MOVIE REVIEW: TRAP

 

A man and his teenage daughter realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event while watching a concert.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill

Release Date: August 2, 2024

Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

M. Night Shyamalan's Trap is a collection of bad serial killer cliché paired with a ludicrous set up which might have been fun if everything wasn't so hackneyed.  The general conceit offers plenty of options to build tension and tighten the screws on the Josh Hartnett's central killer as the walls close in.  Shyamalan doesn't take advantage of any of this by delivering a series of bland situations and coincidences that barely register throughout the film's runtime.  The script is peppered with silly contrivances such as overly chatty arena employees and SWAT team members apparently have blinders on to people acting suspiciously.  Josh Hartnett desperately tries to deliver a chilling performance as a central killer but neither side of the character is believable since the "normal" is anything but and the killer side is just too full of goofy twitches and mommy issues.   It’s hard to place all the blame on Hartnett since the script lacks any sort of nuance or depth so it doesn't work on a serious level and its never campy enough to be enjoyed as a goof.  There is also a sense of cynicism that washes over once Shyamalan pops up on screen in one of the sillier coincidences that only ramps up the film's stupidity as it heads into its final act.  It doesn't help that the singer who's the lynchpin of the overall conceit is none other than his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, in a shameless display of nepotism.  It would all be easier to forgive if any of the film was more entertaining but it’s a testament to Trap's quality that it feels far longer than its actual runtime.

D

MOVIE REVIEW: KNOCK AT THE CABIN

 

While vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint

Release Date: February 3, 2023

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for violence and language

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Knock at the Cabin is the type of film that lays bare all of M. Night Shyamalan pros and cons as a filmmaker.  The concept and set up are well executed with the film wasting very little time to get the plot moving along.  The script, as usual with his films, has its fair share of clunky dialogue but the cast is able to elevate it with committed performances by giving it a tangible urgency and intensity.  Dave Bautista, in particular, delivers a rather impressive turn as one of the main invaders.  Bautista has quietly been putting together a rather diverse acting resume that shows off a concerted effort to be more than movie muscle.  Here, he gives his character a believably tortured vulnerability which works well as a juxtaposition to his imposing figure.  He drives the first half of the film as he lays out the concept and what his group has been tasked to do.  Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint put in solid supporting turns as the other intruders.  Out of the three, Grint gets the least amount of screen time but he makes the most of it, making you wish the film had made better use of his rather unexpected turn.  Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge are saddled with far less interesting roles as the couple being held hostage with their daughter played by Kristen Cui.  Groff and Aldridge do their best to overcome lazy writing by giving their characters more depth than actually on the page.  Kristen Cui, for her part, is the rare child actor that's able to authentically emote throughout while avoiding those annoying child pitfalls.  Even with its noticeable flaws, the film is efficient and engaging enough to keep your attention until the final act hits.  The film sets up a variety of themes which work better had Shyamalan left the ending more ambiguous, something the book does to my understanding, but instead he leans into a cheap and lazy finale that robs the story of its impact. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: SPLIT

An outing takes a sinister turn for three teenage friends (Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula) when they are kidnapped by a ruthless stranger (James McAvoy) and imprisoned in his basement. They soon learn that their captor has multiple-personality disorder, forcing them to plot their escape without ever knowing which of his 23 personas -- young or old, male or female, benign or monstrous -- they will confront on the way out. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, Brad William Henke, 

Sebastian Arcelus

Release Date: Jan 20, 2017

Rated PG-13 for Some Language, Disturbing Thematic Content, Disturbing Behavior and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

M. Night Shyamalan hasn’t made a good movie in a long long while.  I’ve personally found him to be one of the most frustrating and annoying directors in recent memory.  Typically his films have an interesting premise but he can’t help but show us exactly how clever he thinks he is.  Spilt suffers from similar issues.  Shyamalan is helped greatly by some stellar performances from James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy.  McAvoy is fully committed to the role and its fun watching him switch through personalities with incredible ease.  McAvoy’s role is the center piece but Anya Taylor-Joy is nearly as impressive in a more subtle role.  Taylor-Joy continues to impress after her star making turn in last years The Witch.  She displays some impressive talent that bodes well for her in the future.  Sadly, both performances can’t save a messily made child abuse allegory.  In a better filmmaker’s hand, this could have been a special film that could have really taken advantage of the strong performances.  Instead Shyamalan delivers a heavy handed child abuse parable all the while sexualizing his young stars with some outright creepy shots and plot devices.  Like every M. Night Shyamalan there’s a twist and a pointless cameo by the director.  The twist is entirely inorganic and comes entirely out of left field, its sole purpose is to remind audiences that Shyamalan made decent films a long time ago.

C