You might think oh that’s a very obvious title for the review of Knock at the Cabin (I’ve literally typed Cabin in the Woods three times already). The purpose of a knock knock joke is to come up with a clever response, something unexpected…an M Night Shyamalan twist. Knock at the Cabin doesn’t really land the knock knock clever ending or twist but focuses more on its core question.
Knock at the Cabin follows two married men, Eric (Jonathon Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) who are enjoying a peaceful cabin stay until four mysterious strangers arrive. The mysterious strangers inform them that one of them must kill the other or else the apocalypse will occur and the strangers cannot interfere, they must make the decision themselves or watch as the world is destroyed around them.
It is the second piece of film or TV released this week involving a relationship between two men and how/whether they live their life together in apocalyptic times, the other being The Last of Us. Unfortunately I can’t help but compare the two and The Last of Us gets it right a lot more then Knock at the Cabin.
Whilst Knock at the Cabin is stressful and definitely constantly makes you think what would I do? I didn’t really end up caring what happened to the guys in Knock at the Cabin yet I had tears in my eyes for The Last of Us. Knock at the Cabin hasn’t really stuck with me, in the moment I was intrigued about how the film would end but it isn’t something I’ll be aching not to spoil for my friends.
That out of the way, go watch The Last of Us and listened to the podcast to learn about the relationships between two men in modern TV and Cinema, Knock at the Cabin just didn’t get me excited. It’s a simple story which is an easy watch but also doesn’t feel very gut punching. Dave Bautista, who plays Leonard, is still shining as the best actor who used to be a wrestler, despite the fact I found his movie tattoos distracting, nice to know James Bond’s Spectre exists in Shyamalan’s world. It further states that really you should see any film that Bautista is in because he really seems to perfect every role he stars in.
The film was certainly missing an extra element, it felt like the idea is that you’re waiting for a twist or for something to change the whole thing. The film’s one moment of surprise isn’t even that much of a shock but more plays out like the someone telling you what happens in a movie rather than watching it.
Knock’s main question is whether the four intruders are telling the truth or not and whether you can figure it out before Eric and Andrew. This isn’t explored enough though as everything is instead just handed to you quite easily too little flare.
If you’re going to see Knock at Cabin for a shock or surprise then you might be disappointed. If you’re going to watch M Night Shyamalan’s stressful situations and moments then you will like Knock at the Cabin. It is another film that further makes it clear for me that I won’t be staying in a cabin in the woods at any time.
Speaking of which, it does make for a great addition to whoever is making the list of ‘Movies Set in a Cabin in the Woods’. Knock at the Cabin isn’t likely to be a big hit for the horror/thriller genre but it is definitely a movie you would watch on Netflix one evening.
Score: 3/5