Arcadian

 

     Nicholas Cage stars as Paul, a father of two teenage boys living in an isolated rural area, in a post apocalyptic world.  During the day the they look for food and salvage materials. The older boy, Thomas, played by Maxwell Jenkins,  when he can, visits a farm of other survivors a few miles away. It is there that he enjoys the company of Charlotte, played by Sadie Soverall, a girl his own age. The younger son, Joseph, played by Jaeden Martell, tinkers with projects and builds useful things for the family's survival.

     At night, the three board up their house, securing all the locks to protect themselves from strange creatures that started appearing after the apocalypse. The creatures only appear after dark so it's always a race to return home at sunset to protect themselves.

     The three leads are very good with Mr. Cage giving a stoic performance, stepping back and letting the boys handle most of the plot's heavy lifting. The film is well paced, suspenseful and builds to a strong third act. The creatures are original and quite menacing, a combination of CGI and puppetry.

      It's a better than average take on a well worn plot.