Read Mixed User Reviews for Knock at the Cabin

5

Stream2BigScreeFeb 3, 2023

Okay, Streamers, I know we all have been waiting on pins and needles for M. Night Shyamalan’s next feature film, and it’s finally here. Oh, was that only me? Okay, then… Anway, I was anticipating Knock at the Cabin since I saw the firstOkay, Streamers, I know we all have been waiting on pins and needles for M. Night Shyamalan’s next feature film, and it’s finally here. Oh, was that only me? Okay, then… Anway, I was anticipating Knock at the Cabin since I saw the first trailer last fall. Home invasion and the end of the world movies build on reasonable fears that many people have, so let’s see what Shyamalan was able to do with the mix of these two.

Knock at the Cabin is based on a novel by Paul Tremblay, “The Cabin at the End of the World.” Shyamalan and his co-writers have adapted that novel into this movie. The basic premise is that a gay couple and their adopted daughter are on a vacation in a remote cabin in Pennsylvania when four strangers come to the cabin and tell them that the world will end unless they decide to sacrifice one of their own. It’s a moral dilemma – kill someone you love in order to save billions of people you don’t even know. What would you do if these hijinks ensue.

Here’s the thing – the premise of this movie is very interesting. It immediately makes the audience question what decision they would make and what questions they would ask if put in this situation. In that way, the movie easily grabs you. The problem is that Shyamalan doesn’t do much more than pose the question and go through the motions of telling you what these guys do. It gets repetitive and there isn’t enough development of the gay couple as characters to help the audience care about them or why they make the decisions they make. Therefore, the movie becomes pretty frustrating and unsatisfying.

On the other hand, there are some good aspects. Dave Bautista, who plays one of the strangers, Leonard, is an inviting presence on screen. He can be menacing by his sheer size, but his performance ably fights against first impressions. Rupert Grint, who play another stranger, Redmond, brings a bit of dark humor. He’s probably the scariest of the strangers. I’ll also mention that even though I don’t believe they are well-developed characters, Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff, who play the gay couple, Eric and Andrew, have good chemistry and react appropriately in this situation. I’ll also say that no one does anything really dumb in this movie, which typically happens in these home invasion movies. Eric and Andrew, generally, make smart decisions to help protect each other and their daughter. So, the movie isn’t frustrating because anyone is dumb.

I also don’t know why this movie is rated R. There isn’t really any gore. There isn’t anything visually scary about it. There may be some curse words, but I can’t imagine they were enough to justify this not being PG-13.

In conclusion, Knock at the Cabin is a decent entry in the Shyamalan filmography. It is not one of his best, but it also certainly not one of the worst. There is a good premise, but the movie doesn’t do anything more than present it as a morality play, which eventually becomes repetitive. Although there are good performances, there isn’t enough character development to sustain interest in these individuals. Knock at the Cabin is only good enough for a handful of popcorn – there’s no urgency to see this in a theater.… Expand

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

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5

TVJerryFeb 9, 2023

Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge play daddies who are out for a vacation with their daughter in the titular cabin. Almost immediately, four ominous people show up with a mind-boggling decision: One of the family members must die by the handsJonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge play daddies who are out for a vacation with their daughter in the titular cabin. Almost immediately, four ominous people show up with a mind-boggling decision: One of the family members must die by the hands of their spouse and they must choose which one. Why? To save the world from yet another apocalypse. Being that this is the latest from M. Night Shyamalan, you can expect some tension from his juxtaposition of languid camerawork and forceful moments of emotion. The actors all ramp up the drama with their intense performances. This basically boils down to an extended debate with the daddies doubting the inevitable and the quartet desperately pleading to save the world. As such, there aren't any scares and the stress level stays at the same mild buzz without ever building to any crescendo. … Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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4

Rebecca31Feb 16, 2023

Knock At The Cabin feels like Funny Games meets The Cabin in the Woods with a bit of Knowing thrown in the mix. The result being an underwhelming and frustrating movie with a good idea and a terrible ending.

