Trap (original) (raw)
Summary A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.
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Summary A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.
On one level, Shyamalan feels more comfortable than ever; Trap may cook more purely and entertainingly than anything in his last decade of self-styled pop hits. But it also suggests that there are discordant notes that he can’t, and probably shouldn’t, ever get out of his system.
It works so much better than should be possible because of Hartnett, who gets a showcase on par with the one the filmmaker gave to James McAvoy in Split.
The storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat, with unexpected twists that make it hard to look away. The performances are outstanding, particularly from the lead actors, who bring their characters to life with authenticity and passion.
I loved this movie and Josh Harnet coolness and likeable character was refreshing and enjoyed it. Keeping it cool throughout the movie.
Although he’s no stranger to IP-based films (his last two were adaptations) Trap is a reminder that Shyamalan is one of the few A-List directors who still seems dedicated to original storytelling, and even when the scripts don’t quite fully deliver on their elaborate premises, his knack for creating interesting characters and casting the right actors to play them picks up the slack.
Trap does have one brilliant touch: At its best, Shyamalan has given us a perfect portrait of the power of straight white male privilege.
Shyamalan and Hartnett struggle to fashion a convincingly layered murderer whose mental unravelling and inner anguish are sufficiently captivating. Instead, the performance is a muddled melding of serial-killer types audiences have seen before.
While the setup is intriguing, the film quickly loses steam, becoming a muddled chase interspersed with concert footage.
Josh Hartnett does his best playing a serial killer and devoted dad living in the same body. But you don’t need a sixth sense to know that director M. Knight Shyamalan is running on empty as his patchwork thriller slips from disappointment to disaster.
Another great M. Night Shamylan movie. He never repeats himself, his movies are always uniquely entertaining!! Trap, didn't want to watch any of the trailers so I went into this not knowing anything and I was pleasantly surprised as usual.
The most fun part of the movie for me was actually figuring out that the protagonist was the serial killer, since I didn’t read the synopsis for this one. It was kind of scary because I had no clue what was going on. The last act, though, felt a bit forced because there’s too much convenience for the plot to unfold. This may be a problem if you're not that connected to the trama. Saleka’s performance was inconsistent to me. At times, she seemed emotionless. But yeah, she can definitely sing. Josh Hartnett, on the other hand, is truly scary, but to be honest, not seeing him in action made the whole 'serial killer' thing less intimidating. Ariel Donoghue was talented as well.
First half of the film was engaging and felt rather creative, almost like playing a Hitman game and seeing how it'd play out where you're rooting for the antagonist, however as soon the 2nd half of the movie commences it all starts to fall apart in corny and predictable ways. The Shamalayan twist in this one was being forced to watch bad pop music with virtually a non-existent twist.
The real trap here is getting **** in to watching a 2 hour long commercial for the director's daughter's music career.
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Production Company Blinding Edge Pictures, The Government of Canada Income Tax Credit Program
Release Date Aug 2, 2024
Duration 1 h 45 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline A new M. Night Shyamalan experience.