Welcome back to ‘A Brief Review’ a series of brief reviews on films from the present day and all the way back in time. Hoping to filter through the commotion and give some decent reviews of some rather decent films.
M. Night Shyamalan is back once again with another divisive,
yet ultimately original piece of cinema that has already got people talking. Like
most of M. Night’s films, this one has polarized many with it’s overwhelming
sense of ambition that has undoubtedly been misunderstood by the majority of
movie goers. Old is rather obscure in it’s beginnings as we are
introduced to a family that amongst its initial innocence has issues boiling
underneath the surface that we are yet aware of. The family have been welcomed
to an idyllic coastal resort that has everything they need to relax and take
themselves away from the stresses of everyday life, and as they are invited
away to an exclusive private beach with only a handful of other people, it
seems like the perfect place for a tranquil getaway. Nevertheless, this is an
M. Night Shyamalan movie, it was never going to be that simple. Whilst on the
beach, our varied and interlapping characters are slowly understanding that the
beach they are currently on is doing strange things to their bodies. It is
making them age rapidly. The different groups must then come to terms with and
find solutions to save themselves in what is a rapidly ticking time bomb.
As the children are the first to miraculously
change their physical and mental appearances, the adults quickly realise that
something is off about this beach. The adults gather that every half an hour on
this beach ages them a year in their lives, leaving them with only one option,
get themselves off this beach as soon as possible before their bodies succumb
to the inevitable dementia, cancers and God knows what else that is waiting down
the line. Old is a fascinating watch as it is so overwhelmingly original,
you can either get bogged down by the sometimes-frustrating M. Night Shyamalan dialogue,
or simply get immersed in a kind of story that you haven’t seen before. The
originality and invention really are the true strengths of Old.
One of the main themes in Old that
had me constantly hooked yet saddened was that of lost potential. As the characters
aged so rapidly, their lives flashed in front of them in a way that was too
quick for them to comprehend. For Maddox (Thomason McKenzie), She had to come
to terms with life as an adolescent woman, transforming into a fully grown
woman, who then has to come to terms with her parents aging rapidly all the
same. She never got to experience life as it was truly intended. To meet people,
to make mistakes and of course to grow in her own time. This really had me gripped
with a sense of sadness that I think could be understated. M. Night Shyamalan
can be so gifted, he just has to find his undeniable talent more often.
The final thing that I love about Old,
is that it is evidently a fun film to be a part of. For the audience, you have
absolutely no idea where it is heading and neither do it’s characters. Within
the performances you also gather that the actors had a great deal of fun too,
dealing and excelling in the absurdity of the film’s premise. Standout performances
from the outstanding Thomason McKenzie and charismatic Alex Wolff are the proof
of the ‘fun’ that shoots out of this movie.
Ultimately, the critics and mainstream audiences have decided that Old is just another Shyamalan B movie, but in my opinion, it deserves to be considered as something more. Sure, it has some odd, slightly cringeworthy dialogue, but it is so unique! This for me is what cinema is about, it’s not always about watching the best films all the time, it’s about finding something that is interesting and different too!
My Rating: 7/10
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