Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Is a Standard Thriller with Some Laughs

“What you see is what you get” could have been the slogan for M. Night Shyamalan’s film career up until recent years. Known for his pseudo-shocking twists at the end of supernatural horrors or psychological thrillers, with some wooden acting and unnatural dialogue, Shyamalan had carved a niche for himself.

Lately, however, he’s been dialing back on the twists and turns, for better or worse. While this predictable cliché has been a staple in his films, abandoning it has made his recent movies seem closer to bland. His newest release, Trap, is neither suspenseful nor boring, and mostly reminds us of everything polarizing about the filmmaker’s reputation.

At a sold-out stadium concert for pop sensation Lady Raven (Saleka), an extensive team of SWAT and FBI agents surrounds the building. The head of a secret operation, Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), reveals their wanted serial killer will be attending the show. Meanwhile, suburban dad Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) have tickets and are enjoying the day bonding while watching Riley’s favorite artist.

Alison Pill co-stars as Cooper’s wife and Riley’s mom. Jonathan Langdon plays a merchandise vendor who clues Cooper in on the planned “trap” for the murderer, and Marnie McPhail appears as the mom of one of Ariel’s classmates also at the concert.

The trailers for Trap make it seem like the whole story takes place at the venue, which would have honestly made the film more interesting. Once the killer is very obviously revealed to be Cooper, we get the usual expository schlock and gimmicks, with Saleka’s (Shyamalan’s real daughter) music serving as the movie’s full soundtrack. The final 40 minutes outside the stadium just retread the usual thriller genre tropes we all know.

Unfortunately, it’s a good thing Saleka is more interested in music, as her acting leaves a lot to be desired once she plays a legitimate character involved with the plot.

Mills is underutilized, and it’s not a coincidence she is the original star of David Swift’s The Parent Trap (1961), now cast in a movie about a parent trapped in a location.

Some people are treating Trap as more of a comedy to make up for the stilted dialogue and Hartnett’s performance. His portrayal seems intentionally humorous, given how on-the-nose his acting is here. However, the problem is that everyone else is playing their parts completely straight, which makes the tone inconsistent, especially outside of the concert.

I did laugh a few times at the ridiculousness, and there is a very amusing cameo by rapper Kid Cudi. Nonetheless, anyone going into a Shyamalan film these days should already be aware that their mileage will vary with the execution.

Source: Particlenews