Trap

Grade: B

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense had a very compelling body of the movie, even when we were still figuring things out, followed by an equally great final twist that had me replaying the film in my head, and already wanting to see it again. I don’t think he’s matched or topped it since. Most of his works since then tend to have a fun journey, only to have the inevitable big reveal be either too complicated, arcane, unbelievable, or all of the above. Trap is no different. It falters at the end, but what comes before contains many aspects that I loved.

The major plot point can be discerned before you’re halfway through, or even if you see the non-teaser version of the trailer. Other critics have come right out and mentioned it. I won’t, but…come on. You’ll know. My gut instinct turned out to be correct. The enjoyment comes in the speculating about what might be going on, and hoping it’s something different than what you think. Disappointingly, it isn’t, but Trap will inspire millions of post-film parking lot conversations among moviegoers all over the world. Even after the showing that I left at 1:20am, people were standing around discussing and dissecting.

This is at least Shyamalan’s second movie, of probably more, set in Philadelphia. Josh Hartnett plays Cooper, who is taking his young teenage daughter Riley to a concert at the local arena. She is a Taylor Swift/Beyonce-type artist known as Lady Raven, and apparently the biggest pop star on the planet. She’s played by Saleka Shyamalan, who has a lovely voice and wonderful dance stylings. By the time she gets a more significant role in the plot, it’s unfortunate that the screenplay doesn’t serve her the best.

Cooper notices an unusual amount of security outside the building, and asks a T-shirt vendor what’s up. He’s told that a serial killer called The Butcher is likely at the concert, and every man will be thoroughly screened on their way out. All I will say is that Hartnett surreptitiously causes disturbances to create distractions, steals an employee’s access badge, goes places the general public isn’t allowed, and seems quite interested in finding a way out without an interaction with authorities. Make of that what you will.

Trap contains excellent elements. The early scenes with Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue as Riley have the chemistry of a sweet father-daughter relationship. Donoghue, 14 years old, is the best performance in the movie. She successfully conveys the wide-eyed fandom for Lady Raven, and is fearless with her dancing. She is one to watch for sure. There’s some delicious parody in Lady Raven’s shallow, corny introductions to her songs. We’ve all heard such lame, pretentious preambles at concerts – things like “I was in a bad place. I let it consume me, and be who I am. This next song is for all of you who are rounding that corner.”

Trap is a B from me, but that’s just the average. No part of the movie felt like a solid B. The first two-thirds are an emphatic B+, and the final stretch is a definite B-. It’s at that point where the dialogue gets so heavy and silly. There’s a moment where I didn’t know if it was a hallucination, or something that was staged by other characters. Either way, it’s hard to believe this person would fall for it. And once we get the explanation for everything, it will make you question how possible it all was. Bottom line, though: I was entertained. I was invested. I was absorbed. I never once checked the time on my phone. I was fully in it. Stick around for an early mid-credits scene. There’s a comedic payoff that I wasn’t expecting, but it was so welcomed.

Grade: B