Knock at the Cabin 2023

Ok, first of all, i'm not that much of commentator on this platform, so i try my best to "review" this movie here.
Or at least i try to put down my thoughts.

First thing i want to mention, that this movie finally did it. I'm never ever gonna watch a movie from MNS again, nor do i watch a movie again, where i know a (former) wrestling star takes part in.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters in this movie. Least with Batista. Basically i cared for no one in this movie.
it didn't matter for me who died why or whatever happened in this movie

The whole plot was so predictable and nowhere suprising. And what i disliked the most, it didn't make sense at all, at any point in the movie.

And the ending, oh boy, was it stupid and not trustworthy at all. The whole character development (if i even can call it like that) between the parents was based on the fact that never ever would anyone of them would kill the other one, but still the movie suggests that andrew killed eric at the end, due to the fact that the "apocalypse" has been stopped. But in my opinion this is complete bullshit, because, based on what the characters did and said, eric must have killed himself. But like this, it's just stupid, that we shall believe Andrew did that.

But the most stupiest thing, where i really had to hold myself back to not laugh out loud in the middle of the movie theatre was The "Four Horsemen" reference, or whatever they tried to say with that. "Healing", "Caring", "Malice", and "Guidance" ?! Like, really? are you freaking kidding me? Thats literally the complete opposite for what the four horsemen stand.

All in all it was a big disaster of a movie in every aspect. Actors that didn't act well, Camera Operator who couldn't even get a clear image in most of the shots. And on top a really bad and predictable story that builds no tension at all. It took like maybe 10 minutes into the movie, from where on i knew how the movie was going and it how its gonna end.

Honestly, I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Subjectively, yes the book is better.
But the way Shyamalan changed the story structure makes sense for a mainstream audience. And he does it really well. I’ve seen other comments of people saying Shyamalan directed the crap out of this movie, and yes he did. I’d say this is probably his best yet.

My only nit-picks are that the “invaders” don’t seem to be as passionate as they are portrayed in the book. As the narrative continues in the book, the tension gets ratcheted up so freakin high. You really question if these “invaders” are really there to do some divine intervention for the world, or if it’s just an intricate hate crime.

I saw someone else said that Leonard didn’t seem to get as desperate towards the end of the movie like he does in the book. And yes, I totally agree.

I feel like the stuff having to do with Redmond got cut too short as well. It goes on for a while in the book, wondering what their true motives are after learning who Redmond actually is. I loved seeing Rupert Grint in a movie again, so I was hoping they would’ve gave him more stuff to do.

But I get it, you can only put so much into a movie that is also in the original source material and still try and keep people’s attention.

All in all though, nit-picks aside, I loved this movie. I loved the Dads, I loved the girl who played Wen (I love that Hollywood is getting great kid actors), and I loved how it ended up.

Praise for Paul Tremblay (the author) as well! His first novel to get the movie treatment!
Now they need to adapt A Head Full of Ghosts!

Look, I think that a movie about information bubbles and QAnon is long overdue, but this is not it.
It has some of worst dialogue I’ve seen in a long time, from the first scene it is already filled with landmines.
It’s the kind of dialogue that’s so bad and goofy that it gives none of the actors any chance of delivering a good performance, despite the fact that I know that someone like Jonathan Groff is more than capable. I am impressed by Bautista’s seemingly increasing range as a performer, however.
The story’s not that interesting generally, it all hinges on the question of whether Bautista & crew are telling the truth, and once that’s revealed it didn’t feel like much of a satisfying release to me. It’s lean but not really mean, it could’ve used some more bells and whistles in terms of character and story. As it stands, it’s mostly either dull or unintentionally funny.
The filmmaking’s ok, a step above some of Shyamalan’s other efforts, but still mostly uninspired and clearly copying those trademark James Wan/Leigh Whannell camera pans during key moments.
Maybe this is a bit of an obvious observation given that Us has a scene that’s similar to the premise of this movie, but the entire time I couldn’t stop thinking about how much better this would be if it were written and directed by Jordan Peele instead.

3/10

"The four of us are here to prevent the apocalypse. We - and when I say, "we", I mean everyone in this cabin, can stop it from happening, but only with your help. Ultimately, where the world ends or not is completely up to you three."

Went into Knock at the Cabin blind and it went a totally different route then I expected it to go but near the end before they told us I had a feeling these four "strangers" represented the four Horseman of the Apocalypse and seeing Ron Weasley as one of them was great. First movie I think I ever saw with Rupert Grint in which he isn't a wizard. Fun Stuff!

I also have to give big Dave Bautista a shoutout. He is getting better and better and hopefully he will get many more interesting movie roles! He might not be the draw "The Rock" is but he surely to me acting wise, the best pro wrestler turned actor.

