Old (2021)
M. Night Shyamalan’s movies are indeed, too old.
Presentation:
M. Night Shyamalan is known for films with a spectacularly novel twist. This was back when movies could be made simply off an idea, “What if?”. However, these premises don’t translate well for modern cinema, which now require substance in the script. The age of bootleg DVD flicks are over, yet Shyamalan seems stuck in the past unable to pivot or adapt. I suppose there is something admirable to sticking to your original signature vision, but to me it still seems as though his storytelling is outdated. A beach that turns people older in a short amount of time. An interesting premise indeed, in the past you had to watch the entire movie to know the answer. In modern times, you could watch a recap or clips of this movie online. This is a problem with our society and not exactly him, but this formula isn’t satisfying anymore and the fact that there is little payoff for the cliffhanging twist makes it all the more unrewarding. I will say that it’s commendable that the director funded this movie while in movie jail and I do like the color grade.
Conclusion:
The aging aspects are really entertaining and intriguing in a body horror type of way. As a body horror, this is actually a pretty cool movie. But at its core, the film is a mystery thriller with a silly reveal, like most of his movies now. Worth a watch if you’re bored as mindless entertainment.
Recommendations
Well, nobody’s perfect!