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Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Rupert Grint. © 2023 Universal Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment, and Wishmore Entertainment. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Save Your Family or Save Humanity. Make The Choice.
Say what you want about M. Night Shyamalan but he really has returned to the Hollywood landscape with this intense thriller. It doesn't come with a twist but it comes with a heavy dose of his filmmaking style. What's the result? It lands very well and I was surprised by the plot and every character presented in this film. It was indeed intriguing. Join me in this cabin and see what the hell is going on with these people. And no, this is not Funny Games. Story: While vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared, and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost. Over the course of the film, I did not expect this film to be almost all in one location. I am lowkey glad it is because it makes the film more claustrophobic and crazy. Everyone is crazy in this film, including the child. It's a much smaller film in terms of scale. It's not huge like Glass but it's within the similar realms of Old. The story is huge but on a small scale but still feels huge. The story was well executed since it was based on a book. There are huge changes from the book but for this adaptation, those changes are necessary. There are huge spoilers but the changes here are well done. The plot itself was pretty surprising, especially with certain deaths in the film. The screenplay was pretty good and while there was a lot of exposition, the exposition was necessary. The ending of the film was so well written and it makes the story and plot more dense and emotional because of the performances. I really enjoyed the duo relationship performances from Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge. Their chemistry worked well and with the child actor Kristen Cui as Wen, it was a well-performed dynamic between the three of them. I thought the child was going to be annoying but she was really great in this film. She acted like an actual child but also a smart one as well. I didn't get to the "villains" of the film. The group who intrude on the family played by Dave Bautista, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint are all very great in the film. Rupert Grint was the stand-out from the group. He really delivered a chilling performance that I still remember to this day. It's great to see him on the silver screen again in dramatic roles. He's not the only one who is standing out in this dramatic film. Dave Bautista delivered his best performance since Blade Runner 2049. When given the right material, he knows how to deliver a great performance, and in every film he has been in since Guardians of the Galaxy, he has improved a lot. His recent film roles really showcase his range and I love that this is his strongest performance so far. The other actors are very great as well. I really liked Abby Quinn's character the most since she gets so much emotional screen time to make this situation way worse. Every character gets a moment and by the end, you won't know what's going to happen next. Also, there's no twist in the end so that's good and maybe disappointing if you are a die-hard M. Night fan. Overall, I really enjoyed these strong performances and the characters in the film. The cinematography in this film is very well shot and it's M. Night's best shot film since Split. The production looks very solid and the sound design of the film is very good. This was definitely a strong entry in M Night's filmography but there are some criticisms along the way. I was expecting a lot more intensity from the main villain group of the film, More crazy shit and violence. While I'm fine that they tone down the violence, the craziness didn't peak quite as what I expected. There were some scenes in which the child actor was acting like an adult which seems uncanny for a bit. Plus, there were some dumb decisions in the film that lead to a death or a dumb moment. I was mixed at first but by the end, I was liking it by every second. It's a strong outing from M Night. Overall, this film was very solid with its great performances and unique cinematography that brought M. Night's vision to life. It was fun and dark as hell. While this film could've been more intense, the performances really brought the energy of the film and kept me engaged until the end. I'm looking forward to M. Night's next film with Warner Bros in the future. Now Playing in Theaters Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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