What would you do if you were faced with the decision of either killing a member of your family or causing the apocalypse and watching as it swallows up the world population? Could you sacrifice yourself or someone you love for billions of strangers? Could you physically go through with the act of killing your loved one if it meant saving all of humanity? In 2018 author Paul Tremblay wrote The Cabin at the End of the World describing the scenario above and before the novel was even released, the movie rights were optioned. This week the film Knock at the Cabin opens in theaters helping audiences emerge from the cesspool of "January Junk" offerings.
Andrew (Ben Aldridge; Spoiler Alert) and Eric (Jonathan Groff; The Matrix Resurrections) are spending their vacation with their daughter Wen (newcomer Kristen Cui) in a Cabin in the woods. Suddenly four strangers - Leonard (Dave Bautista; Guardians of the Galaxy), Redman (Rupert Grint; The Harry Potter Series), Adriane (Abby Quinn; Landline), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird; Old)- Knock at the door and eventually break in, tie up Eric and Andrew and tell them one of them has to die to avoid world destruction. Not believing the strangers, Eric, Andrew, and Wen watch as the strangers are killed one by one and Natural disasters start occurring all over the world.
As an ensemble, the cast is very strong but Bautista and Cui are the definitive standouts. Groff and Aldridge have good chemistry making their relationship believable and Grint, Amuka-Bird, and Quinn play their parts well enough. Bautista has always been decent but he shines as the tough-looking but "gentle giant" Leonard. His calming tone and relaxed demeanor contradict the emotions he readily displays when his character requires it. And then there is Cui. She was eight years old when the movie was filmed and it was her first feature film. For a newcomer, she is terrific and it will be interesting to see what she does in the future.
As with all M. Night Shyamalan films, one expects a dark and twisted tale with a surprise ending. In some ways, Knock at the Cabin follows this formula while in other ways it does not. Without spoiling anything, I didn't think there was a surprise ending because I believed from the beginning what was occurring in the movie was real, and afterward, I thought of a few scenarios that would have made for a good "surprise" which would have thrown the viewer for a loop. It was a little disappointing that there wasn't more of a "surprise" and made the ending feel anticlimactic. Otherwise, for all the ups and downs of Shyamalan's film career, Knock at the Cabin is an up project. While not as good as The Sixth Sense, it is better than The Visit or Old.
With minimal sets and special effects, Knock at the Cabin focuses more on the plot and dialogue than perhaps some of Shyamalan's other movies but this isn't a bad thing. The story is interesting, and the script doesn't use words excessively but rather relies on action and the demeanor of the actors to create much of the tension. Luckily, this cast pulls it off beautifully.
One tends to have certain expectations from a Shyamalan film and Knock at the Cabin delivers much of what we loved about The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. However, if you are looking for that shocking twist at the end which is part of his trademark, you may leave the theater feeling unsatisfied like I did.
As a postscript, the score is well done with heart-pounding beats and the soundtrack offers a few tunes that had me dancing in my seat.
Grade: B-
