I loved M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but The Village turned me off his work. Hearing his recent films improved, I gave Knock at the Cabin (2023) a shot, only to find it disappointing… once again – 6.5/10
Shyamalan adapts Paul Tremblay’s novel into a tense apocalyptic thriller. A family (Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge + a kid) faces a harrowing choice from four strangers, led by Dave Bautista’s gripping Leonard, to avert global doom.
The premise is intense, but the story feels flat, missing Shyamalan’s signature twist. This might subvert expectations, yet it leaves the plot predictable.
It feels like a movie where you expect a twist at the end, and there isn’t any – maybe that was the best twist???
Bautista excels, mixing menace and heart, while Groff and Aldridge are solid but script-constrained. Supporting roles, like Rupert Grint’s, lack depth. Shyamalan’s tight shots and moody visuals build tension, but the pacing falters without a bold turn. Unlike The Sixth Sense, it’s restrained and unsatisfying for fans craving suspense.
Watch for Bautista and Shyamalan completists, but don’t expect early-career magic.
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