OLD Movie Review: — A Simple yet Effective thriller. Old is an engrossing and visually stunning thriller. making the most of its simplicity, but it’s also a masterpiece in suspense, helped by great performances and makeup work.
M. Night Shyamalan’s career has been hit or miss, but no one can deny that he consistently swings for the fences. When he hits it, he hits it out of the park; else, striking out might be devastating. On a roll lately, he continues his good run with Old, a film that similarly swings for the fences but is bound to split moviegoers. As with many of Shyamalan’s films, not everything is as it seems, and this one is no exception, gradually exploiting the basic concept and location indicated by its trailers and advertising material, culminating in a suspenseful thriller that works more often than not despite some odd language. That said, the idea is still absurd, so some suspension of disbelief is necessary, otherwise the trailers should not have disclosed as much (though that would require a fair amount of reworking). Finally, Shyamalan aficionados should not be shocked that there is a lot more to this narrative. While it might have been a little shorter, it is unquestionably worth the journey.
The film Old tells the story of a family on vacation at a tropical resort who end up on a secluded beach where they thought they would relax alongside some other characters until they discovered that the beach was causing them to rapidly age, though suffice it to say that this would have some unintended consequences. Something didn’t seem quite right about it all, for whatever reason, and the situation quickly escalated. While the why and how of it all wasn’t as urgent a problem at first, for the characters, it was about coming to grips with what was occurring and learning how to live.
Despite some uncomfortable conversation times, witnessing the former play out on television was increasingly tense to watch. Aside from growing pains, the characters’ troubles went far deeper. At that point, all that mattered was figuring out who would survive and whether or not it meant leaving the beach, which brought its own set of problems. The tension between the mystery and the supernatural survival aspect of Old is bound to irritate some viewers. It’s a slow burn that might have been a little faster, and/or the film could have given spectators more time with the characters to connect with them before putting them in peril, but those are small quibbles.
The strong family element helped to ground it somewhat, but that can work both ways, as Guy (Bernal) and Prisca’s (Krieps) devotion for their children also seemed to hold things back. Along same lines, the middle portion of the film should have been trimmed down to enhance the pacing, despite the fact that it added some stakes while breaking down some of the family interactions. Finally, the family’s character arc throughout the film was a highlight, as their shared experience, touching on the impact of time on relationships through their adversity, brought them closer together as Guy and Prisca’s children, Trent and Maddox, grew up during a time that was not exactly seamless. While not as showy as previous Shyamalan films, the soundtrack, while not innovative, helped highlight times of anxiety (maybe more might have been added). The only major special effect in this film was some makeup work to depict the ageing process of the characters, particularly the older ones, with the younger ones being recast as they aged (the younger actors chosen matched up nicely).
The finest aspect of the picture was its overall performance. Bernal and Krieps were good as Guy and Prisca, but the genuine standouts were Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie as Trent and Maddox, who had to be a tough mix of kids and teenagers in the midst of everything else.
In the end, Old will not appeal to everyone. It brings a lot to the table, and while it does not achieve all it sets out to do, it is still a good genre picture. The finest aspect of the picture was its overall performance. Bernal and Krieps were good as Guy and Prisca, but the genuine standouts were Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie as Trent and Maddox, who had to be a tough mix of kids and teenagers in the midst of everything else.
