Welcome to Knockout Horror and to day 8 of our 31 Days of Halloween 2024 feature. Today we are checking out the most recent movie from director M. Knight Shyamalan – Trap. This isn’t the first Shyamalan movie we have covered on this site and, unfortunately, it probably won’t be our last. We checked out The Village a number of years ago and also reviewed Knock at the Cabin, recently. Funnily enough, both of those movies also lean more towards the thriller genre just like today’s movie Trap.
More Shenanigans
The story follows a sting operation set up to catch a serial killer. A vicious murderer is on the loose and, apparently, the only way to lure him in is with a pop concert that the police are sure his daughter won’t want to miss. Sounds elaborate and ridiculous? That’s because it is. In traditional Shyamalan form, the plot is unbelievable, convoluted and, ultimately, un-necessary.
It’s not that I dislike Shyamalan’s stick. In fact, I really enjoyed The Village and always find most of his stuff to be, at the very least, quite watchable. Well, with the exception of a few titles (looking at you The Happening). But they are just so silly, what with all the twists and bullshit.
It seems like he has been trying to dial it back a little in the past few years. His titles now just tend to be straight forward and to the point. Trap is no exception. This is a fairly formulaic thriller that gives away its entire plot in the trailer and is devoid of twists and turns.
Progress, Perhaps?
If that last statement leads you to believe that Shyamalan can just focus on the good stuff, now, and produce a competent movie, you may be disappointed. Trap is a bit of a mess. Sure, it’s fairly watchable and the brilliant performance of John Hartnett lifts it way above its station. But it is almost impossible to shake the feeling that you are watching little more than a launching platform for his daughter’s music career.
After the release of The Watchers (we reviewed it and thought it was okay), it has become eminently clear that Shyamalan will do whatever it takes to propel his kids to the height of fame. Like a soldier sacrificing himself to save the rest of his platoon. Shyamalan will dilute his already flavourless movies to make sure that his daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, is the centre of attention.
The problem there is that it is impossible not to notice how awkward the whole thing feels. The bulk of the movie takes place inside of an arena to the backdrop of Saleka slinking around on stage and crooning out some, ultimately, unmemorable and rather generic pop music. Most of the shots either feature her singing, Hartnett running around, or audience members desperately trying to mime the words to songs they no none of the lyrics for.
Saleka isn’t all that good and would, likely, be kicked out pretty early in the audition stage of American Idol. But, her father is famous so we must all endure her as if she is the second coming of Britney Spears. She isn’t all that as an actor, either, which makes some of the later stages of the movie even more awkward.
Just Really Messy
Still, nepotism gonna nepotism and all. Half of Hollywood was connected to someone in the “biz” before fame so what can you expect? The real problem is that the movie just isn’t all that good. It feels like half of the material was left lying on the cutting room floor.
Tension is minimal due to drawn out and repetitious sequences that offer few thrills and no excitement. Awkward cuts make it seem as though the characters spend more time walking through the Arena halls than watching the performance. And extras stroll around like pre-programmed brainless zombies in a dazzling case of poor direction.
It just feels cheap and the typically solid parts of Shyamalan’s productions are just not there. It doesn’t help that the movie is woefully predictable. If this is the type of thing he is going to put out then I think we are all going to be wishing he would go back to the twist heavy bullshit of yesteryear. Trap simply feels lazy. The issues are massively compounded by myriad plot holes, as well, leading you to question every single moment.
On the plus side, Josh Hartnett is fantastic. His charismatic performance almost makes the movie worth a watch and definitely makes me interested in a sequel. The thrills are minor and the adult content almost non-existent so there is a good chance casual fans of movies may really enjoy it and teens will probably get a kick out of it too. The whole movie feels, very much, like it is aimed at a teen audience. It is very simplistic, a bit cheesy, and rather cringe in a way that only teenagers will not notice.
Should You Watch Trap?
It’s a basic, simple, thriller that should be suitable for all audiences. If you don’t demand too much in the way of quality, you should probably watch Trap. Serious horror or thriller fans will be disappointed. It’s just a vehicle for his daughter’s music career and little more. Hartnett is sensational but that’s really the only strong point. Other than that, Trap is typical, low rent, Shyamalan fare.
