Trap - 4K Blu-ray Review

Movie
OK, by this time pretty much everyone of us knows who M. Night Shyamalan is, and what type of movies he put out. The guy has run parallel to the Wachowski’s, who both created great films in the early days of their careers, only to just put out box office bomb after box office bomb. But in the case of Shyamalan, it’s a bit more complicated. While stuff like Signs, The Sixth Sense and even The Village were considered great films, his basically drove his name into the ground with subsequent bombs. But weirdly, interspersed among those box office poison explosions were the occasional solid story in there. OLD was rather inventive, and Knock at the Cabin was surprisingly fun (and always reminds me that we underestimate Dave Bautista as an actor). When I first saw the trailer for Trap I was instantly intrigued. I was getting Lady in the Water vibes from this film insomuch that it seemed like it was stepping outside of his normal “shocking end twist russian nesting doll” story tropes and going more unique. It had Josh Hartnett (who is shockingly under rated in his acting skills) so I was intrigued.

Not to spoil the entire movie, but I was sort of vindicated in my hopes for this film, but also highly frustrated with it at the same time. While Shyamalan shies away from his typical “massive twist ending” trademark, he also made some very strange decisions that led me to surmise that this was not something that he was really passionate about, but merely a vehicle to promote his eldest daughter’s singing career.

Our film starts out with Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to pop star Lady Raven’s (Saleka Shyamalan) latest concert. Everything is going as planned, with poor Cooper smiling and nodding at all of the teen fangirling going on, only for Cooper to find out that something’s not right. There seems to be a ton of police security for a concert, and after a loose lipped booth vendor lets it slip that the police are there to trap a serial killer named “The Butcher”, Cooper’s cool is blown. You see, he IS the butcher, and now he’s sitting right in the middle of an FBI trap and he’s precariously balanced upon the proverbial trigger plate.

The rest of the film is a game of cat and mouse, as Cooper deftly evades security and uses his sociopathic personality to blend in with everyone. However, the more and more he pushes at the walls of the cage, the more and more panicky he becomes, slowly winding him down to a near inevitable conclusion. The weird “twist” in all of this (if you can call it a twist) is that Cooper is forced to incorporate Lady Raven into his escape plan in order to get out of the building undetected. But unfortunately for him, Lady Raven is not the kind to take things sitting down, and turns the table on the frustrated serial killer, luring him back to his own home where she can use her own contacts as a celebrity to try and bring him to justice.

I’m going to admit that I actually like the first hour of the film. It was clever, tense, and definitely had me wondering just what was going to go on. The concert itself was well done, and Saleka does a great job singing (which is not shocking as she’s a burgeoning pop star in real life), and I liked the weird nature of Hartnett’s Cooper. But that last 45 minutes folks. Those 45 minutes are all it takes to take the train and shoot it right off the rails. As soon as Cooper, Riley and Lady Raven leave the arena everything goes into the realm of absurdity. The entire last act or so is a gigantic string of implausible movie magic coincidences that leave even the most laid back film watcher cause to roll their so far back in their head that it truly hurts. And when I mean it strains credulity, I mean it REALLY strains it (the whole rescue of the kid in the basement is down right mind boggling, and Cooper’s escape from the surrounded car is just painful).

On the other hand, I also have to levy criticism for Hartnett here, but part of me wonders if it really is Hartnett’s fault. Cooper is played so over the top, so bizarre and offputting that I actually wonder if it was done intentionally to sort of poke fun at the serial killer trope. Hartnett plays the character so hammy and cheesily, that I was left wondering if it was actually him messing up the character, or if Shyamalan actually directed him that way. Either way, Cooper comes across as a VERY bizarre and unbelievable person. And last but not least, the film really feels like it was simply a marketing device for his daughters singing career. Especially when you take into account how much time was us listening to her sing on stage, only for her to become some over the top girlboss super hero at the end. Don’t get me wrong, the first hour is actually pretty great, but the weird acting by Hartnett (who is usually fantastic) and the obvious shilling for his daughter’s vocal career left me wondering if this was actually a movie, or an advertisement.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and brief strong language




4K Video: Video:

I don’t have the Blu-ray to compare against (Warner is still snubbing combo pack fans), but the 4K UHD disc looks PHENOMENAL. Shot on film and given a 4K intermediate master for the final presentation, this really looks incredible. The film alternates between warmly shot daylight sequences and the dulled down dimly lit concert arena. Fine details are above reproach, allowing us to see every bit of hair on Cooper’s jacket, or the creases and lines in his face with impeccable clarity. Black levels are utterly amazing, showing off deep rich shadowy backdrops that maintain the utmost clarity, but then pop to the outside world where bright contrast and richly saturated colors from the DV application really shine. I saw a few minor flickers of crush here and there, otherwise this is an utterly exemplary encode.





Audio:

Warner’s Atmos track really shines here, creating a moody and atmospheric track that uses a ton of surround cues while being located inside of the busy concert arena. Naturally the musical numbers from Saleka were the highlight, with fantastic immersion and amazing surround usage to imitate the echoes and reflections of a huge arena. Quieter moments are still fantastic though, with great use of said surrounds and overheads with the scraping of chairs, or the cracking of a board as Cooper tries to get into the bathroom near the end. If I had one MINOR compliant that drags this down from a 5/5 rating it’s the fact that the bass could have been a BIT punchier for some of the more intense sequences. It was great as a musical accompaniment, but during some of the “shock and awe” moments in the final act I felt as if it could have used a bit more power. But still, fairly minor niggle all things considering.






Extras:

• Setting the Trap: A New M. Night Shayamalan Experience
• Saleka as Lady Raven
• Deleted Scenes
-- Cooper Gets Stopped by SWAT
-- Riley Shows Lady Raven Her Room
-- Cooper Takes a Hostage and Slips Away
• Extended Concert Scene: Where Did She Go









I’m kind of saddened how Trap turned out, as the initial premise (and lead actor) is a solid choice in my books. Hartnett is a fantastic actor, and Shyamalan has turned out some decent stuff recently. But this film feels more like a 1 hour and 45 minute advertisement for his daughter more than an actual film. Some stuff is good, some stuff is bad, some stuff is simply awkward and non essential. But really, this is one of the more skippable films in Shyamalan’s career while still not dropping into After Earth and The Happening level of bad. The 4K disc looks and sounds great though, so fans of the film should be pleased with the technical specs. The rest of you, I would suggest a rental.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Written by: M. Night Shyamalan
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish, French (Canada), French (Parisian) DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Parisian French
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 106 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: November 5th, 2024

Asere said:

The film had potential but I lost interest once he admitted to Lady Raven who he was. Very unrealistic storyline for sure. How many people spend so much money at a venue only to spend the time at the concessions while the artist is performing? The area outside the concert was packed with people buying.

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lol, yeah right after they leave the venue the story goes off the rails... the first half was actually pretty good. 2nd half? not so much