, following his father's rules, and learning about the apocalypse. Its 1st act is fantastic: it builds, slithers under the skin, leaves you wanting more, leaves you curious, it's talented film making. Good job director Benjamin Brewer, and writer Michael Nilon. When the "thing" arrives, and breaks through the sinister fog of the unknown, its momentum actually keeps going: there's a FANTASTIC scare with Jaeden Martell in the farmhouse which had me grinning from ear to ear from the edge of my seat, where I had inadvertantly perched my jaded and cynical arse. It gets wobbly in the 2nd act, when it tries to juggle twists and character drama, and writes out their best asset (Cage), sort of spinning its wheels and trying to figure out where it goes, before it evolves into an absolutely bananas 3rd Act far different to what has come before, which will be divisive. We've all been enjoying subtlty, mystery, and not quite knowing WHAT this is, or ever really learning what happened. But I feel that the monster design is so deranged and terrifying with its chattering jaws and walls of pulsating flesh and fur, that it manages. A hidden gem, I feel.