Review: TRAP by M. Night Shaymalan is a Ridiculous Disappointment

I had a love/hate relationship with M. Night Shyamalan over the years. Sometimes it keeps its promises and surprises me with a great film! Then there are films like Trap, where it seems to completely miss the mark, leaving me more baffled than amused.

Trap It was a disappointment. From the moment the film began, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more of a vanity project than a genuine attempt at storytelling. The plot seemed improvised just to give Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, a chance to shine on the big screen.

In the film she plays the character of pop star Lady Raven, which I didn’t expect would have such a large role in the story.

Now, let’s talk about the so-called twist, or lack thereof. If you’re expecting a typical Shyamalan twist that turns the entire movie upside down, you’re in for a disappointment.

The big twist is that Saleka Shyamalan had a much bigger part in the story than I thought. But it could be that the big reveal here is that there isn’t one. Or maybe the twist is that Shyamalan decided to forgo his signature move altogether.

Instead, we have Josh Hartnett playing a crazy serial killer who leans into being an overly silly father with bad dad jokes. No shocking revelations, no mind-blowing plot twists, just a simple story.

The story itself is painfully uninteresting and the writing doesn’t do much to elevate it. There were moments where I found myself laughing, but not in the way you want to laugh during a thriller. The dialogue was clunky, the pacing was off and the whole thing just fell flat.

I want to give credit where credit is due, because Josh Hartnett really tried to make it work. He put in the work and did his best to encapsulate the character Shyamalan created for him. Hartnett’s portrayal of “The Butcher,” the father who took his daughter to the concert only to be revealed as a maniacal serial killer, had moments of potential. But even his dedication couldn’t save the film from itself.

In the end, Trap It’s easily one of the worst movies I’ve seen this year. I went into the theater with a glimmer of hope that Shyamalan would surprise me again, that maybe this would be one of those movies where he pulls the rug out from under us in the best way possible.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, I was left with a film that didn’t work on any level, from an uninspired plot to mediocre performances.

If you’re a die-hard Shyamalan fan, you might still find something to appreciate here. But for me, Trap It was a misstep, a film that tried to be both intelligent and emotional but ended up being neither.