The Mosley Review: Knock at the Cabin

Ya know, as far as apocalyptic films goes.....wait a second. Has it really been at least 5 years since we've had another one of these type of films. Yeah sure you could count the big blockbusters The Tomorrow War or maybe A Quiet Place, but those are more in line with post apocalyptic and time travel. I'm talking about the films that build to the inevitable destruction of everything we know. This film decided to go the other way and bring back that classic amount of tension and fear of the unknown. Is the apocalypse actually happening or are the antagonists of the film delusional? Is the evidence being presented as fact or a well crafted deception? Those are the many questions you begin to ask yourself throughout the film and I loved that. Although the tension, intensity and pain were very well portrayed, I couldn't help the feeling that the subtlety of each was quickly starting to falter and overstay their welcome. There are some moments of pure illogical behavior that were almost unforgivable and I won't spoil them here. Lets just say that there is an item that changes the tide in the struggle that any normal person would have ready to dispatch an intruder with at all times.

Ben Aldridge was great and combative as Andrew. I liked that he was the most skeptic in the couple as the clues presented themselves of whether what was happening was real or not. Johnathan Groff was loving and kind as his husband in the film, Eric. He represented the heart of the relationship and he was the most understanding and inquisitive. Kristen Cui was outstanding as Wen and I loved her pureness of heart. She was genuinely curious, but smarter than most kids in films like these and I appreciated that. The three of them were a lovely family and you feel the love they all shared for each other. Dave Bautista has continued to truly surprise me with the ever growing quality of his dramatic performances. As Leonard, he was so charismatic, heartfelt and remorseful as he reluctantly has to follow the path laid before him. I loved the opening scene with him and Wen as you see that friendly giant spirit within him shine. That scene set the tone of the film and he led it to so effortlessly. Nikki Amuka-Bird is one of the best at delivering true heartbreak, determination and yet care. As Sabrina, she did all of that and helped truly sell the nurturing nature of the character. Abby Quinn was excellent as Adriane and I loved that she was actually pleading for some sort of savior. She may be the very confident one of the group, but she really had a kindness in her eyes as she divulged her life before ending up in this situation. Rupert Grint blew me away as Redmond. He was a harder edged character that truly was full of pain, trauma and regret that I really felt sorry for. He nearly stole the film in his moments and it was great to see him back on the big screen again in a role I didn't know he could portray so powerfully.

The score by Herdís Stefánsdóttir was haunting, pulse pounding and emotionally charged in the best moments of the film. The only negatives I felt about the score is that it sometimes telegraphed or tried to force you to feel a certain way in a number of scenes. Sometimes a film can be over scored and I believe this one was one of them. The power of silence can really deliver the best tension or scares and I wish there was more of that in this film. Aside from one of the biggest mistakes a character could make happening in the latter part of the film, I did enjoy this apocalyptic tale. It delivers great tension and mystery, but it does lack some breathing room to truly make it as memorable as it could've been.