Knock at the Cabin

Starring: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn, Kristen Cui, M. Night Shyamalan (cameo)
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Thriller
2023

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A family vacationing in the woods faces a home invasion where they are given an insane choice- kill one of their own family members, or watch as the human race is destroyed.

Review:

Tim: I was quite interested to see M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin. I'd read Paul Tremblay's novel, The Cabin at the End of the World and while it presented some interesting ideas, I ultimately found it too flawed and weak of a story. It had great ideas, but felt like the execution didn't quite live up to the promise. I was quite curious to see what Shyamalan would do with the adaptation. I really enjoyed Knock at the Cabin. Now, I do have some criticisms and I debated lowering this film's rating by .5. Truth be told, I'm still debating it. I think it's right on that line, but I ultimately gave it the benefit of the doubt. I found the film to be entertaining, even if ultimately, a bit unsatisfying.

The premise is definitely strong- a family of three deep in the woods watches in horror as their cabin is taken over by four strangers with deadly weapons. This group begs the family to make an impossible choice- if they don't kill one of their family members, the entire human race will be destroyed. The key to the book (and to some extent, the movie) is the mystery of whether these three are insane, or if something Biblical is actually happening. I wish both the novel and the movie leaned into this a bit more. Neither really embraces this mystery. The movie feels like it offers more answers, which is fine, but I wanted more ambiguity, more exploring this issue. At the heart of the story is a home invasion yarn, and it's an effective one. We generally care for this innocent family, thrust into a maddening situation. Shyamalan keeps the scenes in the middle tight and moving. It's a story we haven't seen before, a fascinating twist on the home invasion subgenre and I was definitely there for it.

What really helps this movie significantly is the cast. Dave Bautista sometimes annoys me when he speaks out controversially, like some of things he's said about Drax and Marvel. However, I have to admit, he might be the best wrestler-turned-actor of all time. Bautista has been able to find interesting and diverse roles. His role as Leonard here allows him to show off a quieter, gentler side. This is especially impressive considering he's the ringleader of a family abduction. His role is offputting, though, and you find yourself fascinated by his character. This required actual acting, real talent to bring this complex character to life. Bautista manages to do that in spades. I also loved the performance of Jonathan Groff. I'm a huge fan of Groff and have been so impressed with his range as an actor. This role is a bit reserved, but he's such a likeable actor. He made us care for this character and feel for his family. That's a big reason why this movie works- Bautista and Groff, on different ends of the character spectrum. Ben Aldridge gives a really strong performance, too. I liked him less than Groff, but his character is memorable and interesting. His performance works. It was nice seeing Rupert Grint here, continuing his work with Shyamalan (after their collaboration on the television series Servant). I wish he had a bit more to do, but he gives a surprisingly strong performance. Nikki Amuka-Bird adds a nice supporting role, and Abby Quinn was good, albeit in a very small role. I thought Kristen Cui did a nice job as Wen- she's exactly as I pictured the character when I read the book. As a whole, Shyamalan assembles an impressive cast that elevates the movie significantly.

As for the story, I knew the broad strokes and it was fun to see it visually depicted. As I said, I didn't love Tremblay's book. I found it interesting that they changed the ending of the story fairly significantly. I actually felt ambivalent about this change. I didn't love the book's ending, nor did I especially love the movie's ending. Both are good in their own ways, neither is flawless. It did feel like a decent conclusion, although it doesn't quite end the movie on a high note. In many ways, the movie offers a softer, kinder ending than the book, which is an interesting decision. I doubt Alfred Hitchcock would have done the same thing. In some ways, the less blunt ending here felt appropriate, in others, a bit disappointing.

I probably enjoyed Knock at the Cabin more than most critics. I acknowledge some flaws with the plot and execution, but I generally enjoyed this story, especially for the opportunities it affords the cast. Shyamalan is always going to be a polarizing director and hit-or-miss, but I felt like this one connected more than many of his films. I have to admit I really enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Old, The Visit, The Village