Twist master M. Night Shyamalan is back with his newest movie, Trap, and from the first reactions, critics are loving it. As with most M. Night Shyamalan movies, we don’t know much about the plot, and what we do know is likely to change with one of his signature twists. It follows Josh Hartnett’s Cooper, a dad who is taking his daughter to the concert of her favorite pop idol. But Cooper has a dark secret to hide (it would seem), and when cops show up and close off the event venue, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game between Cooper and law enforcement.
So far, Josh Hartnett is gaining praise for his strong performance that is a bit cheeky and darkly humorous. That’s not the only thing that’s getting strong reactions from critics, who got to see the movie at the NYC premiere. Read on to find out what they’re saying about Trap.
Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier had this to say:
“M. Night Shyamalan gives a masterclass in building suspense for #Trap . Josh Hartnett is captivating and brings so much humanity to a dark character. He’s absolutely brilliant in this film. I was blown away by Saleka Shyamalan! She is a true triple threat in Trap. The way that the energy of the music went hand in hand with tension that was building is genius!”
PhysicalMedia had big praise:
“I’m happy to report that #Trap is an absolute banger. Old M. Night Shyamalan is back with this one. Josh Hartnett killed it and I’m here for his comeback”
The Hollywood Handle‘s Chris Gallardo had a lot to say:
“#TrapMovie was a fun thriller that’s a return to form for M. Night Shyamalan! Blending the tones of the Halloween movies and the Hitman games, TRAP intricately blends these elements to create that ominous atmosphere. Josh Hartnett truly stands out here. His facial expressions were ON POINT when balancing Cooper the Butcher’s fake and real personalities. He managed to channel his inner Michael Myers and Agent 47 all at once, adding to that creep factor. Plus, Saleka’s songs are some fun bops! While the dialog may feel odd and the editing confusing at times, TRAP stands high alongside Shyamalan’s other works like Split and Knock at the Cabin. Check out @chrisagwrites full review next week!”
Cinema Tweets had even more to say:
“M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film #Trap kicks ass. Consider me a huge fan of this project. At a time where Hollywood appears dried out of original ides, M. Night continues to consistently come up with creative, original films that leave audiences thinking. Is Trap perfect? No. Is it a really entertaining piece of filmmaking? Yes.
While some of M. Night’s previous stories were complicated & multi-layered, Trap is one of M. Night’s more straightforward films. A serial-killing father, played by Josh Hartnett, takes his daughter to a concert only to realize the concert is a ploy for his arrest. Part of why this plot works comes from the fact that this film never takes itself too seriously. There are points of mild silliness and subtle humor throughout the film that adds brevity. Most importantly, the unpredictably of the story’s plot will keep audiences on constant edge. However, for all the film’s strengths, I think one of the film’s weaknesses is pace. The pace could’ve been a little faster here, and that might turn some viewers off. Nevertheless, I was still really engaged and the pace didn’t personally bother me.
Meanwhile, the other real reason this film works is Josh Hartnett. I’m probably a bigger fan of Hartnett than most because I think his talent is uniquely underrated. I’m certain there’s a version of events in which Hartnett became one of Hollywood’s most consequential leading men over the last two decades. I don’t know what happened along the way, but Hartnett could’ve been a much bigger star than he is now. But maybe that ship hasn’t sailed just yet. Between Oppenheimer and now Trap, maybe we’re in the midst of a Josh Hartnett renaissance. He holds this film down from start to finish, and it’s direct evidence that Hartnett can carry a project. I really hope this movie leads to more Josh Hartnett.
As it comes to a close, Summer 2024 turned out to be a really good summer for Cinema. M. Night Shyamalan made sure to give us one more juicy hit before summer ends. This is but another really good summer flick.”
