By Indira Zaldivar
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller “Trap” is showing in theaters. Que Onda Magazine brings you a brief summary of what you can expect from the movie without spoilers.
Slow-Paced Plot Gives More Focus to a Stellar Performer than the Murderer in the Film
A dad named Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert by Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). Quickly, the dad starts showing concern about a high presence of cops, even the FBI, both inside and outside the concert venue packed with around 20,000 concert goers.
Viewers’ first clue that something sinister is underwraps is when Coopers starts to reveal polarizing sides of his character which the actor does a stellar job of managing.
Eventually, even his daughter notices her dad is acting “weird” when her dad finds poorly-thought excuses to leave the concert after Cooper and viewers learn that the concert is a trap to capture the serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.”
More than half of the film is spent at the concert, which really pulls attention away from the suspense to showcase the music talent of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka, who confessed to iHeart Radio that her fictional character was performing live.
Too few “horror” scenes
What called my attention to watch the movie, was the “horror” label given to the film. However, the film fell short in delivering horror, with only two horrific scenes.
Some solutions are oversimplified
The way certain problems were resolved seemed oversimplified for this day and age’s security, picturing the villain as a mastermind when in reality, the credit is due to plot holes.
Women Power in Surprise Character Developments
Towards the latter half, the film starts to pick up pace when one of the woman characters takes more of a lead role, even saving the day thanks to modern-technology and influence. The film features women in leadership roles, which is a trend viewers like me appreciate.
Conclusion
While the film came short in horror and mystery dulled by a slow plot, it features multi-faceted characters that make it worth the watch.