Eric (Jonathan Groff), AndrewKnock At The Cabin feels like Funny Games meets The Cabin in the Woods with a bit of Knowing thrown in the mix. The result being an underwhelming and frustrating movie with a good idea and a terrible ending.

Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their daughter Wen (Kirsten Cui) take a holiday in a remote cabin in the woods and are very quickly taken hostage by four strangers. The group led by Leonard (Dave Bautista), believe the apocalypse is imminent and the only way to stop it is for this chosen family to make an impossible choice. With no connection to the outside world, Eric and Andrew must decide what to believe before it’s too late. And this is why you don’t take a vacation in a dodgy looking cabin in the middle of nowhere. We’ve all seen enough horror movies to know that isn’t going to end well.

For an M. Night film Knock at the Cabin is surprisingly predictable and hugely underwhelming. Normally I get a lot of enjoyment from Shyamalan’s movies, even the bad ones but this was lacking any tension or horror. The set up was very well done but after that it’s quickly downhill, plodding along until the seemingly dramatic ending it’s been trying to build up to. An ending so awful it just left me annoyed. No spoilers here but there was two obvious endings that they could have gone with and unfortunately for everyone they went with the really dull one that I can’t imagine went down well with most people because honestly it was one of the most lackluster endings I’ve ever seen in a horror movie. This had potential to be a much deeper psychological thriller. A wasted opportunity and apparently didn’t do the book much justice.

Dave Bautista is easily the best thing about Knock at the Cabin, his performance as the hugely intimidating Leonard who the audience is never sure is crazy or not is the only thing that stopped me falling asleep. But what should have been a tense movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat was just unexciting, uninteresting and instantly forgettable.

At this point, there’s far more bad Shyamalan movies than good ones. Enough for me to reconsider whether I should bother anymore. There was lots of wasted potential with Knock at the Cabin so best to go into it with low expectations. Recommended for any of the M. Night Shyamalan fans who liked The Happening, there’s probably not many of you but you might enjoy Knock at the Cabin.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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4

moviecritic68Feb 14, 2023

Barely stayed out of the red category. To put it bluntly the movie is lame. Poor acting & casting

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

frnzchrstphrFeb 22, 2023

I am not really sure what they are really telling, this supposed to be thrilling but I am not thrilled the whole time.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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4

royalguy07Feb 3, 2023

Honestly this just had a shockingly low amount of tension. The way its presented there is no reason to fear for the protagonists, and the "end of the world" angle wasn't really helping for caring for anyone else.

6 of 7 users found this helpful61

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6

JLuis_001Feb 4, 2023

Even if its menacing atmosphere remains the best constant of suspense for its narrative, the resource lacks variations after its introduction, since basically everything that follows after the revelation of what the story is about are onlyEven if its menacing atmosphere remains the best constant of suspense for its narrative, the resource lacks variations after its introduction, since basically everything that follows after the revelation of what the story is about are only basically reactionary moments that only have the purpose of advancing the plot and to make sense, since the closed area where the events take place does not allow for anything else.

It's a good exercise in tension and suspense, not necessarily horror. It's hardly thought-provoking, as I've read in some professional reviews, but Shyamalan manages to make his film work from start to finish, even with its marked flaws and suspension of believability.
It's his best film since Split, but that's not saying much.

If you want to see the best he's currently doing you'd better watch Servant on Apple TV+, though I definitely won't tell you in any way not to give this story a chance.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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5

DolphinReviewsFeb 7, 2023

it's alright...................................................................

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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5

Daniel_EndureFeb 3, 2023

Don't go in expecting any twists, turns, or surprises. This movie is about as straight-forward as they come. It's like Bros, but a thriller.

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

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6

RalfbergsFeb 28, 2023

While I do think it was quite ok, it did feel like it had something missing to make it more thrilling or interesting. Like - the story was too straightforward or something. By the trailer it seemed it will be much more interesting

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

andy_indierockFeb 27, 2023

What the heck! I thought M Night would give a surprise ending like his films always do. So nothing special about this film, only regular thriller film.

