When one discusses the batting average of filmmakers, there are the ones that are usually at the top, such as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman, Quentin Tarantino, and Jean-Luc Godard, amongst others. On the other hand, there are the filmmakers whose hit to miss ratio is rather mixed. This is where M. Night Shyamalan, a filmmaker whose films can either be great, pretty good, or abysmal. “Knock at the Cabin” falls under the middle category. I went to a screening of “Knock at the Cabin” on its opening weekend, and it is a pretty good film.
An adaptation of Paul G. Tremblay’s 2018 novel, “The Cabin at the End of the World,” “Knock at the Cabin” follows parents Andrew and Eric, and their daughter Wen, who are on vacation at the titular cabin. This happy vacation will soon take a dark turn, with the arrival of a strange group, proclaiming that the death of humanity is arriving. This family must make a horrifying decision, in order to avert this apocalypse from happening.
Dave Bautista stars as Leonard, the leader of this mysterious group and a schoolteacher, who befriends Wen at the beginning of the film. Bautista’s performance as this calm leader, also doubles as a showcase of his acting range, with his monologues about what would happen if the family doesn’t make a choice (with these monologues containing vivid descriptions of Armageddon), sticking with the viewer. This factor is a great example of why he is the best wrestler-turned-actor, and why his casting was a great choice.
Abby Quinn gives an excellent performance as Adriane, a line cook who is one of the other members of this cryptic group. In one of her first major roles since her appearance in Charlie Kaufman’s 2020 film “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” Quinn emphasizes the anxiety and awkwardness of her character, such as when she is introducing herself to the family.
As for the direction of the film, M. Night Shyamalan crafts quite an engaging thriller that has quite a throwback vibe, along with successfully capturing the overarching tension that encloses the film from beginning to end.
When it comes to the screenplay co-written by Shyamalan, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, they crafted a pretty great script, although there are a few instances where the dialogue is kind of weak.
One of the few major complaints that I have about the film (outside of the dialogue) is the visual effects, albeit they’re not a huge issue, considering the usage of CGI is infrequent and the budget of the film is kind of low for a mainstream studio film.
Although there are some road bumps along the way (such as the pacing), Knock at the Cabin manages to overcome these issues. With an engaging premise, along with a great cast, this suspenseful thriller is yet another example of how Shyamalan has returned to making quality thrillers like he used to make. I recommend checking this film out.
