Kick On – Movie Review | Fantastic Fest (3/5)

KICK ON is a wild action thriller from Australia. This is a great choice for fans of gore, and in classic Aussie style, it does not hold back. Overall, the storyline is simple but escalates in extreme ways. Screening at Fantastic Fest, where the film gets its U.S. premiere. Read our full Kick On movie review here!

KICK ON is screening at Fantastic Fest, where I can only imagine it will result in a very happy theater full of genre fans. In particular, if you enjoy gore and crazy characters that act and react in wild ways. This is an action thriller from Australia, and if you’re familiar with Aussie genre productions, you’ll know that they never hold back.

The runtime is right around the one and a half hour sweet spot, which also improves the overall impression. No extra sideplots or lingering moments that offer you a moment to recover. This is relentless, which is exactly as it should be.

Continue reading our Kick On movie review below.

“Just say no”

Forget all about First Ladies trying to stop kids from doing drugs by saying “Just say no”. Instead, show them Kick On, and ask if that’s what they want. I mean, the consequences of getting involved with illegal substances are that you’re dealing with criminals. Whether hardcore criminals or some anonymous dealer, it all goes back to the same place.

In Kick On, Eden and her three best friends will get to meet the people in that place.

After spending a night out drinking, dancing, and getting high, they end up being part of a huge fight. This all takes place in Melbourne’s club scene, and once the fight has happened, they should be smart and go home.

They do not.

When bad things happen to good people

Instead, they run out for a bite to eat, a couple of energy drinks, and then decide they need a little pick-me-up of the illegal substance variety. This is when they suddenly find themselves in the drug lair of Roman. He is bored, and with these four friends arriving, he decides it’s the perfect company for an impromptu afterparty. The kind where he can try out a new hyper-efficient drug on these “new friends”.

Oh yeah, it should also be mentioned that Roman, who mostly goes by Ray, is the coked-out son of a sadistic mobster. And yes, you can expect daddy to show up as things go extremely sideways. We’re talking the kind of gore that features all kinds of weapons and results in impalings and other mutilations.

What works so well in Kick On is that the four friends at the center of this mayhem are very likable. Sure, they make bad choices. Also, one of them has a really bad temper that lands them in trouble. However, he is also protective and good to his friends. The villains are as crazy and heartless as you’d expect, but by the end of the movie, you’ll also get an idea of what makes them tick.

I like and applaud that this wild action-thriller is ultimately a character-driven gore fest!

Watch Kick On when you can

Kick On comes from director Nick Kozakis (Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism) and screenwriter Phillip Klimek. I loved the pace of this Aussie gorefest, which does focus on realism rather than the wildest horror gore. To me, the realistic kind of gore hits harder, and if you’re not ready for slashed and mangled bodies, then Kick On is not for you.

Of course, if you’re reading a review of a genre film here on Heaven of Horror, then surely you’re actively looking for something wild.

Making sure it all hits as hard as possible is a cast delivering strong portrayals and entertaining “heroes” and villains. Leading the cast are Markella Kavenagh (The Cry), Nikolai Nikolaeff (Stranger Things), Jacek Koman (Heweliusz), and Ras-Samuel (War Machine). While this isn’t the kind of movie I expect to watch again, I am very glad that I did watch this entertaining action-thriller.

I recommend you give it a shot as well.

Kick On is getting its US Premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026.

Details

Director: Nick Kozakis
Writer: Phillip Klimek
Stars: Markella Kavenagh, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Jacek Koman, Ras-Samuel, Julian Weeks