The latest madcap offering from the filmmaker who has made a career out of coming up with truly insane & ambitious ideas over the years (whether he is able to make them work or not in execution being a whole another debate), Old finds the (in)famous writer-director once again experimenting with a crazy concept but the end result is a mixed bag as the film fails to make the most of what was up for grabs.
Written & directed by M. Night Shyamalan (Signs, The Village & The Visit), the story follows a group of tourists who find themselves ageing rapidly on a mysterious & secluded beach. With a lifetime passing in the matter of a single day for all the involved characters, the possibilities worth exploring are endless. However, Shyamalan's erratic direction & bland characterisation prevent the key events to blossom to their full capacity.
There are nonetheless hints of brilliance scattered throughout the picture. It just never unifies into a satisfying whole. The rapid ageing & its debilitating effects is rather unsettling to watch but then the dialogues & performances are so idiotic & over-the-top that we aren't really sure what tone Shyamalan was going for. The film is silly yet serious, fun yet terrifying, thrilling yet amusing, ludicrous yet genius, and is often a cinematic ride of sharp contrasts.
Overall, Old features a premise that not only exhibits promise & potential on paper but is also instantly appealing & downright ambitious. Still, Shyamalan is unable to explore his zany idea to its fullest by failing to weave a compelling narrative around it, thus resulting in a frustrating & confusing experience. He tries to do too much yet only ends up doing too little. All in all, Old has its merits & moments but the ride as a whole feels more or less underwhelming in the end.
