I’ve had a love/hate relationship with M. Night Shyamalan over the years. Sometimes he delivers the goods and surprises me with a great movie! Then there are films like Trap, where he seems to miss the mark entirely, leaving me more bewildered than entertained.
Trap was a disappointment. From the moment the film started, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more of a vanity project than a genuine attempt at storytelling. The plot felt like it was cobbled together just to give Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, a chance to shine on the big screen.
She plays the pop star character in the movie, Lady Raven, which I didn’t expect would have such a significant role in the story.
Now, let’s talk about the so-called twist—or lack thereof. If you’re expecting the typical Shyamalan twist that turns the entire movie on its head, you’re in for a letdown.
The big twist is that Saleka Shyamalan had a much bigger part in the story than I thought she would. But, it might just be that the big reveal here is that there isn’t one. Or perhaps the twist is that Shyamalan decided to forgo his signature move altogether.
Instead, we get Josh Hartnett playing a crazy serial killer who leans into his being an overly silly dad with bad dad jokes. No shocking revelation, no mind-bending plot turns—just a straightforward story.
The story itself is painfully uninteresting, and the script doesn’t do much to elevate it. There were moments where I found myself laughing, but not in the way you want to laugh during a thriller. The dialogue was clunky, the pacing was off, and the whole thing just fell flat.
I do want to give credit where it’s due as Josh Hartnett really tried to make it work. He put in the effort and did his best to encapsulate the character Shyamalan created for him. Hartnett’s portrayal of “The Butcher,” the father who took his daughter to the concert only to reveal himself as a maniacal serial killer, had moments of potential. But even his dedication couldn’t save the movie from itself.
In the end, Trap is easily one of the worst films I’ve seen this year. I walked into the theater with a sliver of hope that Shyamalan would surprise me again, that maybe this would be one of those movies where he pulls the rug out from under us in the best way possible.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, I was left with a film that didn’t work on any level, from the uninspired plot to the lackluster performances.
If you’re a die-hard Shyamalan fan, you might still find something to appreciate here. But for me, Trap was a misstep, a film that tried to be clever and thrilling but ended up being neither.
