Review of OLD – Rated PG-13

OLD – Rated PG-13 – 1 hr. 48 mins.

DIRECTOR:  M. Night Shyamalan

WRITERS:  M. Night Shyamalan

(Based on the novel by Sandcastle by   Pierre-Oscar Levy & Frederick Peeters)

STARRING:  Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ken Leung, Eliza Scanlen, Aaron Pierre, Embeth Davidtz, Emun Elliott, Alexa Swinton, Gustaf Hammarsten, Kathleen Chaifant, Francesca Eastwood, Nolan River and Luca Faustino Rodriguez

Well, it’s the middle of Summer and many of us have either already ventured to the Beach or resort of our dreams or have something along those lines planned before summer’s end, so what better time to pop M. Night’s Shyamalan’s new thriller, that takes us to a secluded island retreat, for some rest and relaxation. But this retreat’s festive atmosphere isn’t to be long-lived, as our travelers soon find themselves on a beach, that seems to be making everyone age, at a very drastic rate, without any explanation, or escape, once they have arrived.

I mean, what could be freakier for a child than to age progressively over a day, from a 6-year-old to full-fledged adult.  And furthermore, who wants to go from age 30-something to 80 something in the blink of an eye…as I can assure you, it’s definitely nothing I would ever choose to experience.

And as this storyline, extracted from the novel “Sandcastle” by Pierre-Oscar Levy & Frederick Peeters, continues to unfold, all you hope and wish for is that any one of its’ inhabitants, doesn’t meet with their demise…

Draped In the mystery that we have come to expect from Shyamalan’s works throughout the years, including my previous favorites of THE SIXTH SENSE (1999), SIGNS (2002) and SPLIT (2016), OLD has the twists and turns that you come to expect from any of his films.  Leave it to this mind-bending filmmaker to once again make a film that is as intriguing, as it is unsettling, as you venture into the lives of a family on the edge of demise, although only the parents Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) know the real score, or so they think.  And as their children Trent (Nolan River) and Maddox (Alexa Swinton), try to uphold their end of the deal of having a fabulous family vacation, it seems that there are quite a few families that have also ventured to this place, trying to escape the realities of their own lives as well, thus setting the premise for how easily each of our characters throughout this film, take this excursion, no questions asked.  OLD forces you to come to terms with many aspects that may lie within your own psyche too, as we are all heading down the road of own demise, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but at some point, our day to leave this earth will also come.  Without giving too much away, please know that once the twists and turns finally arrive,it will make you stop to wonder…is death a justifiable means to an end, if something good for mankind comes from it???  You’ll have to make your own conclusion on this pertinent question, once you see this film!  I was also super excited to see that M. Night Shyamalan saw fit to give himself a larger, and more significant role this time around too…allowing him to hone his own acting prowess, all while keeping us entrenched in the “what’s going to happen next” persona which he interweaves into his films.  Bottom line for this OLD is, if you enjoy psychological thrillers, then this film is definitely a film worth traveling to a theater near you to view this weekend!

3.5 out of 5

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