Trap

Since <i>Trap</i> is an M. Night Shyamalan film, you expect a great story, character development, an easter egg or two, a twist (if any), and, for most of his films, a somewhat decent ending. That's the Shyamalan magic formula, which lands most of the time, but this was different.

<i>Trap</i>'s an original story with a fantastic setting, but there was a lot going on, much of it implausible, especially in the third act. However, Hartnett's character, Cooper, carefully moves around from scene to scene, very much aware of what's going on around him, and meticulously plans each step as he goes. The trailer already gave away details that the FBI is aware that The Butcher is in the arena, but how they target and focus on his attributes is the main point, which leads to Shyamalan's knack for twists. It's not earth-shattering, but makes a little bit of sense.

As for the other pieces of the film, the concert arena setting was very impressive. The design and coloring set the tone of the film, but, from experience, I've never seen so many people casually walking around mid-concert like there's an intermission. Again, this is a Shyamalan film, so it means absolutely nothing.

The final act was laughable. A few people around us screamed out "Oh, come on!" at the same time. These are the added elements to the theater experience that are annoying but cannot be ignored, and we agreed with them.

<b>Final thoughts:</b>
Hartnett should do more thriller-esque films, just not for Shyamalan<b>.</b>