Trap (2024)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Trap (2024)
Genre: Horror, Crime, Thriller
Length: 1h 45min
Rating: PG-13
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolcol, Marnie McPhail, Kid Cudi, Russ, Marcia Bennett, Lochlan Miller, Vanessa Smythe
 
Blurb from IMDb: A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they've entered the center of a dark and sinister event.
 

Selina's Point of View:
Trap got mixed reviews, at best, but I rather enjoyed it.
 
Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin, Black Hawk Down, Sin City) is a brilliant actor. Early in his career, he pushed himself out of the heartthrob rom-com box and hasn't really looked back since. It was a great move, because he has a range that I don't think people fully appreciated back then.
 
Saleka Shyamalan felt a little green and now I know why. This was her first full-length feature film acting role. As M. Night Shyamalan's (Signs, Knock at the Cabin, Split) daughter, she was likely bound to step into one of his movies eventually. He has a habit of tossing himself into his work whether or not he should, so it was only a matter of time before he did it with his daughter. Luckily, she fit the role and really made me believe her. There were parts of her acting that felt a little rushed or tense, but considering the scenes, it worked. It may have even been on purpose. I'd absolutely be open to watching more of her in the future.
 

And, yeah, M. Night tossed himself into Trap. It was a smaller part than he normally takes though. I didn't even realize it until after the fact.
 
I kept waiting for the typical Shyamalan pitfalls. I originally missed his cameo, which is one. The other is his signature twist, which he uses whether it fits the flick or not. Trap didn't really have one, but there were scenes that were absolutely designed to make us think it would. Honestly? I think that's the best thing he could have done for this film. Waiting for that twist I wound up pulling twists on myself.
 
Trap wasn't a masterpiece, but it was a solid thriller with fantastic acting and some laughter thrown in. I was cautiously optimistic, and I think that was the right feeling going into it.
 
It was fun.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 57%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%
Metascore – 52%
Metacritic User Score – 5.2
IMDB Score – 5.8/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina's Rating – 3.5/5
 
P.S. Short scene just after the start of the credit, absolutely worth seeing.
 
Movie Trailer: