X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 45 m
- 2024
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 45 m
Summary A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 45 m
- 2024
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 45 m
Trap
52
5.3
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Summary A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they're at the center of a dark and sinister event.
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: M. Night Shyamalan
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 46 Critic Reviews
52
30% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
57% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
13% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 46 Critic Reviews
52
30% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
57% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
13% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
On one level, Shyamalan feels more comfortable than ever; Trap may cook more purely and entertainingly than anything in his last decade of self-styled pop hits. But it also suggests that there are discordant notes that he can’t, and probably shouldn’t, ever get out of his system.
It works so much better than should be possible because of Hartnett, who gets a showcase on par with the one the filmmaker gave to James McAvoy in Split.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 243 User Ratings
5.3
37% Positive
90 Ratings
90 Ratings
38% Mixed
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
25% Negative
60 Ratings
60 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 243 User Ratings
5.3
37% Positive
90 Ratings
90 Ratings
38% Mixed
93 Ratings
93 Ratings
25% Negative
60 Ratings
60 Ratings
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Report
it is fun. The film doesn't take itself so seriously and we shouldn't either. I also liked the songs and concert scnes. Saleka's song Release has been my favourite since I was the film.
Report
Although he’s no stranger to IP-based films (his last two were adaptations) Trap is a reminder that Shyamalan is one of the few A-List directors who still seems dedicated to original storytelling, and even when the scripts don’t quite fully deliver on their elaborate premises, his knack for creating interesting characters and casting the right actors to play them picks up the slack.
Trap does have one brilliant touch: At its best, Shyamalan has given us a perfect portrait of the power of straight white male privilege.
Shyamalan and Hartnett struggle to fashion a convincingly layered murderer whose mental unravelling and inner anguish are sufficiently captivating. Instead, the performance is a muddled melding of serial-killer types audiences have seen before.
While the setup is intriguing, the film quickly loses steam, becoming a muddled chase interspersed with concert footage.
Josh Hartnett does his best playing a serial killer and devoted dad living in the same body. But you don’t need a sixth sense to know that director M. Knight Shyamalan is running on empty as his patchwork thriller slips from disappointment to disaster.
The storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat, with unexpected twists that make it hard to look away. The performances are outstanding, particularly from the lead actors, who bring their characters to life with authenticity and passion.
Report
Josh Hartnett gives a wonderful performance, in a unique idea of a film. While it is not completely successful, it is at least a entertaining watch.
Report
Trap can be attributed in general to the successful films of M. Night Shyamalan. The plot of the film is divided into 2 parts. And the first part turned out well, it's a good thriller. The movie keeps you in suspense. In general, you believe what's happening on the screen, everything looks mostly realistic. But unfortunately, then comes the 2nd part of the movie. And the whole atmosphere of the film is falling apart. Trap slides into some kind of sur. On the one hand, it would be extremely difficult to shoot the whole film as part of one concert, on the other hand, all the tension disappears as soon as the main characters leave the concert. And the actions and strength of the main character of the singer are not very real at all. You stop believing in it. Maybe Shyamalan wanted to show Cooper's character from the other side. But it turned out extremely badly.
Report
What a disappointment. I avoided trailers and articles. All I knew about the movie was it took place at a concert and Josh Hartnett was potentially playing the villain (based on a promo image with him creepily smiling).
Watched the movie when it came out on Max and by the time the final act started, it was an absolute chore to finish.
Looking over the trivia for the film, the plot - which was the epitome of "and then" storytelling, too convenient on the surface and too implausible when closely examined - suddenly made sense.
This isn't a story about a father and teen daughter attending a concert, which turns out to be sting operation to catch the serial killer father. This is a story about a father (M Night) who made a film for his daughter (Saleka) so she could be one of the leads and write an album "like Prince did with Purple Rain." I typically roll my eyes when people complain about nepotism in Hollywood - but this is egregious, embarrassing levels of nepotism. If this movie wasn't independently funded by M Night, I'm sure studios would have intervened - which, again, I'm normally against but it would've been the right call in this instance.
M Night said he was inspired by the massive sting operations police have used in the past to catch criminals with open warrants. However, those stings were fairly low risk operations. They'd contact the person with an open warrant telling them they'd won free tickets to a concert or spot event, then make the arrest when the person attempted to claim the tickets. In this film, the police essentially lock a serial killer in an arena with THOUSANDS of innocent civilians - potentially creating a hostage situation. Lunacy.
That's opening of this logicless tale. I gave it a 3 because Josh Hartnett gave a fairly interesting performance and Alison Pill was solid in the limited screen time she was given. Saleka performance - as both a pop star (concert performance) and actor - was so wooden that every time she was on screen, it took me out of any chance of being immersed in the story. Lastly... why was Kid Kudi in the movie? It was absolutely random and after the hallway scene, I half expected him to play some role in Josh's character escaping, but it never followed through. It should've never made final cut.
Report
Is there any other director in US history whose first film became an instant classic and everything that followed was a mere shadow of that first film? I don't understand what motivates MNS to make movies at this point. This movie seemed like a thinly veiled attempt to elevate his daughter's music and acting career (and I'm afraid the prospects for either aren't good).
The degree of contrivance in Trap is so high that I just started mocking the film (the only reason I finished it was because my teen daughter wanted to). We learn very quickly that Dad is a bad guy, so the story becomes a question of how Dad is gonna escape the trap, and he's got to be luckiest murderer ever as a string of serendipitous events occurs that help him evade authorities. But how all the evasion happens is just one contrivance after another. I'm willing to suspend disbelief for your premise (that the FBI would set up a sting operation at a concert with over 20,000 people) if the way people behave is realistic, but the whole thing rang false, especially the fact that the FBI agents have all these conversations in places that any of the hundreds of employees at the stadium could get to.
The direction is highly self-conscious, which isn't unusual for MNS, and has these randomly weird moments where he decides to have the actors talk in an exaggerated way while looking directly into the camera. It only happens a few times, but it's just stilted and awkward.
The acting is subpar with the only exception being the mom (the daughter is ok but one-dimensional).
For me, this ranks at or near the bottom of MNS' films. The only thing I liked was that it didn't end when I thought it would, so there was a brief period near the end where I didn't feel it was predictable, but the ending itself was yet another contrivance (when you see it, ask yourself what the FBI would *actually* do after capturing someone in that situation). Like many MNS movies, this one has a premise with potential that was squandered.
Report
Production Company
Blinding Edge Pictures,
The Government of Canada Income Tax Credit Program
Release Date Aug 2, 2024
Duration 1 h 45 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline A new M. Night Shyamalan experience.
Website
https://www.ladyravenmusic.com/
Awards
Directors Guild of Canada
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination