Knock at the Cabin

Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 3, 2023

5.8	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 97 Ratings

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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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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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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

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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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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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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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

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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DolphinReviewsFeb 7, 2023

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

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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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.

3 of 8 users found this helpful35

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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.