I think I'm beginning to now forget the last time that M. Night Shyamalan actually made a decent movie and he's now running the danger of no longer being relevant in the movie making industry.
The movie just felt like a low budget late night Wednesday evening morning that the tv just puts on the fill a late night time slot.
There isn't any real substance to this movie, and whilst there are some good actors in this cast their talents are completely wasted in what turns into a nonsensical storyline and plot, with only the occasion line to show off their acting chops.
The characters that M. Night Shyamalan depicts aren't really characters that you care at all about and you end up not really caring if anyone survives the premise of the movie.
Story itself isnt mindblowing nor is there really a huge twist, pretty predictable but the movie did great with creating atmospheres. Got quite intense at times.
After making The Visit and Split, M Night is back to making bad and stupid movies that make no sense. This move is terrible. The acting is horrible (and there are good actors in it), dialogue is horribly written, the plot makes very little sense, the characters reactions to things are super unrealistic and make no sense, The lines are delivered wooden and stilted. Honestly this might have been an interesting episode of Tales from the Crypt or Twilight zone or even a short but as a movie it is just terrible. Honestly most of the time I was trying to figure out what the characters meant by what they said or why they said something. Honestly nothing makes any sense. For example
Doctor goes from being a dick to sensile to murdering a character. Why? What does that have to do with getting older?
There are also things that are super unrealistic
Like a doctor (not a surgeon or specialist can remove a tumor the size of a bowling ball with the help of a nurse easily. Then there is no blood whatsoever on any character. And when the lady wakes up, they just say your husband made a quick decision.
I don't know what it is with M. Night Shyamalan films. They aren't "bad" they aren't even "so bad it's good". They are more like "so bad it's interesting".
I always see the potential for an interesting idea and I was really invested in the film for the first half-hour, but ultimately it feels flat.
Also, he needs to stick to writing and find someone else to direct, the way this film is acted and shot is very cringe!
As told in the movie description, it is about the case then time moves faster than normal. Tries to present some related ideas and cases what will happen, and it worked for me - after the movie I had the feeling I had lost much more time than 1 hour and 48 minutes.
M. Night Shyamalan loves to do feature-length Twilight Zone episodes and that's what Old is, albeit one that's very oddly put together. It certainly tries to grasp at something, whether that's age and illness, what it means to grow up, the callousness of industries that cater to gerontological concerns, or COVID-inspired isolation, but it never truly latches onto anything concrete because it's so obsessed with plot. It feels throughout like dialog is only ever meant to be expository, in a way that never sounds natural - it practically comes with described video - and that's why I'm panning it. At its best, I think the kids (when they ARE kids, but they grow up so fast) have fun moments, and one of its endings almost achieves poignancy with its grace note, but otherwise, it's a mess. You'd think spending most of the shoot on the same beach would make the geography of the place clear, but it doesn't. The international cast isn't all comfortable with the language/accents they've been asked to use. And it does what I ask my improv pupils NOT to do - over-explain everything, introduce themselves along with their plot function, and generally think of the audience as dunderheads who need everything spelled out for them. The lingering questions aren't a matter of ambiguity but of badly reasoned elements.
No one can go cuckoo-bananas with their films quite like M. Night Shyamalan. I love the dude for making movies like no one else. This one is all concept, and severely lacking in any kind of characterization. In one scene, several children were play-acting a short story with a war robot and a barbie doll having a domestic argument. This is a fitting analogy for the kind of character depth which you can expect to find within Old. It is a massively interesting film which quickly begins to tread water after the main concept has been established, and lacks any kind of emotional punch. All the while, the entire cast starts going nuts, with ludicrousness which borders on comedy.
Please, Mr Shyamalan, keep making these crazy movies! I'll keep watching them, happily.
