Trap

I feel like the idea of directing a concert and a plot inside a concert took over everything else. It starts off quite well and all props to Josh Hartnett but at the end of it all, it's nothing that stands out, nothing at all. The charm, creativity and the out of the box cocncepts and even the eerie settings of his movies are all but missing in this movie.

If you're a fan of his old work like the Signs, Village, Unbreakable, Sixth Sense or even The Visit and The Happening and are fond of his art then TRAP is a complete pivot from his work.

It was also kind of annoying at how they made the cops and the FBI look and think like 4th graders trying to catch a criminal.

Missed opportunity, for us!

"Trap" (2024) generated great expectations since the release of its trailer, which presented a relatively new and thought-provoking premise, in addition to being directed by M. Night Shyamalan. However, despite the initial potential, several wrong decisions compromised the final result of the work.

The absence of graphic violence reduces the impact of the film, generating few scenes of true tension. The script relies on several conveniences, making the protagonist seem more "lucky" than strategist. Furthermore, the superficial development of the serial killer makes his arc not very engaging, which negatively affects the construction of the character. The twist in the third act is not surprising and seems unnecessary, wasting the opportunity for a remarkable outcome, something expected in the director's films. On the other hand, the soundtrack and its theme is a strong point, differentiating itself from other productions of the genre and adding value to the narrative.

Although technically well produced, the film has flaws that undermine the impact of the proposal. "Trap" ends up becoming another generic psychological horror film, despite its interesting musical theme.

I thought that the setting of the movie was interesting, and it had some exciting moments. One of the bigger side roles is played by the directors niece I belive. She had so much screen time and those parts were mostly not great. She is a great singer, but the acting needs improvement.

The cast is otherwise great, I just hope other side characters would have gotten more screen time.

Ofcourse the movie included alot of fun and interesting twists, but it leaves you wanting something more.

The movie could have been alot better without a clear try to launch a relatives career. Overall medium interesting watch.

I'm a sucker for M. Night and being a fan can be challenging but I'll always give him a shot. This was bad. Not in a campy way but this hurt to watch. Josh Hartnett worked with what he had but this so bad. It went nowhere. A sad nepotism project at best sad to say the music was laughable as was the acting. The songs were endless and so was the build up (?) Wait for it to stream and then ignore it. I had second hand embarrassment watching the cringe inducing concert felt like I was trapped not in a good way. The writing was juvenile and lazy. People actually started laughing in the movie theater. This had a Hallmark network quality to it and that's an insult to them. The concept had potential but it felt like AI wrote this. M. Night had to have put his own money up to get this greenlit. This was just absurd.

Quite the nosedive!

I actually enjoyed the opening chunk of 'Trap', everything at the music concert is fairly well done and kept the intrigue alive for me. However, once events leave the arena the movie absolutely bombs its way to the finish. The last portion of the film is terrible viewing, it felt like it just kept going and going and going.

There are plot holes aplenty, nonsensical 'twists' and character decisions/abilities. Cooper, played finely to be fair by Josh Hartnett, is absolutely some sort of big shot in his 'line of work', though makes some dumb mistakes. Though he is apparently capable of teleportation, based on one scene involving a limo.

I'm not someone who needs every inch of a movie to make sense, I can enjoy something that's simply an entertaining watch; even with poorly crafted elements elsewhere in the movie. This, unfortunately, ends up being just bad. That is a shame, because I honestly did like (albeit mildly) the stuff at the venue.

Very surprised to see the fairly good reception this has received so far on a few sites, I would not have predicted that but, hey, what do I know?