Critics Review M. Night Shyamalan’s Twisty New Film as Underwhelming

The reviews are in for M. Night Shyamalan’s mysterious new film *Trap*.

Months after Shyamalan fans were captivated by the enigmatic trailer, the director has finally released his latest movie. The film was further shrouded in mystery as it was revealed it would not be screened for critics ahead of its US release.

*Trap* centers on a father and his teenage daughter during a night out at a concert. The father, played by Josh Hartnett, discovers that the entire event has been orchestrated to apprehend a known serial killer. However, the twist is that the serial killer in question is the father himself, unbeknownst to his daughter, portrayed by Ariel Donoghue.

Given Shyamalan’s reputation for twists, as seen in films like *The Sixth Sense*, *Unbreakable*, and *Signs*, it was expected that *Trap* would contain more surprises than initially apparent—and reviews confirm this was the case.

However, the reception has been mixed. *The Hollywood Reporter* described the film as “a moderately entertaining thriller,” while *Variety* commented that each twist feels “more contrived than the last.” The latter added, “Asking an audience to go with something that is this fundamentally farfetched borders on an insult. More to the point: It’s not fun.”

*Collider* noted that the film shows “glimpses of [Shyamalan’s] former brilliance but ultimately falters with awkward choices and laughable moments.”

On a more positive note, *The Wrap* acknowledged that while the film “doesn’t have the depth of Shyamalan’s most important films or the theatricality of his most memorably weird experiments,” it is “one of his best thrillers.”

*The Daily Beast* praised Hartnett’s performance, stating, “As a pulpy game of cat-and-mouse, however, it provides enough thrills to compensate for its illogicalities, and in Josh Harnett, it boasts a star adept at locating the fiendishness in fatherhood.”

At the time of writing, *Trap* holds a rating of 50 percent based on 30 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

*Trap* is currently out in the US and is set to be released in the UK on 9 August.

Shyamalan’s most recent film before *Trap* was *Knock at the Cabin*, released in 2023.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Collider, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, Rotten Tomatoes