Overview: A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they’ve entered the center of a dark and sinister event.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Trap (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this November 5th, 2024.

For my money, this Trap (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Trap presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (88.38 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments also happens to be the best of the film, where in the scene we will call Thought of Everything, over four minutes our lead protagonist Cooper (acting like the most suspicious inconspicuous guy you have ever seen) believes he has absolutely thought of every angle to get in and get out, and yet, he is made to rethink it all!

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos and English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the film itself, well, Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to the concert of pop idol Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) and notices upon entrance that there’s an unusually high level of police and security personnel.

Cooper eventually learns the concert is part of a sting operation to catch the unknown serial killer called The Butcher ... who happens to be him. With the trap closing in around him, Cooper tries to find his way out of the concert without alerting his daughter or being caught by the police.

Trap is the latest film from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. The film is a collaboration between M. Night and his daughter Saleka (who also co-stars in the movie) with the premise having originated from conversations between the two of combining a concert experience with a film experience. In this case, the two citing Purple Rain as inspiration with them both eventually coming up with a premise described as Silence of the Lambs at a Taylor Swift concert!

In short, Trap is a throwback to high concept thrillers from the pre-franchise era, and while it does have some pretty glaring flaws it ultimately results in a fun B-movie thriller.

Josh Hartnett is very good in the lead role of Cooper as he presents a very likable and charming image of this loving and devoted father while also effortlessly turning into a sneaky and manipulative opportunist when the situation calls for it.

In many ways the movie feels like it’s part of that revival of inverted mysteries such as Poker Face or other Columbo inspired thrillers where the POV is locked on our main villain and Hartnett certainly provides one worth being invested in.

The movie does a good job incorporating both the concert and the how-to-catch-em narrative with Cooper as we see a lot of the internal mechanisms involving the concert from Cooper’s point of view and seeing how he pieces them together. I think the movie probably could’ve done more to incorporate some of the soundtrack into the action (my gold standard for this kind of music/thriller mash-up is Phantom of the Paradise) and it does often feel like the two are happening parallel to each other, rather than fully mixing as you want them to.

I also did notice some messiness in the third act as Hayley Mills initially seems like she’s poised to be our Columbo equivalent (great to see her again), but she’s kind of sidelined as they give more focus to another character (who does a decent job in their acting debut, it has to be said), but a pretty pivotal scene doesn’t have them conveying the kind of force the scenario calls for, in my humble opinion.

The third act also maybe goes on a bit too long with how many narrow misses and close calls the screenplay incorporates (one of which I’m not sure how it was possible no one noticed), but it does at least move fast enough that it never feels like it drags.

But, and as noted, Trap has an inspired high concept mash-up that’s anchored to a great performance by Hartnett that helps the movie overcome some of its more glaring issues and remain a good time. Admittedly it is a bit rough in how it mines its central concept and is definitely one of those movies that gets better as you are watching it, rather than in hindsight (think something like Law Abiding Citizen, for example), and so I can still highly recommend this film as a good night in to be had by all. [I.B.M.]

The Trap Premium Digital Ownership, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
Setting the Trap: A New M. Night Shayamalan Experience
Saleka as Lady Raven
Deleted Scenes:
• Cooper Gets Stopped by SWAT
• Riley Shows Lady Raven Her Room
• Cooper Takes a Hostage and Slips Away
Extended Concert Scene: Where Did She Go

Warner Bros. Pictures’ new experience in the world of M. Night Shayamalan – Trap – featuring performances by rising music star Saleka Shayamalan, arrives for purchase and rental Digitally at home on August 30th, 2024. The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 5th, 2024.

On August 30th, 2024, Trap will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home and for 48-hour rental via PVOD on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango At Home, and more.

On November 5th, 2024, Trap will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. Trap will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Written and directed by M. Night Shayamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shayamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shayamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.