Anyway M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin is a great to look at, has great acting, a cute kid in Kristen Cui, it has a infomercial, sadly no Batista Bomb, great self constructed weapons, is never dull and has no twist.

After seeing the movie I am interested in reading the book on which it is based. Which is always a good sign and I'm always happy to see a enjoyable M. Night movie.

The first hour of Knock at the Cabin is absolutely fantastic. The slow build of the premise and the players involved is laden with tension and mystery, and really does a great job of streamlining the books somewhat fluffy telling of the events into a tight, gripping package. All of the strangers are played just like their book counterparts, but Bautista and Abby Quinn play theirs to perfection. Bautista builds on the small part he had in Blade Runner 2049 and pulls off the loveable giant Leonard like the character was written for him. I can't wait to see him get more serious roles like this in the future.

Unfortunately, much of the magic is lost during the back half of the movie.

Why oh why did they feel the need to change the ending to something so...final? The ambiguity left by the novel was one of my favourite things about it. Still not quite knowing until the very end if this was a group delusion or an actual premonition is what makes the books ending so good. By confirming that Redmond was indeed O'Bannon and showing the end-of-days actually stopping when they finally agree to the terms of the Strangers only serves to take away all of the lingering questions and mystery that make the book as harrowing as it is. I know this is probably coming across as the usual ramblings of a bookreader scorned but I really cannot understand the need to switch to such a straight-faced, mysteryless ending.

Overall I thought this was one of the better adaptations of a horror novel, and M. Night Shyamalan shows that he's still got it, even if the story that he's shooting is not quite up to snuff. The warm, fuzzy look of this movie really fits the ambiance well and the direction of the gore and violence was tasteful while upholding the impact needed. Good movie, only hampered by it's strange compulsion to give modern audiences a direct answer to questions that really don't need to be answered. I'd say the first hour is a solid 8 out of 10, dragged horrifically down to a 6/10 by the absurdly changed ending. Worth a viewing, but I implore you to read the book first, or read a summary of the book shortly after you've finished. It really is a much better resolution, at least for me.

What a waste of time… slow pace af! No wonder this didn’t do sh:asterisk_symbol:t in the theaters. first of all aside from Dave Bautista who has been improving his acting skills the more roles he gets. His acting was very good on this movie overall and matter fact he was basically what kept this movie going. Rupert Grint was also good but didn’t got much screen time sadly.

Everyone else was annoying and their acting was mediocre. There was some scenes that I was just shaking my head at the stupid decisions or moves the couple took when they were involved on escaping situations.

I won’t get in more comments, because it’s not even worth it. This movie was just another failed attempt from M. Shyalaman’s book. And I really like this man vision as director and story teller, just the late executions he has put out on the big screen haven’t been quite successful. Split was literally my latest favorite adaptation from him the others after that Glass, Old and now this film have been quite a step down. I hope his next movie ends up being more watchable.

Oh, yeah… before I leave. Not recommended, Not worth it, don’t waste your time. :thumbsdown:

Bye :wave: happy streaming and on to the next film! :rocket:

my main reaction: no matter your opinion of the movie, read the book this was based on if you haven't yet. it was far more frightening (and gory! so gory!!!) and the storytelling decisions made were well-executed, if much more traumatic.

rest of my thoughts below:

this was acted well and looked beautiful. that's actually what's kind of annoying. like, i even liked dave bautista's performance, and his acting is hit-or-miss for me (and i think the rest of the world probably). everyone else was amazing too, and jonathan groff was especially reminiscent of the book eric.

and i get that movies can't always be faithful to the books they adapt. i think adaptations can coexist with their source material, too, regardless of how closely they stick to it. (the last of us is a good example; it generally replicates the original video game while still making major changes that make sense and play out authentically.)

i guess the issue for me is that the changes here took away what made the cabin at the end of the world the story that it was. paul tremblay wrote things in that book that i honestly never expected an author to write. he made decisions that are taboo in fiction and they worked. and to be fair, one of the coolest things in the book is how he changes the perspective near the end from third to first, to a bizarre amalgamation of both that actually worked. that's not something a movie can replicate, so i wasn't expecting that to be portrayed. but i was expecting the same terror the book gave, because the movie was marketed as a horror. i hadn't seen the trailer, but i had friends say it was scary. the movie wasn't. it just—was what it was. maybe it was kind of a thriller? kind of a drama? it didn't manage to give me the same fear response the book did, and i think that is at minimum something it should have achieved.

