A24's Upcoming Sci-Fi Looks Like A Great Remake Of Jean-Claude Van Damme's '90s Action Hit
A24 has become synonymous with prestige horror and unconventional genre films, making Onslaught a notable departure from the studio's usual output. Adam Wingard's upcoming sci-fi action movie follows a former army sniper forced to protect her daughter after genetically engineered soldiers escape from a secret military facility. The premise immediately recalls Jean-Claude Van Damme's Universal Soldier, one of the defining military science fiction action movies of the 1990s.
The similarities extend well beyond enhanced soldiers. Secret government experiments, unstoppable military weapons, and a project spiraling out of control all mirror the formula that made Universal Soldier such a memorable action movie. Rather than copying that film outright, Onslaught appears to take those same core ideas and reshape them into a survival thriller with a stronger horror influence. At a time when many action movies are built around established franchises and existing intellectual property, Onslaught represents a return to the kind of original sci-fi action that once defined an entire era of film-making.
A24's Onslaught Looks Like A Modern Version Of Universal Soldier
The first trailer for Onslaught makes the comparison to Universal Soldier difficult to ignore. Both films are built around secret military experiments that create superhuman soldiers before those programs spiral out of control. While Universal Soldier focused on resurrected troops enhanced through a classified project, Onslaught updates the concept with genetically engineered soldiers escaping from a secret military facility. The science may have changed, but the core concept remains familiar.
Onslaught features heavily armed military forces attempting to contain enemies with enhanced strength and endurance, mirroring the relentless pursuit that defined the UniSols in Roland Emmerich's 1992 film. Rather than treating the super soldiers as individual antagonists, the trailers present them as an overwhelming force that conventional weapons struggle to stop. That sense of escalating danger is one of the biggest reasons the similarities between the two films stand out.
Adam Wingard also feels like the right director for this kind of material. Between The Guest and Godzilla vs. Kong, he has shown he can balance fast-paced action with strong genre elements, making him well suited to revisit a concept like this without it feeling like a throwback. Where Onslaught ultimately sets itself apart is its perspective. Instead of following one of the enhanced soldiers, the story is about a former army sniper protecting her daughter after the military loses control of its own experiment.
Shifting the focus from the weapon to the people trying to survive it gives the film a stronger survival-thriller identity while preserving the sci-fi action that made Universal Soldier work. It doesn't look like a direct remake, but it does feel like a modern interpretation of the same formula.
1990s Style Action Movies Should Make A Bigger Comeback
Custom Image By Milica DjordjevicThe action genre has shifted dramatically since the 1990s. Original movies built around a single hook have largely given way to franchise installments, shared universes, and legacy sequels. While those films continue to dominate the box office, they have also left less room for the kind of standalone sci-fi action movies that once produced titles like Universal Soldier, Timecop, Demolition Man, and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Each succeeded by taking one compelling concept and building an entire movie around it rather than laying the groundwork for a larger franchise.
Onslaught feels closer to that era than most modern action releases. Its premise is built around genetically engineered super soldiers escape from a secret military facility, leaving a former sniper to stop them before they reach her family. That kind of storytelling defined many of the decade's best action movies. Rather than relying on an interconnected universe, those films let a single strong premise drive the action, and Onslaught looks ready to do the same.
Recent box office successes have shown there is still room for that style of film-making. Jason Statham has continued to find success with standalone action films like The Beekeeper and A Working Man, proving that not every action-packed movie needs to launch a cinematic universe or extend an existing franchise. If Onslaught succeeds, it could encourage more studios to invest in original sci-fi action built around a strong premise rather than recognizable intellectual property.
Hollywood has spent years reviving familiar titles through remakes, reboots, and sequels. Reviving the storytelling approach that defined many of the best action movies of the 1990s would be a far more interesting direction, and Onslaught could be an early example of what that looks like.