The first hour of Knock at the Cabin is absolutely fantastic. The slow build of the premise and the players involved is laden with tension and mystery, and really does a great job of streamlining the books somewhat fluffy telling of the events into a tight, gripping package. All of the strangers are played just like their book counterparts, but Bautista and Abby Quinn play theirs to perfection. Bautista builds on the small part he had in Blade Runner 2049 and pulls off the loveable giant Leonard like the character was written for him. I can't wait to see him get more serious roles like this in the future.
Unfortunately, much of the magic is lost during the back half of the movie.
Why oh why did they feel the need to change the ending to something so...final? The ambiguity left by the novel was one of my favourite things about it. Still not quite knowing until the very end if this was a group delusion or an actual premonition is what makes the books ending so good. By confirming that Redmond was indeed O'Bannon and showing the end-of-days actually stopping when they finally agree to the terms of the Strangers only serves to take away all of the lingering questions and mystery that make the book as harrowing as it is. I know this is probably coming across as the usual ramblings of a bookreader scorned but I really cannot understand the need to switch to such a straight-faced, mysteryless ending.
Overall I thought this was one of the better adaptations of a horror novel, and M. Night Shyamalan shows that he's still got it, even if the story that he's shooting is not quite up to snuff. The warm, fuzzy look of this movie really fits the ambiance well and the direction of the gore and violence was tasteful while upholding the impact needed. Good movie, only hampered by it's strange compulsion to give modern audiences a direct answer to questions that really don't need to be answered. I'd say the first hour is a solid 8 out of 10, dragged horrifically down to a 6/10 by the absurdly changed ending. Worth a viewing, but I implore you to read the book first, or read a summary of the book shortly after you've finished. It really is a much better resolution, at least for me.
Review by XiofireBlockedParent2023-02-25T18:41:58Z
The first hour of Knock at the Cabin is absolutely fantastic. The slow build of the premise and the players involved is laden with tension and mystery, and really does a great job of streamlining the books somewhat fluffy telling of the events into a tight, gripping package. All of the strangers are played just like their book counterparts, but Bautista and Abby Quinn play theirs to perfection. Bautista builds on the small part he had in Blade Runner 2049 and pulls off the loveable giant Leonard like the character was written for him. I can't wait to see him get more serious roles like this in the future.
Unfortunately, much of the magic is lost during the back half of the movie.
Why oh why did they feel the need to change the ending to something so...final? The ambiguity left by the novel was one of my favourite things about it. Still not quite knowing until the very end if this was a group delusion or an actual premonition is what makes the books ending so good. By confirming that Redmond was indeed O'Bannon and showing the end-of-days actually stopping when they finally agree to the terms of the Strangers only serves to take away all of the lingering questions and mystery that make the book as harrowing as it is. I know this is probably coming across as the usual ramblings of a bookreader scorned but I really cannot understand the need to switch to such a straight-faced, mysteryless ending.
Overall I thought this was one of the better adaptations of a horror novel, and M. Night Shyamalan shows that he's still got it, even if the story that he's shooting is not quite up to snuff. The warm, fuzzy look of this movie really fits the ambiance well and the direction of the gore and violence was tasteful while upholding the impact needed. Good movie, only hampered by it's strange compulsion to give modern audiences a direct answer to questions that really don't need to be answered. I'd say the first hour is a solid 8 out of 10, dragged horrifically down to a 6/10 by the absurdly changed ending. Worth a viewing, but I implore you to read the book first, or read a summary of the book shortly after you've finished. It really is a much better resolution, at least for me.