Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 108 minutes
Old (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
M. Night Shyamalan is known for the very interesting movies he directs. A lot of his films are often somewhat strange and spooky, and a lot of those turned out to be huge successes. We know the quirky director from movies such as Unbreakable, Split, The Sixth Sense, The Happening, and many more. Sadly, he also directed huge flops such as The Last Airbender. Now, he has returned with Old, a movie based on a French graphic novel, that revolves around a beach where people age incredibly fast when getting stuck there. Intrigued we dived into this experience to see what was happening.
Old’s plot can actually easily be explained. The movie initially follows around a disjointed family that goes on a holiday to a tropical resort, where they get offered a special getaway at a secluded beach. What initially seems like a fun outing for the family, soon turns into a nightmare when a body is discovered in the water. The family, as well as a few others who were offered the same special treatment, quickly learn that they cannot get away from the beach anymore, as heading back to the trail they came from makes them blackout and wake up on the beach again. Things get even grimmer when everyone starts aging at an unnatural pace.
One of the biggest problems with Old is that the pacing and flow feel a bit off at times, and this is made even worse by certain inconsistencies in the story. The introduction feels a bit long-winded and very superficial to actually get attached to the lead characters. After that, things stabilize and the movie trots along at a proper pace, giving you information when you require it as the viewer. Sadly, you start noticing cracks in the foundation when certain characters seemingly age a lot faster than others, making it hard to get into what is going on at times. Nonetheless, the overall plot and concept make up for a lot, and after a while, you just go with the flow.
Except for the child actors at the beginning (sorry kids), the acting performances are absolutely great. While we don’t see the actual transformations of the kids becoming (young) adults, the next cast member in line picks up perfectly where the one before him/her has left off. Thanks to the acting, the story becomes very believable, and even though some characters become very knowledgeable all of a sudden, there is a dash of realism to their performances. We sometimes have the feeling there’s an actual child in an adult body for some of the characters, and this is actually what tugs at the heartstrings. The adults are clinging on to dear life, while the children simply can’t comprehend what is going on.
There are a few special features to be found on the Blu-ray version of Old, and they mostly revolve around the creative process behind the movie. We get to learn more about the set-building and the ideas behind some of the choices made for the live-action adaption, but we also hear how M. Night Shyamalan approached the story with his own family in mind, and of course, the idea that time is very fleeting. You’ll get roughly half an hour to an hour’s worth of additional content, which is always a plus.
Conclusion
Old is a very artsy and interesting movie that is certainly worth the watch; if you can overlook some of its very glaring faults. We very much enjoyed the concept and the acting was on point for the biggest part of the movie. The atmosphere was just right, and the movie didn’t overstay its welcome by dragging it out too much. If you’re into some of M. Night Shyamalan’s earlier projects, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well. Even with certain symbolic messages added to the mix, this movie is somewhat of a one-trick pony.
Old (Blu-ray) - Movie Review,
No Comments