Knock At The Cabin

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Knock At The Cabin is part supernatural thriller, part psychological thriller and focuses on a group of people taking a young family hostage at the cabin they're holidaying at. This ominous group has been experiencing collective visions about the end of the world and has become convinced that only the self-chosen death of one of the family members will prevent it. The narrative for this is weirdly disarming, it actually sits up and decides to kick the action off right away which I really admired. There's a strong sense of foreboding and urgency about the end of the world looming established very early on that permeates this whole piece. I also think it's really worth noting that the film doesn't overcomplicate things too much in the first couple of acts, for an M. Night Shyamalan film there is a surprising amount of simplicity in how the narrative stays true to the core concept and delivery of the story.

The cinematography utilised throughout isn't always the greatest thing to look at but I did ultimately come down on the side of enjoying what is being offered here. The film is riddled with these extremely disarming close ups that are perturbing to look at for too long and really get under your skin. In any other film that would be a weak point, but here it strangely worked. Herdís Stefánsdóttir has crafted a haunting score here that will really leave you tense at times; the way Stefánsdóttir builds the tracks in those scenes where violence is committed between the invaders is captivating.

 

Ben Aldridge, who played Andrew, is the tough protective protagonist this film really needs; Aldridge lends Andrew a sense of hurt and rage that makes his role come across as very strong in the face of peril. Rupert Grint, who played Redmond, might not be in the film long but he sets himself up as a great antagonist; there is something supremely spiteful and uncaring in what Grint brings here that really worked. Abby Quinn, who played Ardiane, is a really wild and unpredictable member of the invaders; the way Quinn wrestles between playing someone who is desperate and someone who is trying to please others is really well managed. Kristen Cui, who played Wen, is one of the best child performances I've seen this year; Cui hits notes of fear, curiosity and defiance in a way that is comparable or even better than her adult co-stars.

However, the best performance came from Dave Bautista, who played Leonard. There was an early point there where Bautista had smashed onto the scene with Guardians of the Galaxy and started getting roles everywhere. And even if he was just being hired to be the big guy punching on others, you saw the direction he wanted to go. The man was picking Bond villains, roles in Blade Runner. But now the past couple of years have really seen Bautista come into his own as a dramatic actor. This particular performance is fascinating because he has such an immense presence yet is exceptionally gentle. I particularly loved how he acted against Cui, you really could believe that this man had a background of being a primary school teacher. He also played to Leonard's drive and purpose around preventing the end of the world with such real severity; there was passion here and an unshaking faith that you really believed in. Yet not for one second did Bautista drop the fact that his character was a good person who did not want to hurt those he had taken hostage, it was a very honest performance. The debate about the best wrestler turned actor is over; Dwayne Johnson and John Cena can go home. It's Bautista's time.

I actually really was so drawn in by the first couple of acts within this film, but then something happened. Or maybe a better way to put it is that nothing happened. The film never changed. What Knock At The Cabin expresses is going to happen in the first fifteen minutes is essentially cycled around and fulfilled by the final act. There's no satisfying surprise, the plot doesn't wrestle with itself or attempt to diverge. In fact the whole thing feels obliged to complete the path it lays out. As an audience member when I realised the third act wasn't going to challenge me and instead end in quite an obvious manner I was disappointed. The feature felt fresh at the start but by the end I really did feel like no ambition had been put into the script whatsoever. There are also a lot of flashback scenes in the film showcasing the history of this young, queer family. My issue with watching a film like this that clearly had minimal queer voices behind it is that there is often a chance queer characters come off as inauthentic. The queer roles in this feature are defined by being victims every step of the way; whether that be the main plot, the assault they experience at the bar, parents not accepting them or not being able to present as partners for adopting their daughter. The film is almost obsessed with defining these roles by the negative moments they have gone through, any instances of familial love don't come from the script but rather the great chemistry between Aldridge and Groff. In classic Shyamalan style the dialogue can turn very clunky at times and entire scenes become write offs as characters start talking in aimless tangents that have little bearing on the plot. A great example of this is the absurd Four Horseman of the Apocalypse parallel that Eric makes in one of the final scenes, it felt like a script moment a first year film student might take pride in.

The special effects budget for the film clearly only went so far as well, if you have to show off the apocalypse it probably pays to make sure you actually can. Watching really poor looking planes fall out of the sky or unrealistic fire bolts lance the Earth or even the sky turning overcast and dark actually broke my ability to immerse myself in the world that had been established here.

Jonathan Groff, who played Eric, doesn't look too interested in giving his level best here and I can't really blame him; Groff really plays the moments where his character has a change of heart in a very over the top manner. Nikki Amuka-Bird, who played Sabrina, is definitely the clearest weak point in the cast; Amuka-Bird seriously needed to tone things down often but she was always running her emotional delivery way too high.

All the promise and potential of a comeback for M. Night Shyamalan until it ceases to be creative and labours back to all the telltale signs of a Shyamalan film. I would give Knock At The Cabin a 5.5/10.