Several weeks ago, we noted that director Alfred Hitchcock is often dubbed “The Master of Suspense.” Well, if we had to apply a nickname to director M. Night Shyamalan, perhaps the most fitting one would be “The Master of the Twist.” For over twenty years, since his acclaimed film “The Sixth Sense” (1999) was released and the phrase “I see dead people” entered into general conversation, Shyamalan has been known for his big twist endings. These last-minute revelations are present in most of his films. Sometimes they work, like in “The Sixth Sense” or “Unbreakable” (2000), and sometimes they don’t, probably most notably in “The Happening” (2008).
This past weekend, Shyamalan’s most recent offering “Old” hit theaters. The movie, which was written and directed by Shyamalan, is already inspiring his typical mixed bag of reviews. To get to the bottom of the film and analyze the director’s twists and turns, Bridget and Rob hit theaters to bring you their review. (“Old” is only available in theaters at this point.) And don’t worry, they won’t give away the big ending.
Before we get into the review of his new movie “Old,” what is your favorite Shyamalan movie?
Bridget: For me, without a doubt, the answer is “Signs” (2002). This movie came hot on the heels of “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable,” both often viewed as better films. The young director had a lot to live up to at this point and I think succeeded. In this one, Shyamalan tackled an alien invasion in rural Pennsylvania with the backdrop of a suffering family who recently lost their matriarch. The movie stars Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix playing brothers trying to keep the family together.
I find this is the most rewatchable of Shyamalan’s films. Many of his others are quite somber and tinge more toward the horror side of things. “Signs,” on the other hand, is actually funny at times and has its lighthearted moments. I love the scene where Joaquin Phoenix’s Merrill joins the two kids in wearing tin foil hats to keep the aliens from reading their thoughts. The ending of the movie might be a little lame, but all the fun, suspense and creepiness leading up to that point make “Signs” a good time, even if I’m rewatching for the twentieth time.
Rob: As Bridget already noted, it’s difficult to go wrong with any of Shyamalan’s major early movies (before “The Sixth Sense,” he did a student film called “Praying With Anger” and a kids comedy called “Wide Awake,” neither of which I’ve seen), but I’m a huge fan of his 2004 offering “The Village.”
Featuring the most sprawling ensemble cast of any of his films, the list of stars involved includes Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson and Jesse Eisenberg in a “period piece” about an isolated Amish like community in 19th century Pennsylvania whose members refuse to leave the confines of their village.
I can’t get too far into “The Village” without spoiling the twist. I’ll just say that like always, James Newton Howard’s orchestral arrangements are incredibly beautiful and evocative, and the film seems to represent the last major success before critical and commercial opinion shifted against Shyamalan during the so-called “dark period” of his career before he finally rose from the ashes with “Split” 12 years later.
Before we get into our thoughts on “Old,” let’s lay the groundwork. What’s the movie about?
Bridget: Struggling married couple Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) travel to a tropical resort with their young children Trent and Maddox. Prisca had found the resort through some sort of mysterious sweepstakes. Early on in their visit, the resort manager cozies up to the family and suggests they visit a magnificent private beach on the island that he only tells his favorite guests about. They are soon shuttled to the rock cliff-surrounded beach by resort staff and dropped off. A couple other groups end up joining them including a doctor (played by Rufus Sewell) and his family with their young daughter. Another couple and a mysterious rapper named Mid-Size Sedan rounds out the group of beach-goers. Initially, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves…until strange things begin to happen. It starts when they find the body of the woman who arrived with the rapper. He swears he has no idea what happened to her. That’s only the beginning. Where do we go from here, Rob?
Rob: It gets worse! Before long, Trent, Maddox and Charles and Chrystal’s daughter Kara look twice their age (rising star Alex Wolff of “Jumanji” and “Hereditary” fame plays teenage Trent), to the point that their parents hardly even recognize them. It’s deduced that spending one day on the beach is equivalent to 50 years of regular life, so nobody has much time to find a way out. Oh, and scars strangely heal immediately, which creates another problem I’ll explain in a moment. The driver of the shuttle (played by Shyamalan himself in another of his famous Hitchcockian cameos) is nowhere to be found, and anyone who attempts to run back through the rocks behind them experiences a mysterious blackout.
During a particularly unnerving sequence, Sewell’s doctor character Charles is forced to remove a rapidly growing tumor from Prisca’s stomach, but the others have to hold the incision open due to the aforementioned healing powers of the beach. Charles is also experiencing rapidly deteriorating mental illness, repeatedly asking the others about a film that Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando starred in together (although it’s never answered, the correct answer is Arthur Penn’s 1976 western “The Missouri Breaks”) and eventually killing Mid-Size Sedan in a fit of rage.
