The reactions toM. Night Shyamalan’sTrapare in, and they’re overwhelmingly positive. Early screenings have thus far resulted in many saying that the filmis a throwback to Shyamalan movies of old, with others claiming that the director is “back.“Spoiler alert: he was never gone.TrapstarsJosh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, and Saleka Shyamalan as pop singer Lady Raven, and opens nationwide on August 01, 2025.
Users who have seen the film took toX(formerly Twitter) to share some of their thoughts on the production, and have thus farbeen great at not spoiling anything, as yes, there are things to spoil. Namely, the big twist thatShyamalan has become known forthat many thought was revealed in the trailer, but surprise! It wasn’t. User @Mjcartels praised the acting chops of Hartnett, and called Trap a “different story.”
@movie_hiv is another user who praised the performance of Hartnett, while also saying that the film feels like a cross between the celebrated video game, Hitman, anda John Carpenter classic.
@EDouglasWW called Hartnett’s performance “goofy,” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but also said that Nicolas Cage was more compelling in Longlegs.
@PhysicalMedia_ is pleased to report that M. Night Shyamalan is “back,” and that Josh Hartnett is going to blow audiences away with his performance.
Finally, we have @ottovonschirekt, who says that thanks to Shyamalan’s trademark twist,Trapwas nothing like they expected!
Josh Hartnett Gets Excited By Danger
A man and his teenage daughter realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event while watching a concert.
Fresh off his award-winning performance in Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimer, and a surprise cameoin Season 3 ofThe Bear, Hartnett is on top of the world right now with all eyes onTrap. While he’s been known as a versatile actor for years thanks to roles inThe Black Dahlia,August, andWrath of Man, he’s never seemed to have gotten his flowers from the public, who at times have pegged Hartnett as just another pretty boy with little talent.
Nothing could be further from the truth, however, as Shyamalan recognized right away that Hartnett was the perfect choice to play a serial killer in his latest film (viaUS), saying that the 46-year-old actor had that “it” factor from the moment he met him.
“When he walked in, he just had an energy about him that was [a] superstar. He’s a superstar — but that was one half of the equation.”
What’s the other half of that equation? For Shyamalan, he says it was all about Hartnett’s willingness to be a team player, and do whatever the filmmaker wanted. When it came right down to it, Hartnett had no interest in playing things safe when it came toTrap, and it was their unique journey that allowed the pair to connect on a deeper level.
“The other half of the equation is, ‘Hey, I’m willing, I’m ready to do anything, whatever you want, I don’t want to be safe.’ Like he pretty much said that to me. Danger and taking huge risks and not knowing whether we’re going to succeed. That’s what kind of excites him. I think we both kind of eschewed some of the Hollywood journeys and normal movements that you would do in Hollywood and we both enjoy kind of breaking the mold a bit. We really connected on many things.”
M. Night Shyamalan on Trap’s Connection to Taylor Swift & This 1991 Horror Movie
M. Night Shyamalan based Trap on a real event that took place in 1985 and says that he pitched the idea using a simple “What if?” question.
We have high hopes for this one, not only based on first reactions, but on Shyamalan’s own words that describe his movie as a collaborative effort between him and Hartnett. After all, that’s what filmmaking should be, because when it’s done right, the results can be spectacular, as appears to be the case withTrap.
Trapopens nationwide on June 07, 2025, and you may check out the trailer below.
