Knock at the Cabin
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Strange, gruesome, but effective thriller about compassion.
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Knock at the Cabin
Community Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
On the edge of my seat!
An intense apocalyptic movie that may just be very well entertaining also!
What's the Story?
In KNOCK AT THE CABIN, Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and their daughter, Wen (Kristen Cui), are vacationing in a quiet cabin. While Wen is out collecting grasshoppers, she's approached by Leonard (Dave Bautista), who tells her that he wants to be her friend. Before long, three other people -- Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Ardiane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint) -- approach, all carrying strange-looking weapons. Wen and her dads lock themselves in the cabin, but soon, Leonard and the others force their way inside. Once Eric and Andrew are subdued and tied up, Leonard makes an unexpected request: The family must decide to kill one among them in order to save all of humanity. If not, the apocalypse is coming.
Is It Any Good?
M. Night Shyamalan's horror-thriller makes terrific use of its intimate scale and level-headed approach, generating suspense through suggestion and surprising empathy for the characters. Shyamalan doesn't usually do adaptations, but here he lets Paul Tremblay's novel The Cabin at the End of the World do all the heavy lifting. As a result, Knock at the Cabin showcases the director's singular, spatial visual style without crumbling under the lackluster writing that sometimes sabotages his work. That said, the movie does lose some of its suspense as it ramps up and reveals more information in the final act. But Knock at the Cabin starts economically and emotionally and rarely falters. Bautista sets the tone with his Leonard character, countering stereotypes often associated with large, muscular people by turning out to be gentle, thoughtful, and compassionate (he seems genuinely hurt at the suggestion that he might be lying about this apocalyptic scenario). For all of the threat and death on the line, the characters' tense, back-and-forth conversations are mainly about love and hope. And the fight between the worst of humanity and the best of humanity keeps viewers constantly guessing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Knock at the Cabin's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What do you think you might do in this situation? Is humanity worth such an extraordinary sacrifice? Why, or why not?
What positive representations did you notice in the film? Are stereotypes used?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
If you've read the book the movie is based on, how does the film compare?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 3, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: May 9, 2023
- Cast: Dave Bautista , Jonathan Groff , Rupert Grint
- Director: M. Night Shyamalan
- Inclusion Information: Asian actors, Gay actors
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Genre: Thriller
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 100 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence and language
- Last updated: October 23, 2023
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