It’s been almost 10 years since M. Night Shyamalan released his last film, “The Happening.” The director had a successful career with some of the biggest films in recent memory, including “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” and “Split.” But his last two movies have been met with mixed reviews and lackluster box office returns.
M. Night Shyamalan’s film Old transforms a day at the beach into a nightmare of aging. While the fundamental idea as an adaptation of the comic book Sandcastle is sound, the filmmaker fails to fully utilize it.
Everyone likes to speak about M. Night Shyamalan’s huge surprise at the conclusion of his movies: “Did you enjoy it? Were you expecting it? Did the remainder of the movie suffer as a result? (Some Shyamalan films don’t even need a twist.) Despite the focus on Shyamalan’s signature triple-twist big climax, it’s the little twists in his films — the ones that happen along the way – that may determine if the picture is really presenting an intriguing narrative or simply wasting our time. Unfortunately, it is the latter in this instance.
We’re on vacation, yay!
Guy (Gael Garca Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) are on a tropical island at an expensive resort with their two children, 11-year-old Maddox (Alexa Swinton) and 6-year-old Trent (Nolan River). There’s some family turmoil that the kids aren’t aware of: their parents are on the brink of divorcing, and Prisca is dealing with health issues. Despite this, the couple chooses to see the bright side and accepts a day excursion to an unique beach hidden behind a magnificent cliff on the other side of the island from the manager of the welcome Euro-resort (Gustaf Hammarsten). (Shyamalan, now 50, plays the van driver.) In reality, he seems to be very youthful, but time has seemed to pass him by).
They’re joined on the beach by a few other hotel guests, and strange things begin to occur. A nude swimmer’s body was discovered in the water. Anyone who attempts to return via the neighboring canyon passes out. And the two kids, who are now 16 and 11, seem to be much older.
What exactly is going on? The beach has a strange aspect about it that makes everyone who visits there feel older. Every half-hour, you age one year. The youngsters are the most affected, but after a time, the tiny tumor found in Prisca’s stomach emerges. It started off three centimetres long, grew to the size of a golf ball, and then to the size of a grapefruit minutes later. (It grows at the same rate as she does.) So, what transpires? The quirky, aggressive, and talkative doctor, Charles (Rufus Sewell), chooses to operate — out on the beach, without anesthesia. (It turns out that the incision heals very immediately.) All of a sudden, the tumor is gone.
However, with spectators still digesting the film’s concept – that virtually everyone on the beach would die within 24 hours – the fact that this impromptu operation occurs just because Shyamalan thought it was a great idea is unlikely to appeal to them. This twist is more fantastical than rational, but Shyamalan doesn’t seem to mind. He just wants to startle people.
Twilight Zone tale that’s half-baked
Time has an outlandish concept (reminiscent of episodes from the classic series of Astonishing Tales) and some beautiful cinematic touches, as do most Shyamalan films. Instead of gradually exposing us to the horrors, the writer-director surprises us with a barrage of them. The nude swimmer in issue, for example, was the mistress of a renowned rapper named “Middle Sedan” (Aaron Pierre), whom Charles, the surgeon, suspects of murder right away. The film implies that this is due to her prejudice, but fails to incorporate it into the narrative or exploit the resulting tension. What’s the story with the rapper’s nose bleeding? We’ll pass through it as well.
Charles and his demanding wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee) have their own 11-year-old daughter, Kara (Mikaya Fisher), who soon falls in love with the now-teenaged Trent and becomes pregnant. And where have Guy and Prisca gone? Surprisingly, they don’t seem to be getting any older. Guy has wrinkled, according to Prisca, but we don’t see much of it for a long time. It should be noted that the mask and trick master wasn’t exactly on top of things, and the video seemed to be produced on a shoestring budget. Of course, after a time, we see that everyone is becoming older, but the slight change was missed. In a film with such a dramatic change, it all feels a little strange.
We don’t support anybody.
Finally, the actual issue is that the language is so bad, and the characters are so conflicted and discredited, that we don’t care about their fates. If we cared, we’d be concerned when a football-sized tumor is removed from someone’s stomach. Alternatively, there’s the undesired pregnancy, mental breakdown, murder, drowning, seizure, and severe calcium shortage…
In the middle of the gory mayhem on the beach, Trent sincerely urges to his parents, “Dad, Mom, you need to hydrate.” No, this isn’t a joke; Shyamalan was genuine about how fitting it was in this circumstance.
Of course, it all comes to a head with a Shyamalan-style final twist — the film’s most exciting moment, but it’s too late. And, given that the movie is an hour and 48 minutes long, it’s pointless to bear this in mind: at the conclusion, you’ll be four years older – and you’ll know it.
-BadSector-
M. Night Shyamalan’s film Old transforms a day at the beach into a nightmare of aging. While the fundamental idea as an adaptation of the comic book Sandcastle is sound, the filmmaker fails to fully utilize it. “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” “Did you like it?” Were you expecting it? Did the remainder of the movie suffer as a result? (Some Shyamalan films don’t even need a twist.) Despite all of the focus on Shyamalan’s signature triple-twist big climax, it’s the…
Old — Shyamalan’s ruses are wearing thin.
Old — Shyamalan’s ruses are wearing thin.
2021-07-31
Gergely Herpai (BadSector)
Time falls into a clichéd and confusing Tales of the Unexpected as M. Night Shyamalan transforms a day at the beach into a nightmare of aging, but he is unable to utilize the fundamental idea, so it becomes a clichéd and confused Tales of the Unexpected.
4.8 Direction
5.6 for acting
5.2 for the story
6.5 for visuals and music
6.2 Ambiance
5.7
AVERAGE
Time falls into a clichéd and confusing Tales of the Unexpected as M. Night Shyamalan transforms a day at the beach into a nightmare of aging, but he is unable to utilize the fundamental idea, so it becomes a clichéd and confused Tales of the Unexpected.
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