Regardless of critical analysis of his films, no one can accuse M. Night Shyamalan of resting on his laurels.
Seen as very much a hit or miss filmmaker, Old sees the director going for a sci fi horror with some relatable subject matters.
We follow a family going on a vacation to a tropical resort which houses a hidden beach where some of the inhabitants start to miraculously age at a rapid rate.
While the film doesn’t waste too much time getting to its main narrative, Shyamalan employs a number of German expressionist techniques to really sell some of the shocking parts of the film, although some of these can be telegraphed at times.
He is renowned for his twists to films ever since The Sixth Sense but here he is much more restrained and the full magnitude of the situation feels like its builds up over the film’s extended finale.
There are areas where Old does lag, but Shyamalan deserves credit for going all in on this concept which ultimately provides a unique narrative you may not see anywhere else this year on the big screen.
Old is screening now in UK cinemas.
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