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4

SHADOWSTRIKE1Jul 2, 2023

The cinematography is the only outstanding part of this film adaptation of “The Cabin at the End of the World”. Strange decisions were made in the screenplay to alter the original story unnecessarily, and make us less invested in theThe cinematography is the only outstanding part of this film adaptation of “The Cabin at the End of the World”. Strange decisions were made in the screenplay to alter the original story unnecessarily, and make us less invested in the characters. It cuts out important moments from the book that leaves the story feeling empty. The change of ending is also not a great trade. The movie’s marketing made it feel like the film was going to lean heavier into the horror aspect rather than the family (which the book focuses on), but strangely censors itself to avoid gore or anything that would leave the viewer uneasy. Overall, the film felt rushed, and the decisions felt forced. Not much left for discussion which was a strong point of the book. It’s strange, because this really shouldn’t have been hard to adapt to film. I wouldn’t say the book was amazing, but the movie is certainly a downgrade.… Expand

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4

SoulWarfareMar 12, 2023

It is better than his previous movie, Old, but not by much. It really feels like this movie needed more twist and turns which is strange coming from this director.

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5

Mauro_LanariApr 28, 2023

(Mauro Lanari)
The disaster movie would like to distinguish itself from apocalyptic cinema ignoring that the term/concept of Apocalypse was born in the Judeo-Christian tradition to indicate the end of the world as a not ruinous but salvific(Mauro Lanari)
The disaster movie would like to distinguish itself from apocalyptic cinema ignoring that the term/concept of Apocalypse was born in the Judeo-Christian tradition to indicate the end of the world as a not ruinous but salvific cosmic event, a prerequisite for the advent of the divine and messianic kingdom. In theological terms: eschatology as soteriology. Instead, "in the cinematographic imagination, as in the common one, the word 'apocalypse' evokes more destruction than healing, more catastrophe than salvation, so that the latter assumes, for the most part, the aspect of pure escape. The subsistence of the world 'as it is', which for apocalyptic hope had appeared an unacceptable form of resignation, now risks to appear as asupreme achievement. What at the beginning seemed little, at the end it appears a lot" (Piero Stefani 2008). Shyamalan's fideistic home invasion is no exception, indeed he adds the Four Horsemen and the Christological sacrificial-expiatory rite, so he is not at all thought provoking and I have run out of popcorn supplies.… Expand

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6

jonjohn048May 10, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I remember seeing the trailers for this movie a while ago and thought the premise was solid and intriguing so I waited until it was available on Peacock since I never even heard of the book and I wanted to see if this movie could give me an idea of what makes it special and it overall, I really don't think it does the book justice because if this is really what made the book special, I'm genuinely concerned on what people have been smoking. The first thing I'll say is that all the actors in this movie are great at their role and do a great job of showcasing genuine dread and desperation in order to hook you into the movie. Also, the fact there are two men who are gay, it's something I don't have a problem with if you can help me feel like their relationship makes sense and feels earned and while it's not the whole point of the film, I feel like it does feel earned with how it showcases their past with how they're willing to help each other and when one of them dies, it feels unfair and tense since you saw what they've been through and to see their relationship end this way and leaving the other one to care for their daughter alone is enough to help you sympathize with them. The writing is pretty good and helps out to ensure the characters aren't stupid and are genuinely taking the situation very seriously. Finally, the themes it showcases are subtle but are revealed at the end helping you realize what the movie has been about the whole time. And that's about all the positives I can come up with since the movie barely left that much of an impression on me. One of the problems I have is this weird plot-hole where it's revealed at the beginning that Wen likes grasshoppers and so does Leonard, but then it never comes back later on in the film making this character trait meaningless. Speaking of Wen, she isn't used NEARLY enough in this film to make me care and considering she's a main character whose life we're supposed we're supposed to fear for, that's a major failing on the director's part. But the worst part about this movie for me is that it's revealed that one of the intruders named Redmond apparently messed up one of the guys but he dies so early that it was never hinted that he ever actually did this and the "twist" that he was the one who did it feel shoehorned in without context and probably should've been cut. Overall, the only reason I'm interested in reading the book now is only because there is no way this movie actually does the story justice on what makes it special aside from the gay couple story and the performances. So overall, if you're interested in this story, try to go in with an open mind but even then, I still don't recommend this movie.… Expand

