Trap (Shyamalan)
 

Good to see Josh Hartnett onscreen again.

No Ackbar? What a gyp.

He had a small part in Oppenheimer & it was good to see him again.

Re: Trap (Shyamalan)
 

Looks interesting.

Re: Trap (Shyamalan)
 

Yeah, good premise. And funny to put the "twist" in the trailer (not that there can't/won't be others).

I think it's good for Shyamalan to focus more on just making thrillers with the occasional reveal, as opposed to centering everything around surprise. He's actually quite good at constructing thrillers.

That said, I'd still have rather seen this not knowing even the trailer twist. I imagine that could've been delightful.

Maybe the ultimate reveal will be that

Or *slowly lights pipe and puffs away while squinting portentously* Sorry folks. Those noir threads get to you after a while.

Yeah, I love Shyamalan, and I think he could put out something really excellent if he can stick the landing at the end.I thought Knock at the Cabin was just that, a really taut and well-done thriller with an ending that relied too heavily on a twist. Although I haven't read the book.

Re: Trap (Shyamalan)
 

I read the book, was not enamored with it. Didn't especially love the film either. Though neither was bad (well, the book was close, in some regards).

But yeah, thriller first, twists secondary, is the formula I think. Something that stands on its own and if there's a little recontextualization, it's a bonus. But it has to work without it. That's why The Sixth Sense was so effective, it was a very good film even without that.

I just think his obsession with twists is getting a little Old. ;)

Most importantly, the twist should feel like a necessary component to the narrative. The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are prime examples of that, in my opinion.

Re: Trap (Shyamalan)
 

Oh yeah, for sure. I will die on the "Unbreakable is actually his best film" hill.

It's wild to me that he followed up one of the biggest breakouts of all time with a film even better that almost nobody actually thinks is better.

I wish he hadn't tried turning Unbreakable into a trilogy. It felt a little forced.

I agree. With the exception of the way he revealed he was doing that, which is still mind-blowingly cool and doesn't get talked about enough.

Re: Trap (Shyamalan)
 

I think Split is a fine film, and a worthy follow-up to Unbreakable. Too bad the subsequent entry was kind of a crash and burn.

Aw! I liked Glass. It was sometimes clumsy and had holes, but the high points kept it from Failville. Wasnt a fan of the ending but it was a respectably smart.

Agree completely. Split is decent. Mostly on the strength of McElroy's performance, of course, but the way the finale tied things together was pretty good, too. A solid . But Glass was disappointing.

But I will never, ever stop singing the praises of the backdoor sequel reveal. I am just completely enamored with that.

I watched this today. Josh Hartnett is good here and the rest of the cast are effective in their roles. For the most part, this is a suspenseful and entertaining thriller. There are a few decisions along the way that seem questionable and some strain believability. Late in the film, it started to feel like they didn't know how to end it, but I still enjoyed the journey.