Knock at the Cabin

Maybe it was the meh reviews that steeled me for something worse. Maybe I’m just in a good and charitable mood. But damn, I really enjoyed this. I really liked the way that the film constantly plays with the facts as we know them, giving us evidence that the quartet of doomsday prophets is right, and then providing a logical explanation against it by the protagonists. And while I get why some might find the changed ending from the graphic novel, I think this ending is more emotionally effective. The book makes you think; the movie makes you feel. Given the choice, I’ll take the latter. The acting here is excellent, especially Dave Bautista, who I am comfortable saying is the undisputed best wrestler turned actor. He brings a sadness to the role of Leonard, a reluctant and terrified man who nevertheless faces what he believes is his responsibility. Really, I have no complaints about anyone in the acting department. Or directing, as M Night Shyamalan does a fantastic job with such a small space. Lighting, blocking, framing, cinematography, all of it is some of M Night’s best. And I’ll push back on those who complained about the way the movie steers away from the gore. This movie isn’t about gore. If you want that, go watch Terrifier. I’m fine with the cutaways and doing it off-screen. It lets the imagination fill in the gaps, which is always more effective. The two small quibbles I will make are that the flashbacks are almost useless and only disrupt the flow, and that the movie does have a tendency to ask its characters to (as I believe Ebert put it) carry the stupid ball. Some tighter writing could fix both, but they don’t kill the experience at all. Just a small dent in an otherwise gripping, enthralling, tense psychological horror movie.