X
- 2021
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 2021
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Summary A family on a tropical holiday 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.
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: Pierre-Oscar Lévy, Frederik Peeters, M. Night Shyamalan
- 2021
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 2021
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Old
55
5.3
Where to Watch
Summary A family on a tropical holiday 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.
Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan
Written By: Pierre-Oscar Lévy, Frederik Peeters, M. Night Shyamalan
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 53 Critic Reviews
55
43% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
49% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
8% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 53 Critic Reviews
55
43% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
49% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
8% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
The elements of silliness and deadly seriousness are nicely balanced and although I wasn’t absolutely sure about the ending, which has maybe too neat a bow tied on it, this is just very enjoyable and I was on the edge of my seat, not knowing whether to flinch or laugh, though I did both.
Old is, at times, clumsy and obvious, but it’s different and weird, and it taps into something essential. It might be a distant second to The Sixth Sense, but it’s the second-best movie Shyamalan has made.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 222 User Ratings
5.3
35% Positive
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
39% Mixed
86 Ratings
86 Ratings
27% Negative
59 Ratings
59 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 222 User Ratings
5.3
35% Positive
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
39% Mixed
86 Ratings
86 Ratings
27% Negative
59 Ratings
59 Ratings
A very interesting movie! kept me wondering why all this stuff was happening up until the very end! definitely would recommend.
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This movie is one of the best ones I've watched in 2021—another fantastic piece of work by M. Night Shyamalan. It's about a family who travels to a beautiful resort on an island. Everything seems like it should, and they're enjoying their time. After a while, they are invited to a part of the island where only a "select few" guests are allowed to go. They don't know that the beach isn't an ordinary beach on that part of the island - time and space work differently there. They arrive with two other couples, and things go south from there. They realize that they're aging incredibly fast and have to find a way out before they die of either old age, their illnesses, or… each other! The ending is one hell of a twist, and in the usual manner that M. Night Shyamalan's movies do, it gives the viewer a lot to chew on about some ethical and moral issues. Fantastic film. Now, does it live up to his other movies? That’s hard for me to say. Some of you might like it, and some of you might not. But if you're anything like me and spend more time scrolling for movies than actually watching them, do yourself a favor and watch this!
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The movie, and I don’t think I’m over- or under-selling this, is pure chaos. From its rib-poking opening to its magnificently messy conclusion, Old is a feverishly earnest look at mortality, responsibility and, um, well … I wish that I could explain just what I think Shyamalan is getting at in his final 15 minutes
While Old is certainly a different kind of thriller, with plenty of elements that work to create a sense of tranquility and desperation in equal measure, it grows wearisome as it evades its deeper themes for the thrill of that final discovery.
The filmmaker’s diminishing capacity for recognizing naturalistic human behavior once again presents a problem when the time comes for audiences to relate to, much less care about, characters put through the paces of another elevator pitch that he never develops into a compelling story.
Shot with a poet's eye and a tin ear for dialogue, this tricked-up thriller about the horror of getting old too fast brings out the best and worst in M. Knight Shyamalan by throwing a wet beach blanket on a Covid-resonant premise about sudden death and the collapse of time.
To be fair, at least Old captures the sense of time passing past too fast: Rarely have I felt more like my life was slipping away in the cinema.
This guy has his own style. Like it or not, one else makes this kind of movie. Not a 10 at all, but that average 5 from the user ratings feels so unfair.
I want my Shyamalan movie every 1-2 years. He should make an anthology series for a streaming platform, though. He could explore more ideas and oversee other projects
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Some tourists get trapped on a beach where they get very fast old. In the end you will find out.
Some logical issues which hurts me everytime in movies, but otherwise interesting.
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M. Night Shyamalan seems to love to bring wooden performances out of his cast. He even managed to get a robotic performance out of Will Smith in After Earth.
The way his characters interact with each other doesn’t always feel realistic either. It’s the most noticeable when there’s a number of characters together at once throwing around his stiff dialogue. Like, in The Lady in the Water for example.
Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) could have done something interesting and creepy with the story of a beach turning people old. With Shyamalan, the film trudges along and we never really connect or care about any of the characters.
The way Shyamalan pans away from violence or death isn’t a strength either. Hitchcock, he isn’t and it just comes off more amateurish than it makes him look skilled.
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Within 4 minutes I'd figured out the "cautionary tale" Shyamalan tried to sneak into the first act. The ending, whilst thought provoking, slightly, just doesn't live up to the build up.
You know Shyamalan movies, they ALL have a twist, but when you're a one-trick-pony, your trick better be very, very good. And his trick aren't good, not since Sixth Sense. A long, long, time ago.
The actors are all garbage, but its not their fault, the writing is worse, the characters reactions, or lack thereof, are laughable, they simply do not react in a way that someone would if this was actually happening to them.
OLD is mediocre, there's just no other way to say it.
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M. Night Shyamalan is such a fascinating director, you never know what you're going to get with him. He has made some of the most memorable movies with the best twist in cinema history and he has made some of the worst movies I have ever seen. It's like a flip of a coin, the head is good and the tail is a bad movie situation. The premise of Old is "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". So does Old (2021) land on heads or tails?
Firstly, I love the idea and concept of this movie. The idea of a thriller and mystery story about a beach that ages people is such a unique concept. I also like the themes that are explored, such as people being too focused on the past or the future instead of the present, people's mortality and family dynamic changing with time. There are also some genuinely unnerving scenes, such as a surgery scene and some deaths that are just unsettling to watch. M Night also succeeds in creating a tense situation with the characters. They try a bunch of logical stuff to try and get off the island but it doesn't work so you're engaged on how they are going to get off the island. Additionally, some other characters are acting weird which makes creates a tense situation for our main leads. I also have to praise Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie who play aged up versions of the kids. They have to maintain the young kid mentality which they certainly conveyed from their performance. However, every other actor just gives such an unconvincing performance with terrible delivery. The actors all give such a bland performance with barely any tone in their voice, like a robot. This is partially due to the terrible writing and dialogue. No one seems to speak like an actual normal human being which makes the movie very off-putting. Some dialogue is so cheesy that it is actually kind of funny, even though the scene is clearly not meant to be. There are some exposition scenes where the characters are in a circle and discussing what is going on, which is just ridiculous. A fair amount of the characters make points about what is going on that is definitely right but is something people would not logically jump to at first thought. M.Night also returns with a twist ending, if you could even call it that as it was quite predictable. The ending is very lacklustre and even ruins the tone that was set throughout by making the movie become something different instead.
Overall, Old (2021) lands on the tail this time. By this point, I believe someone should let M. Night direct and create the ideas but not let him write the script whatsoever. It is still disappointing to see that even after all these years M. Night still doesn't understand how to write dialogue as Old is one of the worst in terms of dialogue. The enticing premise is able to keep you engaged but everything else is so poor that it's difficult to completely recommend this movie. Hopefully, next time M. Night is able to deliver a good movie because this is not it, unfortunately.
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Production Company
Universal Pictures,
Blinding Edge Pictures,
Perfect World Pictures,
Dentsu
Release Date Jul 23, 2021
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline It's only a matter of time.
Awards
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)
• 1 Nomination
People's Choice Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
