M. Night Shyamalan had a solid start in Hollywood. We have one of the all-time greatest horror movies, The Sixth Sense which is still branded among some of the rare masterful twists in cinema history. However, the director didn’t always have a smooth ride and the road to please critics is not easy. The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment is the highest-rated movie of his career with a stunning 86% positive score but like most of his projects, his recent movie Trap starring Josh Hartnett has been received with mixed reaction. But the director has a sense of why critics hate his movies
M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap Was Not Certified Fresh
Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue in Trap. Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap did not land on Rotten Tomatoes with a strong score claiming only 50% which is now standing at 47% on Tomatometer. However, the audience has poured some love on the horror specialist showering a stunning 68% score.
The reception from critics for the film is mixed, RT top critic Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com said, “Josh Hartnett almost makes “Trap” worth seeing, imbuing his character with a playfulness that can be captivating. It’s just a shame his great work sometimes feels trapped in a movie that doesn’t know what to do with it.”
Peter Gray from The AU Review wrote, “A tighter pace and a clearer vision could have truly elevated this Hitchcockian-like thriller, but, ultimately, it’s one set up that doesn’t quite snare the intended interest.”
Collider’s Ross Bonaime laments the movie as one of the downgrades of his career, “At this point in his career, Shyamalan’s biggest twist is his inability to utilize the tools that once made him such a promising filmmaker.”
However, not all reviews are downright diminishing, The Film Stage’s Nick Newman writes, “It’s perhaps [M. Night Shyamalan’s] best-engineered work since The Village and arguably the purest piece of entertainment he’s ever made.”
RT top critic Nick Schager from The Daily Beast also praised the movie saying, “As a pulpy game of cat-and-mouse, however, it provides enough thrills to compensate for its illogicalities, and in Josh Harnett, it boasts a star adept at locating the fiendishness in fatherhood.”
Top critic, Lindsey Bahr from the Associated Press said that Trap is a decent popcorn movie, “We keep wanting Shyamalan to somehow give us The Sixth Sense or Signs again. Trap is not either of those. This is a popcorn movie, with a surprising turn from an underrated star. And ultimately, it’s a pretty fun time at the theater.”
Night Shyamalan Reacts Why Critics Hate His Movies
Josh Hartnett Ariel Donoghue in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap. Image Credit: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Shyamalan is certainly one of the most influential filmmakers of the generation with his movies collectively reaching $3.3 billion globally. Shyamalan, known for his horror thrillers, recently had a chat with The Atlantic where he discussed why critics dislike his works after, well, The Sixth Sense and Split.
“I am an immigrant,” the director said. “At the end of the day, and I’m telling stories not about immigrants. Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to swallow if I was making movies about Indian mathematicians or something like that. Then I would get the benefit of the doubt.”
Trap follows a father played by Josh Hartnett and his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) who attend a pop concert of Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) but they’ve entered the premise of a dark and sinister event.
Shyamalan originally pitched the movie as, “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?” the director told Empire.
Further, Old and The Village director added that he wanted the viewers to have an original and unique experience. “I really do believe in the original movie,” Shyamalan said. “I want the industry to move toward more original storytelling. I think audiences would really like it. Look, I know there’s safety in IP. But it’s really important that we come to the movies and see something we’ve never seen before. I’ll keep fighting for that.”
Trap is now showing in theaters.
