“How Would You Feel If A 50 Year Old Man Called And Said He Was Your 6 Year Old Nephew?”

One of M. Night Shyamalan’s most recent films, Old tries to answer the question of how humanity reacts when faced with sudden death anticipation. One could argue this is what most horror movies try to convey, but this one is only PG-13. This rating gives it a disadvantage at the start in how to make that in a way people can connect with, without showing too much gore.

The film follows several families who are quickly led to their deaths while on vacation. The families were specifically chosen to participate in a secret portion of the island based on medical conditions one or more members suffer from. The island’s magnetism speeds up the participants’ cells, causing their lifespans to go by literally overnight.

Time- 5

Old has only been out since 2021, so it hasn’t quite had the time to become a classic, but it wasn’t well received in the first place. For example, Rotten Tomatoes only ranked it at 50%. Old is a little under two hours long, and the pacing feels timed well.

Rewatchability- 5

There are so many details within this movie that make the first rewatch really enjoyable, but also a few that make other parts of it questionable. That being said, this film can easily get burnt out if watched often.

Cinematography/Editing- 8

The editing in post-production was crucial to how good this movie is. There’s a scene where the camera pans across many windows, and no equipment or crew are shown in the reflection. Shocking happenings are also hidden until the perfect reveal presents itself. The crew also did well with portraying deafness in one ear and blindness. 

Plot- 10

The storyline slowly develops over the course of the film. There’s foreshadowing, some unfolding, a bit of adversity, then bombshells, and concludes with some victory. That being said, this is one of the most interesting plots I’ve seen in a while. Because of the lack of overall uniqueness in the film industry recently, I’m pretty happy to admit that since it’s still semi-new.

Acting- 8

Each character is different from one another, and they all slightly change throughout the film. Every matching actor portrays them all really well, especially through each change and adversity they face. These really weren’t award-winning performances though, so some points were deducted.

Costume Design/Special Effects- 6

Makeup showed aging okay, with how the older characters developed wrinkles and the younger ones grew up. But I think with the time being sped up, many more alterations would have happened like getting sunburnt or growing really long hair and nails. Many of the death sequences are astonishing though, like seeing tetanus spread and the breaking and healing of a calcium deficient woman’s bones.

Gruesome Factor- 2

This movie is only rated PG-13, so no gore is really shown at all. There are many situations that show how horrible death can be, but in a way that doesn’t show anything particularly nasty. With that in mind, Old could be considered gruesome to an extent because of the feelings it evokes. 

Shock Value- 8

Old is packed with shocking factors. The beauty of this movie is that the idea is brand new, so viewers often didn’t see a lot coming when it came to the strange circumstances each character faced. There were only a few actual jaw-dropping moments though.

Believability- 6

The film overall, with everything accounted for, definitely makes this horrifying situation feel real. However, the science of magnetic rocks in a circular formation increasing the development of life inside it doesn’t make any sense, so it’s not really believable in our world. Additionally, I have an issue with the way the children start to think differently as they age. If they aren’t really doing or learning anything new, I don’t think kids in teenage bodies would act or think much differently than they did originally. Although, one could make the argument that it’s testing humanity’s animalistic instincts. 

​Ending- 9

I absolutely adored how by the end, the main boy finally decoded his friend’s secret message, which helped to save them. That little bit of innocence ended up allowing the survivors to continue their lives. (Much later on in life at this point, but at least they didn’t also die on the island.) I only dislike that we don’t fully see the company get taken down.

Points Total: 67% out of 100%

I’m dumbfounded to have found that most reviewers absolutely hate this movie. People don’t like how the characters went about their attempts for freedom. Many also claim the characters aren’t developed enough to care about their demise. I do agree with some of these ideas as near continuity errors, but I think the point was more, like most horror, to see what humanity does in the face of death. I also think it was really cool to pull off that schtick while maintaining a PG-13 rating.