No matter what, M.Night Shyamalan always seems to factor in some sort of twist. It has become so common that it hinders the viewing experience, Old is no different. With an interesting premise but bogged down by a poor script, Old cannot escape from the inevitable, a twist that doesn't pay off.
Written by Elliot Lines
Old creates some real intrigue with the premise. The thought of what would happen if time moved faster in a confined space makes for some interesting developments. Managing to get across how this would affect different age groups is something that Old does well with. The way in which the rapid ageing of the children is shown but then the slower ageing of adults, who succumb to more lasting effects, is effective in itself to put this idea forward.
Unfortunately the film doesn't capitalise on the interesting idea it has. The biggest issue comes in the form of the director. Built over many years of work Shyamalan has built a name for himself, where he always wants to include some sort of twist, which totally dampens the affect of the film. You find yourself expecting it to come, speculating what might be happening rather than just see what is unfolding in front of you. At the end of the day the twist doesn't come to anything, Old would be better served ending at a point where the audience can theorise themselves.
Not only does Old suffer from the outcome, but the script throughout is poor. These actors do the best they can with the hand they are dealt but not even great upcoming actors like Alex Wolff (Hereditary) and Thomasin Mckenzie (Jojo Rabbit) can make you care for these characters. Managing to create boredom of sorts at the points in which you should be fully invested with the events that arise, but the intrigue of whats next manages to keep you interested, mostly.
There is a sense that the camera work becomes over-complicated. For the most part we are in one single location, a beautiful one at that, there isn't much needed here to show that beauty. But for some reason we are subjected to panning shots and various close ups to attempt to spice this up, maybe to emphasise the events that are unfolding.
Old falls victim the the twist it brings to the table. An interesting premise like this deserves more than it was given, but ultimately the film fell flat with its poor script, creating forgettable characters and moments of boredom.
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