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Published 12:40 18 Aug 2026 BST
Updated 12:40 18 Aug 2026 BST

The 2024 movie follows Paul (Cage), a father raising his twin teenage sons, Thomas (Jaeden Martell, IT) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins, Reacher), in a post-apocalyptic near-future. Together, they have found refuge at a fortified farm in the countryside, settling into a routine of "tranquillity by day and torment by night".
That is because when the sun sets, "ferocious creatures of the night awaken and consume all living souls in their path".
As Paul's children grow older, their yearning to explore the outside world puts them in peril. This leads their dad to venture away from the safety of home to face down the monsters and protect his kids.
The movie was shot in Dublin and Wicklow, meaning the countryside locations look great. The performances are uniformly excellent too, with Cage hugely sympathetic as a stern but clearly loving father trying to do what is best for his children.
What really sticks with viewers about Arcadian is its inventively designed, nightmarish monsters, which look and move like nothing we've ever witnessed onscreen before. These creatures truly need to be seen to be believed.
Holding a solid 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes, you can read a sample of some of the positive reviews for Arcadian below:
Bloody Disgusting: "Playing like a cross between a poignant coming-of-age story and intense survival horror, Arcadian's ultimate appeal and magic lie in the inventive monster designs and the thrilling action set pieces they inspire."
FilmWeek: "[Director Benjamin Brewer] gets to show you his monster-making chops, and it's pretty effective..."
Mashable: "It's the monsters that bring the big, delicious, funky thrills of Arcadian… But it's Cage and his onscreen kids who give the movie stakes and the emotional centre that is required for a great monster movie, be it Jaws or Alien."
The Observer: "Balanced and solid, with equal measures of terror and suspense... I’ll be darned if it didn’t scare the daylights out of me."
Slant Magazine: "Even as the shotgun shells start flying, it makes time for the quiet dramatic moments that carry its family drama forward amid the carnage."
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Arcadian is streaming on Prime Video in Ireland and the UK right now.
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Prime Video has just added Arcadian, a great and underseen action horror thriller starring Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage (Pig, Spider-Noir, The Surfer).
Directed by Ben Brewer - who previously collaborated with Cage on the excellent crime thriller The Trust - Arcadian is essentially a cheaper-made, scrappier version of A Quiet Place. That said, it has a couple of elements that make it well worth seeking out.
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