Can we talk about how good of an actor Dave Bautista is? For me, he’s the biggest highlight of Knock at the Cabin. The guy has tremendous range, he can do comedy and drama, and despite how recognizable he is (like how you could pick Dwayne Johnson out of a crowd) I forget his real name and personality and only see the character on screen.

This movie is an adaptation of the book The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. It gives you a rather mind bending scenario to chew on and make a decision about: What would it take for you, with only a few hours., to believe that you could save mankind from impending doom?

A young girl named Wen is on vacation with her adopted dads, Eric and Andrew. The ride to the cabin was fun, and the cabin and surrounding environment are beautiful. Not long after they arrive, Wen is sitting outside in front of the cabin when a large man walks up to her and starts talking to her. She’s wary at first but the man is friendly and speaks kindly. He seems okay but then he starts talking about things–scary stuff about threats to the world that make her run inside to her parents. She immediately tells them about the big weird guy and before Eric and Andrew can process the torrent of information she yells out, there’s a knock at the cabin door. A man calmly introduces himself through the door, asking to be let in so they can talk. Taking a look through the window, the parents see 4 adults with very big, melee weapons.

As you can guess, the drama starts from here. The strangers tell their story that the apocalypse is only moments away and Eric and Andrew are the only people who can stop it…with one of their lives. That conversation goes the way you’d likely react. These people are nuts, go away and leave us alone. The strangers break into the cabin to better sell their ideas. There are some negative reactions to that, as you can imagine.

I found Knock to be a compelling movie. This is an M. Night Shyamalan joint and he’s been putting out some good projects in recent years (I like Old, the movie he made just before this one) and this thankfully continues the trend. It’s a wild concept that lives or dies on the dialogue. Casting is integral too, which is why I brought up Dave Bautista at the top. If the actors can’t sell the premise, you’ll never buy into it. Bautista plays the leader, Leonard, and he is totally committed to this role. I came to believe that he completely believes everything he says. It’s crazy stuff to imagine happening to you. He’s asking you to either kill yourself or your spouse right now with outlandish claims. But he says the proof will start coming if they continue to wait. All four of them have come to this cabin through ordained faith and are ready to prove it. They aren’t important, the rest of humanity is.

When the “proof” starts appearing every bit of rightful skepticism comes out. It’s easy to dismiss. Eric and Andrew work every angle they can think of to keep Wen safe and get the hell out of there. And then the horror escalates and more “proof” is given. It starts to become compelling and makes you start thinking…what if…?

I’m leaving out a lot of stuff because I think it’s best for viewers to go in as blind as possible so the premises can pick you up the way it’s designed to. It may or may not, but that’s the challenge this movie sets out to do. It worked on me. I think this was a great ride that has some fantastic character work. It goes pretty deep on belief and the human condition. Fight or flight, rationalization, love, anger, purpose, sacrifice, the stages of grief. It’s a rather intense journey that I was happy to go on in the end.