Sunday (2008)

Yesterday I published a review of By Any Means, which questioned the ethics of turning a sensitive subject matter into an action movie. Today I have egg on my face, because I am now presented with something that is so much more “in poor taste” it redefines the term by comparison.

At least By Any Means is sensitive, on the right side of the conflict, and attempts some realism. That film could, and maybe should, be argued to be in good taste.  A24’s Onslaught takes a myriad of sensitive issues, from mass shootings, to home invasions, to the Holocaust, to warfare, and more, and turns them into the 2026 equivalent of a cheesy B-movie.  There is no question that this film minimizes those issues and turns them into popcorn entertainment, which subconsciously reduces at least some audiences’ appreciation of the seriousness of these topics. 

Perhaps this would be okay if there was, you know, a point. At the very most, it seems pretty obvious that the creators of Onslaught are trying to instill an anti-war message. There are a couple problems with this. First, A24 has done this much better before, in the form of both Civil War and Warfare, which both came out within the last couple of years. Not to mention the myriad of better anti-war films from other studios. Second, it is highly doubtful that audiences are going to see this goofy action thriller and develop a renewed vigor against the industrial-military complex. That is like expecting people to develop a new passion for protection of children by watching Gamera vs. Guiron. It just isn’t very likely at all.