Knock at the Cabin

Last weekend, Knock at the Cabin, the newest film by M. Night Shyamalan released in theaters. Knock at the Cabin follows a girl and her family as they are taken hostage by four strangers. The strangers claim they are there to prevent the apocalypse and say that it is up to the family to make a choice to stop the end of the world. I haven't seen many of M. Night's films but have heard they are mostly very intense thrillers which got me interested. I also like Dave Bautista and was interested to see him in a very different role.

This movie turned out to be a solid straightforward thriller. The tone is very intense all the way through and does a great job of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The film also delivers a great deal of intrigue as you are constantly wondering whether these people are telling the truth about the end of the world or if they are just crazy. The movie also adds subtle details throughout the movie that keeps you wondering about the truth whether it be something small the characters due or a subtle detail on the TV, you are constantly questioning whether to believe these four people. I also liked how to movie was very simple and self-contained. There is just a singular plot with no subplots and the film contains itself to this single cabin the entire time which really adds to the tension of the story. As this movie is so self-contained, it really gives the actors time to shine. Dave Bautista is great in his role. He really gets to showcase how good of an actor he really is. The two parents and the other three strangers also deliver solid performance. The performances are so well done that they lead to some great emotional moments as you begin to really care for these characters and feel bad for them when they have to make these tough decisions.

The main issue with the film is that it is a very one-note film. It asks the questions, "Are these people telling the truth?" and "will this family make this hard decision" and only focuses on answering them. There is no other aspect of the film, no big twist, and not really any character arcs. It just sticks with this one note and doesn't really add anything new as the story goes on. While being simple is a good thing, it seems like this film was a bit too simple and could've done more to beef up the story just a bit. I also wasn't really a big fan of the flashbacks throughout the film. It didn't seem like they added much to the overall story other than just getting to see this family together.

Overall, this is a very effective and straightforward film that achieves exactly what it was going for. However, it really doesn't defer from its one note and seems to be a bit too simple for its own good.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Worth Checking Out

R-Rating Disclaimer: This movie is rated R for language. There are a bout 15-20 F bombs in it. So not a ton but enough that they are fairly frequent.