“Arcadian” tries to tackle its very familiar genre territory, and I like its earnest attempt to some degree. Yes, the overall result is still basically another typical post-apocalyptic horror drama film which does not break any new ground in my inconsequential opinion, but it is not entirely without engaging elements at least, and you may gladly go along with it before it eventually arrives at its predictable last act. 

During the opening scene, we are introduced to a plain dude named Paul (Nicholas Cage), and then we soon see how things quickly fall apart around him and many people out there. For some rather unspecific reason, the human civilization is almost wiped out within a short period, and a few remaining survivors like Paul must struggle day by day for their survival, while also having to protect themselves from the freakish entities originated from this apocalyptic situation of theirs.

Anyway, Paul has two baby sons under his sole care, and his sons’ safety is certainly his No.1 priority. 15 years later, his two sons, Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) and Joseph (Jaeden Martell), grow up to become teenage boys who are now big enough to take care of themselves, but he is still concerned about their safety nonetheless. While they are now happily living together in a shabby farmhouse located in the middle of some quiet rural area which surely looks as arcadian as the very title of the movie suggests, they must always be very careful whenever night begins, because that is when those hideous entities will come out and then look for any chance to break into their residence.

However, things always look fine and well whenever another day begins with sunrise, and we get to know more about how Paul and his sons live day by day. While Thomas usually goes to a nearby farmhouse belonging to a couple and several others mainly because of seeing the adolescent daughter of that couple, Joseph prefers to stay inside their residence, but he has also been interested in how he and his family should handle their increasingly difficult problem with those hideous entities. It seems to him that these creatures have some intelligence, and he is willing to test his theory on them sooner or later, regardless of whether his father approves of that or not.

On one day, Paul lets his sons spend some time alone by themselves. However, Thomas subsequently decides to see that girl again while not telling his father at all, and then he happens to have an accident while returning from that girl’s farmhouse around the end of the day. Quite worried about Thomas’ safety to say the least, Paul immediately goes out for searching for him, and Joseph is consequently left alone by himself inside their residence as another night is beginning.

Needless to say, the mood becomes tense as Paul and his two sons are inevitably terrorized by those freakish creatures, and we get to see more of how monstrous these entities are. Whenever they are about to strike upon their prey, they show more gruesome sides to behold, and then it turns out later that they are indeed smart enough to plan how to attack their human targets more successfully, though they are still not so different from what we have seen from those countless zombie movies. 

Meanwhile, the screenplay by Michael Nilon, who also serves as one of the producers of the film, sometimes observes how harsh its post-apocalyptic world can be. While the parents of that girl are mostly nice and benevolent on the surface, they can also be rather selfish in case of maintaining their current status, and that eventually leads to a little conflict between Thomas and their daughter, who naturally feels guilty when their parents flatly refuse to help Paul at one point later in the story.

In the end, the story culminates to the climactic moment when Paul and several other main characters desperately try to defend themselves against a bunch of those hideous creature, and that is when the movie becomes less interesting than before. Merely going for its action mode without much surprise, the movie just throws a lot of CGI creatures onto the screen, and this sometimes overshadows the ongoing drama among the main characters.

At least, the movie still engages us thanks to the diligent efforts from its main cast members. Nicholas Cage, who also participated in the production of the film, wisely dials down his usual intense presence as gradually stepping aside for his younger co-stars, who are convincing as the two contrasting brothers who have maintained a strong bond between them despite their considerable personality difference. Jaeden Martell, who has been more prominent since his breakthrough turn in “St. Vincen” (2014), and Maxwell Jenkins ably complement each other throughout the film, and Jenkins also clicks well with Sadie Soverall in a few intimate scenes between them. 

On the whole, “Arcadian”, directed by Benjamin Brewer, does not distinguish itself much in terms of story and character, and I wish it had more mood, detail, and personality, even though I appreciate the competent efforts on and behind the screen. Considering that it is not a total bore at least, I will not stop you from watching it if you simply want to kill some free time of yours, but, folks, there is nothing particularly new or fresh for you here if you are a seasoned moviegoer like me, and you will soon move onto next things to watch once it is over.