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Comments 1 - 13 of 13
panagos
Shyamalan's career is in a continuous, never ending downhill route...chunkylefunga
I think I'm beginning to now forget the last time that M. Night Shyamalan actually made a decent movie and he's now running the danger of no longer being relevant in the movie making industry.The movie just felt like a low budget late night Wednesday evening morning that the tv just puts on the fill a late night time slot.
There isn't any real substance to this movie, and whilst there are some good actors in this cast their talents are completely wasted in what turns into a nonsensical storyline and plot, with only the occasion line to show off their acting chops.
The characters that M. Night Shyamalan depicts aren't really characters that you care at all about and you end up not really caring if anyone survives the premise of the movie.
Midfreewayfox
Story itself isnt mindblowing nor is there really a huge twist, pretty predictable but the movie did great with creating atmospheres. Got quite intense at times.samoan
After making The Visit and Split, M Night is back to making bad and stupid movies that make no sense. This move is terrible. The acting is horrible (and there are good actors in it), dialogue is horribly written, the plot makes very little sense, the characters reactions to things are super unrealistic and make no sense, The lines are delivered wooden and stilted. Honestly this might have been an interesting episode of Tales from the Crypt or Twilight zone or even a short but as a movie it is just terrible. Honestly most of the time I was trying to figure out what the characters meant by what they said or why they said something. Honestly nothing makes any sense. For examplegreenhorg
Not since Adam Sandler's Click (2006) has there been such a poignant reflection on the ephemeral nature of being.alexthekid
Who else went to google the name of the Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando film after watching this?FireFox1
Really poor acting.Todolojodo
The acting it's shitty what makes this piece of crap funny.An inmediately involuntary comedy.
I shit over god.
dmattion
Not a good movie. But Mid-Sized Sedan is the best rapper name everbuc86
I don't know what it is with M. Night Shyamalan films. They aren't "bad" they aren't even "so bad it's good". They are more like "so bad it's interesting".I always see the potential for an interesting idea and I was really invested in the film for the first half-hour, but ultimately it feels flat.
Also, he needs to stick to writing and find someone else to direct, the way this film is acted and shot is very cringe!
CodeV
As told in the movie description, it is about the case then time moves faster than normal. Tries to present some related ideas and cases what will happen, and it worked for me - after the movie I had the feeling I had lost much more time than 1 hour and 48 minutes.Siskoid
M. Night Shyamalan loves to do feature-length Twilight Zone episodes and that's what Old is, albeit one that's very oddly put together. It certainly tries to grasp at something, whether that's age and illness, what it means to grow up, the callousness of industries that cater to gerontological concerns, or COVID-inspired isolation, but it never truly latches onto anything concrete because it's so obsessed with plot. It feels throughout like dialog is only ever meant to be expository, in a way that never sounds natural - it practically comes with described video - and that's why I'm panning it. At its best, I think the kids (when they ARE kids, but they grow up so fast) have fun moments, and one of its endings almost achieves poignancy with its grace note, but otherwise, it's a mess. You'd think spending most of the shoot on the same beach would make the geography of the place clear, but it doesn't. The international cast isn't all comfortable with the language/accents they've been asked to use. And it does what I ask my improv pupils NOT to do - over-explain everything, introduce themselves along with their plot function, and generally think of the audience as dunderheads who need everything spelled out for them. The lingering questions aren't a matter of ambiguity but of badly reasoned elements.KuroSawWhat
No one can go cuckoo-bananas with their films quite like M. Night Shyamalan. I love the dude for making movies like no one else. This one is all concept, and severely lacking in any kind of characterization. In one scene, several children were play-acting a short story with a war robot and a barbie doll having a domestic argument. This is a fitting analogy for the kind of character depth which you can expect to find within Old. It is a massively interesting film which quickly begins to tread water after the main concept has been established, and lacks any kind of emotional punch. All the while, the entire cast starts going nuts, with ludicrousness which borders on comedy.Please, Mr Shyamalan, keep making these crazy movies! I'll keep watching them, happily.