Old
Year: 2021
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell & Alex Wolff
Runtime: 108 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 27/07/21
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell & Alex Wolff
Runtime: 108 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 27/07/21
There are few directors currently working in Hollywood that are as divisive as M. Night Shyamalan. Ever since the release of his third film, The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has been a huge name in American cinema, reaching critical acclaim and distain in equal measures…and by that I mean his films are generally either love them or hate them affairs, splitting critics and audiences right down the middle. His newest film, Old, is no different; but unlike most Shyamalan films where I am usually quite sure of my standpoint on them, Old has left me divided on my own opinion.
Married couple Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) have booked to stay at a tropical hotel resort with their two children Trent (Nolan River, Luca Faustino Rodriguez, Alex Wolff & Emun Elliott) and Maddox (Alexa Swinton, Thomasin McKenzie & Embeth Davidtz) before they divorce. Whilst there they are offered to visit an exclusive private beach along with some other guests. Charles (Rufus Sewell), Chrystal (Abbey Lee), their daughter Kara (Kyle Bailey, Mikaya Fisher & Eliza Scanlen), and Charles’ mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant); couple Jarin and Patricia (Ken Leung & Nikki Amuka-Bird), and rapper Mid-Sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre). Shortly after arriving on the beach tragedy strikes as the body of a woman washes up on the sand. Whilst trying to organise how to handle the situation, the group discover that they are unable to leave the beach without blacking out. Following this Agnes passes away, and all three children begin to complain about their bathing suits not fitting properly.
As the adults panic, it quickly becomes apparent that the children are rapidly growing up as they have each aged around five years. As time ticks away and the children reach adulthood, everyone begins to realise that they’re all connected and brought to the beach for some greater purpose.
Married couple Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) have booked to stay at a tropical hotel resort with their two children Trent (Nolan River, Luca Faustino Rodriguez, Alex Wolff & Emun Elliott) and Maddox (Alexa Swinton, Thomasin McKenzie & Embeth Davidtz) before they divorce. Whilst there they are offered to visit an exclusive private beach along with some other guests. Charles (Rufus Sewell), Chrystal (Abbey Lee), their daughter Kara (Kyle Bailey, Mikaya Fisher & Eliza Scanlen), and Charles’ mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant); couple Jarin and Patricia (Ken Leung & Nikki Amuka-Bird), and rapper Mid-Sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre). Shortly after arriving on the beach tragedy strikes as the body of a woman washes up on the sand. Whilst trying to organise how to handle the situation, the group discover that they are unable to leave the beach without blacking out. Following this Agnes passes away, and all three children begin to complain about their bathing suits not fitting properly.
As the adults panic, it quickly becomes apparent that the children are rapidly growing up as they have each aged around five years. As time ticks away and the children reach adulthood, everyone begins to realise that they’re all connected and brought to the beach for some greater purpose.
The strongest component to Old is its story and premise. The idea of being trapped in a place where one year of your life passes in approximately thirty minutes is horrifying, particularly when children are added into the mix and their entire childhood has literally disappeared before your eyes. The way the story is setup and pays off are well worth the price of admission alone. But the events that take place and interactions that the holidaymakers have with each other can be a bit hit or miss.
For the most part the cinematography is also gorgeous. The beach that our characters are stuck on is absolutely stunning and Shyamalan uses the geography to its fullest with some interesting shots and clever camera trickery to reveal new information gradually.
That’s really about as far as my praise for Old will go however, as the performances from almost all the cast, and the quality of the script are outrageously bad. It feels like repeat of Shyamalan’s 2008 film The Happening, which in case you’re unaware was slammed for its atrocious acting and dialogue. Whilst Old never quite reaches the same lows as The Happening, it does often feel as though it was written by. Someone who doesn’t speak English very well. Sentence structure is downright peculiar at times, and the way the lines are delivered between the actors feels extremely unnatural.
It’s also difficult to tell who out of the cast is delivering a bad performance and how much the script is to blame for it, as every single actor in the film delivers an underwhelming performance.
The characters themselves are also little more than archetypes. They don’t have much depth to them, and we never really learn anything more about them than what jobs they do. With the child characters there are multiple actors used throughout the film to represent how they age, but very few of the performances are consistent, occasionally making it feel like they’re an entirely new character rather than a grown-up version of the same person.
Old is an intriguing film, and I can say that you’ll most likely have fun with the films unique premise. But how much you enjoy the film will depend on how much you’re willing to overlook the films terrible script and wooden performances. Much like the rest of Shyamalan’s films, there are some elements which are fantastic, but the overall experience is hampered by some extremely low-quality components.
Maybe wait for this one to land on streaming services before committing to watch it
For the most part the cinematography is also gorgeous. The beach that our characters are stuck on is absolutely stunning and Shyamalan uses the geography to its fullest with some interesting shots and clever camera trickery to reveal new information gradually.
That’s really about as far as my praise for Old will go however, as the performances from almost all the cast, and the quality of the script are outrageously bad. It feels like repeat of Shyamalan’s 2008 film The Happening, which in case you’re unaware was slammed for its atrocious acting and dialogue. Whilst Old never quite reaches the same lows as The Happening, it does often feel as though it was written by. Someone who doesn’t speak English very well. Sentence structure is downright peculiar at times, and the way the lines are delivered between the actors feels extremely unnatural.
It’s also difficult to tell who out of the cast is delivering a bad performance and how much the script is to blame for it, as every single actor in the film delivers an underwhelming performance.
The characters themselves are also little more than archetypes. They don’t have much depth to them, and we never really learn anything more about them than what jobs they do. With the child characters there are multiple actors used throughout the film to represent how they age, but very few of the performances are consistent, occasionally making it feel like they’re an entirely new character rather than a grown-up version of the same person.
Old is an intriguing film, and I can say that you’ll most likely have fun with the films unique premise. But how much you enjoy the film will depend on how much you’re willing to overlook the films terrible script and wooden performances. Much like the rest of Shyamalan’s films, there are some elements which are fantastic, but the overall experience is hampered by some extremely low-quality components.
Maybe wait for this one to land on streaming services before committing to watch it