Streaming
Service: Peacock
Movie
Name/Year: Knock
at the Cabin (2023)
Genre:
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length:
1h
40min
Rating:
R
Director:
M. Night Shyamalan
Writers:
M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, Michael Sherman, Paul Tremblay
Actors:
Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff,
Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn, Kristen Cui
IMDb
Blurb: While vacationing, a
girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand
that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
Cat’s
Point of View:
When Knock at the Cabin was
first set to hit theaters back in February of 2023, I had eagerly
anticipated its release – as evident by the movie's #4 placement on
my personal Top 20 list for that month. Selina had listed this film
as her #11 pick. Needless to say, Knock at the Cabin was
significantly on our radar. I watched as soon as it became available
to stream On-Demand.
Looking back at that experience, in
relation to now, I can tell you that the emotional ride of this movie
was no less intense the 2nd time around. I knew what was
coming this time, of course. The only thing that changed about the
experience was the fact that I knew what was going to happen.
M. Night Shyamalan (Glass, Old, The
Watchers) skillfully crafted this emotionally wrenching and dark
tale of literal apocalyptic weight. The cabin setting enhanced the
feeling of suspense, as well as the up-in-the-air and somewhat
nebulous concept that the world could be ending. The remote location
was perfect to underscore the inability of the small family to
ascertain the validity of what was claimed by their home-invaders
merely by looking outside.
Speaking of the four intruders; Dave
Bautista (Army of Thieves, The Boy and the Heron, Dune: Part Two),
Rupert Grint (CBGB, Moonwalkers, Servant), Nikki Amuka-Bird
(Old, The Outfit, Avenue 5), and Abby Quinn (Radium Girls,
Mad About You, Hell of a Summer) were great choices for this
cast. It's always a little jarring to me to see Grint in a role so
far removed from his days of on-screen magic and mischief, but he
only reinforced here that trying to keep him in that little box is a
mistake. I could viscerally feel his performance here and it made me
uncomfortable. I also have to give major kudos to Dave Bautista.
Every new movie I see him in, I discover some new facet of his
talent. Here, he was this massively intimidating presence in a room,
yet his character's quiet and seemingly reasonable approach to this
horrible situation just gave me chills.
It's always interesting to see
characters put into situations where they have to make what feels
like an impossible choice in the face of daunting odds and a ticking
clock. Shyamalan dials up the anxiety facing all of the above here
with Knock at the Cabin.
While this film is an adaptation of the
novel The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul G. Tremblay,
fans of the book should go into this experience with an open mind. I
couldn't begin to explain the differences between what happens in
that specific story and the movie, but I have read enough articles
and the like regarding this film to know there is at least one
significant change. Don't let that dissuade you from giving this
movie a chance, however.
The emotional rollercoaster is a bit
much for me to partake of on a regular basis, however, I wasn't
disappointed with a second experience with Knock at the Cabin.
Fans of apocalyptic suspense and Shyamalan should definitely check
this out and see for yourselves how the movie measures up.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – 67%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score –
63%
Metascore
– 63%
Metacritic
User Score –
5.5/10
IMDB
Score –
6.1/10
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating –
4/5
Movie
Trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment