This Film Is For The Concert Girlies And The Self-Insert Fanfic Lovers | My Thoughts On Trap
Warner Bros.
As a woman who has attended many concerts with my dad, I knew I had to see this movie. It was giving girl dad and concert girlie energy. This film is for the ones who have spent hours in virtual queues, waited in line for merch or GA wristbands, spent too much time picking out the perfect concert outfit, and spent too much on merch and overpriced food at the venue. This is also for the girls that read self-insert fanfics because Riley was literally living the y/n dream. The ones that get it get it. Here are my thoughts on Trap (2024).
About TRAP
Warner Bros.
In M. Night Shyamalan's latest outing, everyone in a large city is in a frenzy. Why? That's because they're up and ready to watch a concert performed by famous pop star Lady Raven. Two of her fans, a man named Cooper and his daughter Riley, attend the concert with high spirits, but things slowly begin to change their tune. Amongst the screams of adoration and sounds of applause, the concert itself has a hidden identity: a front to fish out an infamous serial killer known as The Butcher. With security cameras rigged, armies of policemen with weapons at the ready, and police vehicles surrounding the venue, will anyone survive their concert experience or is there more to The Butcher than meets the eye? - Summary from IMDB
Pre-concert rituals
Warner Bros.
Listening to the music before the concert is a great way to get excited and introduce your dad to the music he will be listening to for 2-3 hours. Also, I noticed Riley only had on a Lady Raven shirt, but not many people had on merch like that, and that is similar to what I saw at the Eras Tour.
I have been to many K-pop concerts, and K-pop fans (of my age, around late 20s and older) are not afraid to be over the top or, as the kids would say, cringe and wear that shirt they only wear at home or decorate their bag in charms, or deck out their lightstick. However, at the Eras Tour, I noticed that the outfits were themed to Taylor’s album eras, but not many people wore shirts with her face on them or anything I would see at a K-pop concert. Are people too afraid to do this kind of stuff anymore?
Random Dance Play?
Warner Bros.
M. Night" Shyamalan was inspired to make this film after attending a Taylor Swift concert with his daughter, but as someone who has seen Taylor Swift in concert twice, I do see the parallels, but the movie strikes me as a bit closer to a K-pop concert in some aspects notably when Riley joined in on dancing with the other fans when they were in the arena. The concert atmosphere, for the most part, is very positive, and everyone is there because they love the performing artist, so you feel more inclined to let loose and partake in dancing with other fans.
Unfortunately, I don’t do this anymore because, as a K-pop fan for a decade, I only know the choreography of songs released from 2015 to 2019.
Floor Seats
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Cooper was a real one for getting floor seats, but I have never sat on the floor at a concert because I find them to be some of the worst seats in the arena. I have always been in the 100 section when I was employed, and now in the 200 or 300 section. I LOVE how Riley’s dad bought her floor seats and didn’t settle for cheaper seats because he knew she loved Lady Raven and wanted to see her happy. I wish he had mentioned it to Jody’s mother and included a scene with Jody finding out somehow and having her get mad at her mother for not trying hard enough to get better seats or berating her for being cheap.
The screaming
Warner Bros.
I love how there was an immense amount of screaming when the concert started, and Cooper even covered his ears and was quite shocked to see his daughter get so into it. And her reaction to seeing Lady Raven for the first time is legit the same reaction I had when I saw Taylor Swift, TWICE, and BTS in concert for the first time. It's like an out-of-body experience because you have only seen these people online. You watch their performances, you listen to their music, so when you see them in real life, it’s just WILD because they are real!
unrealistic concert logic
I suspended my grip on reality to accept the inconsistencies and just plain wild things that happened in this film, but as a concert girlie, I have to talk about how unrealistic some parts were, and I am not criticizing it because I thought it was funny and none of it would ever happen at a concert in real life.
An afternoon concert wasn’t sus To Them?
Warner Bros.
They mentioned how Lady Raven added this afternoon concert at the last minute, and I’m like, I have never heard of an afternoon concert that wasn’t a music festival. That would have been sus to me, but I WISH there were afternoon concerts. I am tired of getting to the venue in the evening, spending the whole night there, and getting back super late. Getting out of a concert and it still being daylight is a dream.
Getting more T-shirts in the middle of the concert? And going to the back?
Warner Bros.
I ain't never heard of them having extra stock of shirts. If it is sold out, it’s sold out because they only bring enough for the day, and after that, you are SOL. And the worker allowing Cooper to follow him to the back to get the extra shirts was hilarious.
Riley not being mad that they missed songs
Warner Bros.
I find it hard to believe that Riley was okay with missing songs while she was following her father around as he was looking for a way to escape the arena. Concert tickets are EXPENSIVE. I want to see everything I paid for. Also, his suggestion to go outside for some fresh air is so unrealistic because every venue has a strict no-re-entry policy.
Riley is living her best fangirl self-insert y/n fanfic life
Warner Bros.
Riley was living the dream many of us only read or write fanfics about. She dances on stage with her favorite artist and goes backstage to mingle amongst her and other performers. Lady Raven even drives her back to her house and enters to hang out and perform a song. She even calls Riley her friend.
It is reminiscent of the 2012 Avengers fanfics where you (y/n) live in Avengers Tower and hang out with all of the Avengers and go on missions with them. If you know, you know.
Final Thoughts
Warner Bros.
Many people write this movie off because it’s not cinema, but recently, I have grown to appreciate original, fun, and unserious films. I watched The Lost City (2022) and gave it four and a half stars because it was fun, made me laugh, and had touching moments about grief, which was touching fresh wounds for me at the time.
I thought Trap was fun, and we need to be less harsh on movies like this. I gave Borderlands (2024) a low rating and kind of ripped it apart in my blog post, and I think that was disgustingly pretentious of me, and I should have gone in with a different mindset. It’s probably not as bad as I was saying it was because I put unrealistic expectations on the movie.
We need more quirky films like TRAP, and I am glad I watched it. It was a fun ride and made me think of all the concerts I attended with my father. But I had a better time than Riely, tho, because my father wasn’t a serial killer, so….
If you want to watch some of my concert vlogs here is a link to my YouTube playlist! : Cinematic Excursions Concert Vlog Playlist
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Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.
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