"Trap" is one of 2024's more infamous releases; you don't need to look far to find plenty of critics and viewers telling you to steer clear of the M. Night Shyamalan thriller... but I'm no "Trap" denier.
I saw this twisting thriller in theaters and left with a smile on my face; despite its flaws, "Trap" is a ton of fun. And, seeing as this movie is leaving Netflix very soon, now seems as good a time as any to recommend it to would-be viewers.
Yes, now that we have Netflix's June schedule, we know that your last day to stream "Trap" on Netflix is Tuesday, June 10. As of the time of writing, that means you've got just one week left to stream "Trap" on Netflix, at the time of writing.
If you need convincing, you can find a little more info about the movie — and why I think "Trap" is worth adding to your watchlist — below.
What is 'Trap' about?
"Trap" sees American firefighter and picture-perfect suburban dad Cooper Abbott (Josh Hartnett), taking his teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite popstar, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert... where something sinister is about to go down.
Turns out the cops believe that a grisly serial killer known as "The Butcher" is also in attendance, so they've got the whole place locked down to finally bring his reign of terror to an end.
And given we learn Cooper's the one with a killer secret mere minutes into the film, that presents him with a major problem. How on earth is he going to make it out of the arena?
In addition to Hartnett, Donohue, and Shyamalan, "Trap" also stars Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Marnie McPhail-Diamond, and Mark Bacolcol, among others.
Why you should you stream 'Trap' on Netflix before its too late
Look, I'm not entirely sure that "Trap" is actually a good movie, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a good time when I saw it in theaters.
Chiefly, that's because of our protagonist. Josh Hartnett's playful performance is worth the price of admission alone.
Watching Cooper puzzle out his predicament is a real treat precisely because Hartnett is so invested in the role. It's the same commitment that makes his recent action-comedy "Bullet Train" riff, "Fight or Flight" work so well. He's committed to doing as much as possible with this absurdly silly conceit.
And, while "Trap" at times feels like little more than a way to promote Saleka's music career, when we're outside the concert hall, it's packed with increasingly absurd turns that make it worth sticking with.
"Trap" is assuredly messy and will doubtless not work for everyone, but if you can revel in Hartnett's killer charisma and buy into campy storytelling, this is a entertaining ride that lives up to the "thriller" label.
Critically, the reaction could politely be described as "mixed." At the time of writing, "Trap" currently holds a 57% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a slightly higher 64% score from fellow moviegoers.
As an example of what reviewers had to say, THR's Lovia Gyarkye described "Trap" as "a concert movie for Shyamalan's daughter [...] wrapped in a middling thriller kept afloat by a compelling performance from Josh Hartnett."
Entertainment Weekly reviewer Jordan Hoffman called "Trap" Shyamalan's "most preposterous movie yet" and "a film mostly of surface pleasures," but adds "there's a lot of fun waiting to be had for those willing to check any large items like scrutiny or skepticism before entering the arena."
Empire's Dan Jolin offers a more negative take, giving it a 2-star rating and calling it "an oddly inert wannabe nail-biter", summing "Trap" up as "an initially cool premise that goes nowhere interesting as it heads off somewhere else too quickly. Hartnett does his best, but director Shyamalan seems more interested in trying to convince us of his daughter’s pop-star credentials."
Nevertheless, I do think there's some fun to be had with "Trap," and if your interest is piqued, I'd strongly recommend streaming "Trap" on Netflix before it leaves the platform on June 10.
Not convinced? We can still help you find something new to watch. Check out our round-up of the best movies on Netflix for tons more streaming recommendations perfect for your next movie night.
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