As you may have guessed, none of the adults are long for this world, and it’s on Trent and Maddox to survive and figure out why they were dumped on this pristine but deadly beach in the first place.
So what were your overall feelings about the movie?
Bridget: I admit I’m kind of a sucker for desert island stories. I was a huge “Lost” fan and enjoyed the Amazon original “The Wilds” recently. That love might be why I could mostly get behind “Old.” I’m not unhappy that I drove to see it in a theater. It was a fun bit of summer diversion for the most part. I liked the creepy factor that Shyamalan brought to the movie and thought the concept was pretty original in a world of sequels and remakes. I wouldn’t say this is hard-hitting horror, and I was just fine with that. More like a slow suspenseful burn that kept me engaged most of the time.
Shyamalan does occasionally struggle with the dialogue he writes, putting some truly awkward lines in his actors’ mouths. (See “The Happening” most notably for this). “Old” suffers from this too, but luckily the movie is well enough acted, especially by Bernal and Krieps and the ever-aging children played by various actors, that I didn’t notice too much. I liked the small cast and the secluded location of the film as it gave the story an intimate feel. Again, if I didn’t think too much, I would say this mostly succeeded for me.
Rob: This was the second movie I’ve seen in a theater in the last year and a half and the first one I went to with my wife post-COVID, so I was just happy to be holding a big tub of popcorn and a Mountain Dew. “Old” is vintage Shyamalan: creepy, twisty, schlocky in parts but generally ambitious, earnest and propulsive while paying homage to classics like “The Twilight Zone” and the ultimate beach horror, “Jaws.” This time, however, the shark is the beach itself, and the real terror is a disintegrating marriage. I haven’t seen all of Shyamalan’s movies from his much maligned middle period, so I’d rank “Old” below his best work but well above his most hated duds. One last advantage he has over some other auteurs (looking at you, Tarantino and Scorsese) is that his success hasn’t convinced him that all of his films need to run three hours: “Old” clocks in at a crisp 108 minutes.
Without giving too much away, were you satisfied by Shyamalan’s trademark twist ending?
Bridget: I’ve seen other people complaining about the twist and that it attempts to explain too much, ruining any sort of mystery. I was fine with it. Then again, I tend to like to analyze things and see behind the curtain. Shyamalan’s twist in this movie isn’t as mind-blowing as “The Sixth Sense,” but it was satisfying for me. I wish they would have stopped after that big revelation. The movie probably went on one or two scenes too long.
Rob: It seemed apparent from the beginning that some sort of conspiracy would be revealed– if anything you find on the Internet seems too good to be true, especially in a movie, it definitely is– so it didn’t shock me to discover what it was. Still, considering what we know about American health care, it could be real.
Excuse the pun, but any ‘bones’ to pick with the movie?
Bridget: Though I generally enjoyed the movie, a few things stuck out. First, considering the movie is titled “Old,” I found it ironic that Shyamalan struggled to make his characters appear that way. The three kids on the island were played by various actors as they aged, but the adults were the same actors with a few wrinkles added. In the end, they looked about 10 years older than when they showed up, rather than several decades. With all the CG capabilities, not to mention good, old-fashioned make-up, I thought this could have been done better.
Also, something especially strange happens to illustrate how fast time is progressing. I don’t think it’s a spoiler because it’s in the trailer, but someone ends up pregnant. I won’t give too much away, but this was just plain weird, and I think unnecessary because it came and went so fast. I read that this plot point was depicted in the graphic novel “Sandcastle” that inspired Shyamalan’s story, but it was simply not meaningful enough in the movie to justify its odd, messy inclusion.
Rob: I’ll have to tread lightly to avoid spoilers once again, but there’s a deus ex machina toward the end that’s just a little too far fetched even for an M. Night Shyamalan film. On the other hand, he’s never strictly adhered to any pretense of realism. If you care enough to see “Old” in a theater, you probably already know that.
Also, somebody has to say it: Mid-Size Sedan is an awful name for a rapper. Sports car, jacked up truck and SUV were all available!
Final thoughts?
Bridget: I would place “Old” firmly in the middle of Shyamalan’s catalog. Definitely not as good as his first few movies, but worlds better than the likes of “The Happening” and “The Last Airbender.” I may watch it again, but definitely not as many times as “Signs.”
Rob: I’m glad that one of the signature American directors of the 21st century made a completely original film not tied to any previous IP or franchise. I’d agree with Bridget that it’s far from his best, but if you’re a fan of horror, beaches or any combination of the two, it’s more than worth checking out at your local theater.
Stay tuned for the latest edition of the column next week, and as always, send your feedback and/or topic suggestions to Bridget (news@wrightcountymonitor.com) or Rob (publisher@grundyregister.com). Thanks for reading!
