Review byĀ Nicholas PorteousĀ forĀ Mr. Will Wong
What would you do if you were presented with a choice between sacrificing a family member and saving 7 billion lives? Before you lock in your answerāDave BautistaĀ is the one asking.Ā Rupert GrintĀ is there too (among others). Thereās no evidence to suggest the Apocalypse is about to unfold, and they all sound like theyāre in a cult!
This outrageously contrived hypothetical is the engine that drivesĀ M Night Shyamalanās latest rollercoaster. Iām by no means anĀ M NightĀ fan, and outside ofĀ The Sixth Sense andĀ The Village,Ā I havenāt enjoyed any of his work in a completely unironic way. I find his dialogue clunky beyond reason, and his bag of tricks tired. I was expecting to get a kick out ofĀ CabinĀ in a so-bad-itās-fun kind of way. But let me tell you up front: I think this is one of his best, and I say that without a shred of sarcasm.
CabinĀ takes almost no time to get going. In the middle of a forest, an adorable little girl encounters a hilariously large, imposing man, and after a creepy, table-setting conversation, weāre thrust into the middle of a home invasion horror/thriller. Before your popcorn is half empty, the stakes have been raised to the potential destruction of humanity, and in a tight 100 minutes, the ride is over. All this to say that unlike plenty of otherĀ Shyamalans,Ā CabinĀ never overstays its welcome. Itās lean and mean, and spends every ounce of energy developing its premise.Ā Shyamalanās knackāor rather lackāfor dialogue, is perfectly deployed in the context of these strange intruders, who wouldnāt feel out of place on a conspiracy-laden, misinformation message board.Ā BautistaĀ is the obvious standout, equally tender and towering, and he makes the relatively absurd premise feel like a heartfelt plea for humanityās future.
Thatās not to sayĀ CabinĀ is perfect. Itās a well-executed but elementary yarn, and predictable on more than one occasion.Ā ShyamalanĀ leans into blunt exclamations when he has the opportunity to pose some complex, potentially more interesting questions. The theme of overwhelming faith in the face of a total lack of evidence could be misconstrued as irresponsibleāto say the leastāat this moment in history. But if youāre expecting a ride, andĀ Bautistaās question has your attention, I suggest you grab a seat and stand by for that forebodingĀ Knock.
Universal Pictures CanadaĀ releaseĀ KNOCK AT THE CABINĀ February 3, 2023.
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