Movies For Breakfast OLD Review

M. Night Shyamalan exhibits surprisingly creepy and effective B-movie horror in Old.

Synopsis

A thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly reducing their entire lives into a single day.

Review
M. Night Shyamalan has a weird streak in his filmography post-2008’s “The Happening”. The pattern goes as follows: Last Airbender, After Earth, The Visit, Split and Glass. In other words – bad movie, bad movie, good movie, ok movie, bad movie. Going by this pattern, it was with a little apprehension that I walked into the theater to see M. Night’s latest, “Old”. Fortunately, I hit the winning ticket and “Old” is a surprisingly solid B-horror film.

“Old”, based on the graphic novel “Sandcastle”, begins with Guy and Prisca Cappa (Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps), a married couple on vacation with their kids, enroute to a beautiful secluded resort. Once they settle in, they are invited by the resort’s manager to attend a private island to take in more of what the beautiful island has to offer. As they arrive at the island, along with a few other attending guests, they discover that the island itself is causing everyone to age rapidly by the hour. As they attempt to escape the way they came, they experience blackouts and end up back on the deserted island. As the clock ticks, the Cappas try to figure out a way on how to escape and understand the secret behind the island’s supernatural power.

Bernal and Krieps, the talented actors that they are, try their best to bring depth to their offbeat, awkwardly written characters. Guy and Prisca have more issues at hand other than a demented island, they have marriage issues. There is also a sad secret that lies between them which they keep hidden from their children, precocious 6-year-old Trent and sweet 11-year-old Maddox. One thing about Shyamalan’s films that always serve as a point of contention for me is his offbeat, unusual characters as well as their awkward dialogue. This is made no better nor worse with the Cappas. However, on the flipside, Shyamalan also excels in heightening the unusual, offbeat atmosphere in which his characters reside. While most horror and science fiction stories are concerned with throwing ordinary people in extraordinary situations, Shyamalan is concerned with throwing offbeat characters in and even more offbeat, unusual and creepy world and/or situation.

In comparison to 2016’s “Split,” M. Night Shyamalan works best when he leans into his weirder B-movie impulses. At the tail end of the first act, once the group realizes they need to escape, Shyamalan effectively keeps the crazy ball rolling and paints more crazy images on the screen. Moments of panic, hysteria, and paranoia (and murder – oh my!) penetrate the screen with rapid succession, making for great WTF moments including an unsettling pregnancy sequence accompanying a tense 360 shot. As the kids age and the residents clash, “Old” carries a solid flow amidst all the twists and organized chaos.

All of this is supported by a talented ensemble cast. In addition to the Cappas clan, the other visitors on the island are an eclectic bunch. There’s Charles (played by a maniacal Rufus Sewell), a blunt doctor who is in attendance with his vain wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee, hilarious), his daughter Kara and Agnes, his mother; Patricia Carmichael (Nikki Amuka-Bird), an epileptic psychiatrist and her husband Jarin (Ken Leung); and “Mid-Sized Sedan,” a rapper (played by Aaron Pierre) who serves as the innocent “Jesus” of the story. This last character however suffers from “passive character syndrome” as “Sedan” does too little while being put in the center of everything too much.

As “Old” comes to a close (and more talented actors drop by to take over the kids’ duties – Alex Wolff, Eliza Scanlen and Embeth Daviditz to name a few), we come face-to-face with the classic Shyamalan twist. The twist itself (not giving it away) is not as bad as twists in other Shyamalan films – it’s not the greatest but it’s not the worst. The film also has a generic “good-overcomes-evil” ending which is passable because of the great over-the top-twists and turns we are presented with in the film’s first two-halves. We have to remember – this is still a Hollywood film and this is still a Hollywood film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Regardless of the predictable climax, there is actually also some very heartfelt emotion made between the core characters towards the end. This also proves that Shyamalan hasn’t lost his touch with infusing palpable emotion with supernatural storylines.

Closing Thoughts
“Old” is a solid, effective B-movie in Shyamalan’s up-and-down filmography. Taking the theme of turning old as a point of terror, I can’t help but recall a 1973 short horror film called “The Amusement Park” (directed by George A. Romero) which explores similar ideals as an elderly man encounters a living nightmare while trying to enjoy a day at the amusement park. If M. Night continues to lean more into making films such is this, this could be the official start of Shyamalan turning his off streak around and delivering more hits instead of losses. I believe “Old,” with all its flaws, could very well be the entertaining escapism we all need (near) post-pandemic. It is a solid, creepy supernatural thriller that will be sure to leave its audience members satisfied rather than disappointed.

Trailer