“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.” – IMDb
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Starring
Jonathan Groff, Dave Bautista, Ben Aldridge, Rupert Grint
Directed by
M. Night Shyamalan
Box Office:
$57,510,518 US
Review
Based on the book “The Cabin at the End of the World” written by Paul Tremblay, “Knock At The Cabin” produced by M. Night Shyamalan, had been on my radar for quite some time. Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Split– the list of his films is long, and I enjoy the majority of them. Critics can be hard on Shyamalan but I never let them sway my opinion. Now, did I enjoy Knock At The Cabin? Yes. Was it his best work? No, but that’s okay.
Personally, I try to disassociate films with the director and cast members so that I go in with an unbiased view. It’s hard to do though; especially when you know and love the kinds of films that they make. Luckily, while I had heard about this film for many months, I didn’t know too much about it. However, there really isn’t too much to know.
Strangers interrupt a family on vacation= Knock At The Cabin…. or, is that really all there is to it?
Usually when I review movies, I already have a list a mile long of elements in the film that weren’t my cup of tea. This isn’t the case for this movie, but I’m not going to get even remotely close to praising it. It was okay. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I think Shyamalan is lucky to have fans who watch his work, however, Knock at the Cabin makes me wonder if his fans will continue to be so devoted.
Of course, the viewer is automatically concerned about whether or not the little girl will be okay. And, if her fathers will be okay. Then, the story gets more complicated. Eventually, the scene comes that makes it clear that these people aren’t here to rob them. They are there to tell them that one of the members in the family must help to stop the apocalypse. Okay, just writing that was hard to do- how ridiculous, right?
I won’t say anything more, for I do not want to spoil it. However, you can imagine what ensues. Are they all insane? Where did they come from? Why this cabin? Why these people? How will the family get out alive? What if it’s real? etc.
I was happy to see Rupert Grint in something different. He plays his role well. Bautista is great like usual- he made the movie more worthwhile.
Overall
There is a lot more to the movie than meets the eye. Throughout a few moments of the movie, I sat there wondering if the end of the world was actually happening. Or, if it was like the first time I saw Signs and thought it was all a huge prank until the last 15 minutes of the movie. It feels like if it were truly happening, this family would’ve heard about it. Ah, but of course, no cell phone service in the woods, right. How convenient…
In one scene, they put the television on and are shown footage of it as proof. There it is, “the end of things”, starting in other parts of the world. Okay, but how can they trust what is shown to them? How can they believe anything that any of these people say? What if it’s all just one big hoax, experiment, or conspiracy? What if media outlets were in on it (see War of the Worlds radio broadcast). But, the more important question, what if it isn’t a hoax? What is right and what is wrong at the end of all things? What would you do to protect your family?
Do I recommend this movie?
I wouldn’t say that it is the film that everyone is talking about and if you don’t see it, you’ll miss out. If you like Bautista, or Ronald Weasley er… sorry, Rupert Grint, then by all means, watch it. I watched it just for Bautista/Shyamalan and I’m not mad that I spent time doing so. However, I can very easily see how someone may think that it is a waste of time. It lacked the suspense I was hoping for, but that might just be me.
Did you see it? What did you think?