Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fierce story about sniper mom is brisk, bloody, and empty.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Onslaught
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In ONSLAUGHT, Celeste (Adria Arjona) is a divorced mom and former military sniper who runs a dusty trailer park called Windy Oasis. One day her ex, Griffin (Jacob Scipio), shows up with her daughter, Daisy (Blake Kennedy). It's an unscheduled visit, an emergency drop-off, and the exes fight, with Celeste worrying that she could lose her daughter. She tries to make the best of the situation, picking up frozen burritos for dinner and telling a bedtime story about her time in the military. Meanwhile, scientist Hans Kammler (Dan Stevens) has developed three super soldiers, lethal killing machines who are impervious to harm and won't stop until all their targets have been dispatched. These killers,—nicknamed the Crybaby (Tyler Hall), the Cockroach (Dave Campbell), and the Butcher (Alex Pereira)—manage to escape and, after a bloodbath in a nearby convenience store, descend upon the trailer park. Can Celeste save Daisy and survive?
Is It Any Good?
This gory action flick, in which a highly trained mom will do anything to protect her daughter, has a strong setup and gets out while the getting's good, but otherwise there's really not much to it. Filmmaker Adam Wingard, who cut his teeth on horror and then moved onto bigger paychecks with the Godzilla & Kong movies, returns to small-scale violence with Onslaught. The good news is that he constructs a tight, fast-moving movie that's over before it wears out its welcome. It spends a little time setting things up and letting viewers get to know the characters so that they can care about them. But some characters are just silly, such as Stevens' heavily made-up scientist and Eric Wareheim's cowardly, beer-drinking police officer.
When things get moving, it feels like Onslaught is supposed to be hyper-intense and over-the-top, like another "Grindhouse" tribute, but those tricks have been done, and none of them shock or surprise at this point. Moreover, the movie frequently copies the style and music of John Carpenter's movies, but to no useful effect. A cursory attempt to comment on the futility of war (with a closing credits use of "Battle Hymn of the Republic") notwithstanding, there really isn't much going on in Onslaught.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Onslaught's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Do characters demonstrate courage and perseverance? Are those admirable traits?
What does the movie have to say about war and war veterans? What does the opening credits sequence (depicting U.S. wars in reverse order) and the use of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" mean to you?
How are smoking, drinking, and drug use portrayed? Is substance use glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
How is Celeste portrayed? Do you consider her a positive character? Why, or why not? Why is it important to see nuanced representations of women on screen?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 4, 2026
- Cast : Adria Arjona , Dan Stevens , Blake Kennedy
- Director : Adam Wingard
- Studio : A24
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Family Stories ( Moms , Single Parents )
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language
- Last updated : September 1, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate