Trap

"Trap" (2024) generated great expectations since the release of its trailer, which presented a relatively new and thought-provoking premise, in addition to being directed by M. Night Shyamalan. However, despite the initial potential, several wrong decisions compromised the final result of the work.

The absence of graphic violence reduces the impact of the film, generating few scenes of true tension. The script relies on several conveniences, making the protagonist seem more "lucky" than strategist. Furthermore, the superficial development of the serial killer makes his arc not very engaging, which negatively affects the construction of the character. The twist in the third act is not surprising and seems unnecessary, wasting the opportunity for a remarkable outcome, something expected in the director's films. On the other hand, the soundtrack and its theme is a strong point, differentiating itself from other productions of the genre and adding value to the narrative.

Although technically well produced, the film has flaws that undermine the impact of the proposal. "Trap" ends up becoming another generic psychological horror film, despite its interesting musical theme.

Even his most vociferous critics concede that M. Night Shyamalan has made some interesting, entertaining films. 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Unbreakable,' his third and fourth features, are generally considered to be his finest, though later works- most notably 'Split'- are also quite enjoyable. However, his filmography is populated more by duds than hits. From 'The Happening' and 'After Earth' to 'Old', Shyamalan has made many convoluted, dull and downright moronic movies, that no-one- not even his mother- could love.

His newest venture, 'Trap', follows Cooper and his daughter Riley, who attend a concert for their favourite musician, pop star Lady Raven. They've been looking forward to it for ages, and are excited as all get out. However, the gig is not what it seems. The whole show is, in fact, an elaborate sting operation, to capture a serial killer known as The Butcher. With the police outside, and The Butcher among the fans, will anyone survive; and with this film, does Shyamalan have a hit on his hands, or yet another dud?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering its ludicrous premise, 'Trap' is tatty nonsense, with a predictable narrative so full of plot holes and cliches it makes Shyamalan's egregious 'Old' look like the work of Orson Welles. One would be forgiven for assuming that a four-year-old child wrote the screenplay, so mindlessly ridiculous the film is throughout its interminable 105-minutes. Nothing in it makes sense. From the beginning to the end, it's balderdash of the highest level. Logic has no place in Shyamalan's world. Take the police, for example. Nearly everything they do in their hunt for The Butcher is the opposite of what they should be doing; almost as if the entire force were on the serial killer's side.

Moreover, the characterisation involved is asinine, slim and cliched, especially that involving The Butcher. In addition, characters do not act rationally, nor do they act irrationally in a consistent manner: they are whatever Shyamalan wants them to be in the moment, whether or not it makes sense. What's worse: the film lacks suspense, without any tension or gripping moments- the death knell for a thriller.

Further, the dialogue is laughably stilted, making one wonder if Shyamalan has ever had a conversation with a real person before. It is so utterly unnatural it's genuinely puzzling how anyone who read the script could possibly agree to star in it (unless, of course, you were related to the filmmaker).

However, there are some reasonably bright spots in the teeming pit of underwhelment that 'Trap' is, namely Sayombhu Mukdeeprom's cinematography. His use of close ups and quick pans effectively generates the energy that the narrative sorely lacks, which Herdís Stefánsdóttir's score compounds. However, Saleka Shyamalan's songs for Lady Raven- which are made such a focal point one wonders if her father made the whole film simply to give her a platform to sing and dance- are generic and dull, though she performs them well.

Josh Hartnett stars as Cooper, and his performance is either quite clever, or rather poor, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, the character he is playing is acting themselves, trying to project the visage of normality, as it were. In the stressful situation Cooper finds himself in, that visage slips and begins to crack, appearing unnatural and forced. Therefore, the fact that Hartnett is over-the-top and slightly off could be a clever approach to the role. On the other hand, maybe that's not the case, and he just misjudged his performance.

Ariel Donoghue stars as Riley, and doesn't get all that much to do, really, bar shouting and screaming for Lady Raven, which she does energetically enough. The aforementioned Saleka Shyamalan stars as Lady Raven, and her father really should have gone in a different direction other than home when casting that particular role- and when getting someone to write the songs too, for that matter.

She brings to mind Sofia Coppola in 'The Godfather Part III.' Directed by her father, Coppola was incredibly wooden, much like Shyamalan in 'Trap.' Although, considering the terrible dialogue; no one could perform admirably in her role. Additionally, Alison Pill and Hayley Mills both have small roles as Rachael, Cooper's wife, and an FBI profiler, respectfully, and anyone could have stepped into their near miniscule parts and been as effective as they.

In short, M. Night Shyamalan's 'Trap' is another in the long line of misfires the director has had over his career. In fact, looking at his filmography, he's had more misses than hits- a lot more. With a senseless narrative, stilted dialogue and slim characterisation, it's not got much to offer. Although the cinematography and score are both good, the songs performed by the Lady Raven character are dull, and the cast do uncommendable work. To put it succinctly and not beat around the bush, 'Trap' is utterly crap.

Quite the nosedive!

I actually enjoyed the opening chunk of 'Trap', everything at the music concert is fairly well done and kept the intrigue alive for me. However, once events leave the arena the movie absolutely bombs its way to the finish. The last portion of the film is terrible viewing, it felt like it just kept going and going and going.

There are plot holes aplenty, nonsensical 'twists' and character decisions/abilities. Cooper, played finely to be fair by Josh Hartnett, is absolutely some sort of big shot in his 'line of work', though makes some dumb mistakes. Though he is apparently capable of teleportation, based on one scene involving a limo.

I'm not someone who needs every inch of a movie to make sense, I can enjoy something that's simply an entertaining watch; even with poorly crafted elements elsewhere in the movie. This, unfortunately, ends up being just bad. That is a shame, because I honestly did like (albeit mildly) the stuff at the venue.

Very surprised to see the fairly good reception this has received so far on a few sites, I would not have predicted that but, hey, what do I know?

A watchable movie, but the director ventures into too many different directions. The third act feels very disconnected from the rest of the film, culminating in a never-ending finale with bland characters that are poorly developed.

The story veered into many different directions, making it feel unfocused. I did not enjoy the poor acting, except for Josh Harriett, who was the only good part of the movie.

The third act was particularly undetermined and disjointed. Surprisingly, the best part of the movie was during the film credits.

Even Josh Harnett's performance, the sole highlight, couldn't save the film from its shortcomings.

I feel like the idea of directing a concert and a plot inside a concert took over everything else. It starts off quite well and all props to Josh Hartnett but at the end of it all, it's nothing that stands out, nothing at all. The charm, creativity and the out of the box cocncepts and even the eerie settings of his movies are all but missing in this movie.

If you're a fan of his old work like the Signs, Village, Unbreakable, Sixth Sense or even The Visit and The Happening and are fond of his art then TRAP is a complete pivot from his work.

It was also kind of annoying at how they made the cops and the FBI look and think like 4th graders trying to catch a criminal.

Missed opportunity, for us!