some of the changes were also just confusing. for example, it wasn't clear until one of the final scenes why on earth andrew's occupation needed to be changed to human rights attorney. and the ending. oh, the ending was disappointing. i understand why certain decisions weren't kept; it would've been a hard movie to stomach. but even so, man, i don't know why we couldn't have kept the open-ended part of the conclusion. i normally hate when stories do that (as someone with severe anxiety, that shit used to be rumination bait) but it worked for this story. god. so many things were confirmed that should've been left up to interpretation.

also: not nearly gory enough. i've read some reviews that the violence in this movie is intense—maybe it's just because i'm comparing it to tremblay's VERY vivid descriptions of gore, but this was tame. it cuts away from every act of violence and relies on sound alone to give you the knowledge that someone has been injured.

was it worth watching? sure, it was fine. but it's not worth a rewatch and it told a lesser version of the story the cabin at the end of the world told. if you hate reading, that probably boosts its value, but if you like reading, go read the book.

Shyamalan has a distinct energy and style to his films that can shine with the right cast and sink with the wrong one. Part of why Old didn’t quite work for me is the fact I don’t think most of the adult cast could key into that energy. It takes a particular type of actor to shine in his movies- either kid actors coming to it without cynicism and with the same passion Shyamalan does, or actors who come at it earnestly and find the core of what can be in the wrong hands stilted or unwieldy dialogue. This movie has both.

Kristen Cui joins the likes of Haley Joel Osment as a child actor Shyamalan guides to a natural and sympathetic performance. And the four who knock are all at their A game, all come at it with the right mindset and the required skill. Grint plays to ambiguity, able to convey atonement or resignation depending on the viewer’s eye. Quinn has a real naturalistic performance that elevates her role and makes it feel like an actual person. But Amuka-Bird and Bautista truly shine. Amuka-Bird is earnest throughout, a nurse who once swore to do no harm forced to do so to prevent the greatest amount of it, and you can see her wrest with this in every action and line. And she’s no superhero or villain; she’s allowed to be terrified, allowed to be vulnerable.

And Bautista. I could watch him in anything. Achingly empathetic, the ways his eyes well is spellbinding. Shyamalan gives him so much room to play with and so many angles to highlight his performance, rightfully so. His delivery alone when he tells them that he agrees they don’t deserve this got me choked up. His face when Cui tells her she has two dads; I think he pulled upon his own love and admiration for his lesbian mother, because it says so much and leaves it up to the audience why exactly it resonates so much with his character.

Yes, the CGI isn’t the greatest but I’m not really counting that as a knock. It’s not the point of the film or why anyone came. More unfortunate is the third act falters when Bautista exits, and it gets afraid people might miss the point so it stops to explain itself. It’s a shame cause there’s some interesting readings here if you let the film speak for itself. On one hand, yes, the lead couple’s love is pure and strong and a commentary on the power of chosen family. On the other, you could talk about the transracial adoption, and the assimilation and separation of these white cis upper middle class gay men seeing things as them specifically vs the Straight World. They never mention any of their community also at risk, the families like them, and that’s something meaty to chew on whether it’s intentional commentary on Shyamalan’s part or something he missed framing this as a sacrifice by the gays for a world that hates and fears them.

I also don’t think Groff and Aldridge are as dialed into Shyamalan’s vibe as much as the antagonists are. Lines don’t feel as natural on their tongues, exposed for their awkwardness. But A Knock At The Cabin is still an engaging watch if you open the door to it.

Knock at the Cabin has an interesting premise and lots of potential but what is ultimately delivered is underwhelming and you can't help but ponder at what could of been. The story is very straightforward but demands the viewer to constantly question "what would I do in this situation?" Once you've answered that question there's unfortunately not a whole lot left to it. You also question the characters motives and if it's real or not but everything is so spoon fed and overexplained that you leave the viewer with no room for doubt or imagination. I wanted way more confusion and doubt in my mind instead of just already being told how it ends. It also got repetitive and because of that you absolutely need a twist at the end otherwise it's just repetitiveness and then credits roll.

The acting was it's finest quality the star was definitely Dave Bautista he proves here that he can definitely act. Rupert Grint was absolutely haunting, the girl (Kristen Cui) would put a lot of adult actors to shame and Ben Aldridge is an amazing discovery. The two parents had great chemistry and the emotions were there for the family aspect. The camerawork is something to praise and I got some major Servant vibes whenever Rupert Grint was around, M. Night used the same camera close-ups and style. I'm a bit bummed by the off-screen kills, there was so much potencial there but Shyamalan's more thriller oriented so it's understandable. The tension was sky high in the first half but it slowly died down. I wasn't a fan of the ending it's expected and doesn't leave you with anything to think about or discuss.

Not Shyamalan's worst and certainly not his best but it had some good moments and it's premise is not something i'll forget anytime soon.