Trap

“Trap” is 2024 thriller by M. Night Shyamalan starring Josh Hartnett (The Faculty), Ariel Donoghue (Wolf Like Me), Saleka Shyamalan, and Alison Pill (American Horror Story).

A father takes his daughter to a concert to see her favorite pop star Lady Raven. Only the whole concert is a set up to catch the serial killer dubbed The Butcher. Unfortunately, the dad is The Butcher. He must now find a way to escape the venue before he is caught.

I love M. Night, he is one of my favorite directors, and his twists are top notch. Josh Hartnett is also a great actor who hasn’t been in a lot lately, even though he did recently kill it in an episode of “Black Mirror.” Then add in the unique story line, this movie seems like a no brainer.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t live up to expectations. Most of the better scenes of when they’re in the venue, are shown in the trailers, so there isn’t a lot of suspense or build up. It does get better later on in the film, but still not enough to save it. Also, the twist in this one isn’t up to par as most. I was hoping for more out of this one being an M. Night film and with such a unique story. I give it a 6.5/10

Knock at the Cabin

“Knock at the Cabin” is a 2023 thriller/mystery directed by M. Night Shyamalan based on the book ” The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay. It stars the big man himself Dave Bautista (Glass Onion), Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), Abby Quinn (Mad About You), and Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth).

Two husbands and their adopted daughter are vacationing at a cabin in the woods off the beaten path. They haven’t been there long, when a knock comes at the door. It’s four strangers who tell them the fate of the world is in their hands. They must sacrifice one of themselves or the world will end.

I love M. Night Shyamalan, he’s one of my favorite directors. His movies are thought provoking, unique and a lot of times leave you speechless with the surprise twist. This one is pretty much the same, not as much of a surprise twist and you would expect from him, but the rest is true. This is another home run for him. I like both Dave Bautista and Jonathan Groff, both are great actors. It’s also good to see Bautista branch out and do a serious roll versus the big, dumb, muscular, funny guy roll that he normally plays. Which he nails. It’s a two-hour movie, and the whole thing takes place in one location, the cabin. So, it’s set up to be a nightmare if written poorly, but this one is executed really well and doesn’t feel like two hours at all. Plus, it throws some tear jerkers in there as well. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie is the camera angles. Majority of the scenes are zoomed way in and only catch on person in the frame at a time, I’m guessing it’s done for dramatic effect, but I didn’t care for it. Overall, it’s a must see and I give it a 9/10.

Old

‘Old’ is a 2021 thriller by M. Night Shyamalan starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle), Rufus Sewell (A Knight’s Tale), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Alex Wolff (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Thomasin Mckenzie (Jojo Rabbit), Ken Leung (Lost), Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad), Francesca Eastwood (Awake), and Abbey Lee (Elizabeth Harvest).

A family, and different couples go to a secluded beach arranged by a resort. However time moves differently on the beach, every thirty minutes is equivalent to one year, and they soon find out they can’t leave.

M. Night Shyamalan is known for his supernatural elements, and his twist endings, especially his twist endings. He does it every film. I love M. Night Shyamalan movies, so when I saw he had a new one coming out, I had to go see it. I saw a few mixed reviews before seeing it, some said it was a bore fest, while others claimed it was great movie. Honestly it didn’t disappoint, from start to finish it’s a great thrill ride. The entire movie I felt it had a good message and that enjoy the time we have and don’t look towards the future or back at the past, but after the twist ending it’s more of does the needs of the many outweigh the few? This movie will keep you guessing and coming up with your own theory the entire time, it’s a great watch. I give it a 9/10.