Many fans are anxious to see M. Night Shyamalan's newest thriller film, Knock at the Cabin, which, after weeks of promotion and hype, finally comes to theaters tomorrow. For those who remain curious about how satisfying the film will be and prefer to sway with public opinion, CinemaBlend reports that more critic reviews are already pouring in with different perspectives on Shyamalan's vision and execution this time around.
Initial screenings of the film were mostly positive, with critics praising Shyamalan's writing, something that doesn't happen entirely often given the director's affinity for twisted, sometimes too-confusing narratives. His proficient use of horror elements to immerse and terrify the audience was noted, along with commending Dave Bautista's performance. However, with the new batch of reviews from online critics, the general opinion seems to have shifted, with a far more mixed reception. Here is what some of them had to say about the film.
Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend gave the film just 2 stars out of 5, praising the performances such as Bautista's but says that Shyamalan's writing doesn't quite get the movie to a satisfying conclusion.
"There is a good amount to appreciate in Knock At The Cabin, but it’s really just enough for the film to hit the bar of ‘disappointing’ instead of ‘bad.’ One always goes into the latest M. Night Shyamalan film hoping that it will be his next The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, or Split, but this is more on the level of Glass and Old."
Right here at MovieWeb, Julian Roman also lamented the film's crippled narrative, that the director failed to give the audience any quality plot twists and too many noticeable holes were left in the script.
"Willing suspension of disbelief can only go so far. The biblical end of days makes more sense than some of the action in this film. Several scenes strain credulity to the breaking point. Shyamalan uncharacteristically drops zero bombshells. Additional elements were needed to stoke intrigue."
While these reviews concluded that Knock at the Cabin simply failed the Shyamalan coin flip and fell into the pile of his more forgettable projects, others swayed in the other direction and praised the film. For instance, Uproxx's Mike Ryan claims that the film is one of Shyamalan's best yet, and he predictably applauds Bautista for his role.
"M. Night Shyamalan can be streaky with his movies, but he’s always going for something, even though it doesn’t always work. But I do appreciate that even when it doesn’t work, he’s still out there doing it. But when he hits one right, man he sure hits. And here he really is at his best. He lets the story breathe and he really does let all these actors drive what’s happening instead of putting something conflated in here to surprise us just for the sake of surprising us."
Chris Evangelista over at SlashFilm also compliments Shyamalan's creative feats in the film, saying that it's yet another return to form for him that may not reach its full potential, but nonetheless it still conveys what he's best at: tension.
"Tension is the name of the game, and Shyamalan knows exactly how to build it. It rises and builds to the point of breaking. This might be the filmmaker's most intense film to date, and while there are occasional bursts of genuine humor, Knock at the Cabin is more concerned with leaving you perturbed and unsettled by what you're witnessing. On that front, Knock at the Cabin is a success, even if its script can't quite match the visual intensity. Whatever is lacking here is balanced by Shyamalan's filmmaking. Say what you will about the director, but he's still got it."
M. Night Shyamalan's film adaptation stars Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Jonathan Groff (The Matrix Resurrections), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), and Abby Quinn (Little Women). The film lands in theaters everywhere Friday, Feb. 3.
Tremblay's Apocalyptic Novel About a Family Very Much in the Wrong Place
Knock at the Cabin is based on Paul Tremblay's acclaimed apocalyptic horror novel The Cabin at the End of the World. The book follows a vacationing family in New Hampshire (Pennsylvania in the film) who stay at a very remote lakeside cabin with no human contact for miles in either direction.
Despite this attempted isolation, the young daughter Wen gets randomly visited by a tall stranger while playing in the front yard. He befriends her and soon leaves. Later three more strangers, all brandishing menacing objects approach the cabin, claiming they need their help to “save the world" from the apocalypse, claiming that one of them must be sacrificed. The story presents a truly chilling scenario of what can happen in a place that seems safe and peaceful but, in fact, is the center point of a horrific ritual orchestrated by people who seem to emerge from a different reality.