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5

AREXPFeb 26, 2023

Review: Entertainment: 2/5
Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5 Score/Screenplay/Sound: 3.5/5 Length: 4/5 Is it worth watching a second time: NO Watch it Alone or In a Group Setting: Both work fine Keywords: Christianity, Suspense, Super-Natural,Review: Entertainment: 2/5
Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5 Score/Screenplay/Sound: 3.5/5
Length: 4/5

Is it worth watching a second time: NO

Watch it Alone or In a Group Setting: Both work fine

Keywords: Christianity, Suspense, Super-Natural, LTGB P.S. Only thing going for it is, it keeps you guessing, but in the end, you feel like you wasted your time because the ending is bland… Expand

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5

SereneSBSMay 22, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 1. Why did they think talking to a little girl without her parents around would somehow help the situation and not freak the parents out immediately?

2. Why didn’t they ask to speak to everyone outside where they would feel comfortable? Why bash down the door?

3. Why did they not send one person, a woman or smaller man, who is non threatening to explain everything first as a buffer, instead of showing up as a gang with weapons?

4. Why did so many natural disasters that were impossible to have effects so quickly after the sacrifices keep happening? Like the planes falling from the sky? Seconds after the sacrifice, it looked like they had been falling out of the sky for at least 10 minutes or so. The flu? That would have taken days to hit the media.

5. Why did these people kill themselves over their vision? What made them so desperate to save humanity when all they got were visions? Why not assume they were experiencing some delusion or had tumors in their brain or something that would be much more reasonable of an explanation? It was never really established why these people were so convinced other than visions, which for most people, is simply not enough to end your own life in front of two husbands and their little child.

6. What happens if these cultists didn’t kill each other? Each person’s death released a plague right? So? Just don’t kill the cultists, then what happens? No plagues? Cool!

They’re like “I want to save people from dying, so I’m going to let these other people kill me, which will kill people who I don’t want to die… DERP.”

7. They never showed previous examples of this happening in the past, yet they implied it happened before. Where are the visions of this happening before? Where is the context? What could have possibly motivated these people to take it so seriously when the concept itself is unknown to most everyone on Earth? It’s so random and illogical that the behaviors of the actors itself are the plot hole.

8. Why did they suddenly believe it at the end, and have one husband kill the other when they were skeptical the whole time? “Oh, the WWE Wrestler died so that means it’s real.” No, that means you can escape now and return to civilization a normal functional person… who just saw a bunch of cult people off themselves so maybe normal + trauma.

9. Why would a lawyer/prosecutor who is very very aware of the law just go around murdering people? Specifically his own husband? Even assisted suicide is illegal so? He knows there would be horrible consequences if they were wrong. Lawyers mostly think in terms of the law, there was no legal justification for what he was doing.

10. The radio station scene at the end was incredibly upsetting. Why are they jamming to the radio after the person they both loved more than anyone just died? Hello? Hello? Hello???… Expand

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6

schtoopididiotMay 24, 2023

M. Night still has some dialogue issues to figure out, and it doesn't alwasy make thee most sense and can come off as boring, but with a tightly written script and a handful of very good acting performances, I'd say you have a job well done,M. Night still has some dialogue issues to figure out, and it doesn't alwasy make thee most sense and can come off as boring, but with a tightly written script and a handful of very good acting performances, I'd say you have a job well done, Shamylan.… Expand

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