“Old” Movie Review: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
The Good:
One of my favorite things about Old was the overall premise of the movie. M. Night Shyamalan clearly put a lot of thought behind the workings of the beach and why the resort would partake in this experiment. Another strong suit would be the special effects make-up, which was very well-done and visually interesting. Aaron Pierre had the strongest presence in the movie despite being a supporting role. I credit this to the actor rather than the writing because his lines were not anything special, but Pierre did great with his delivery. His character, Mid-Sized Sedan, a rapper with a rare blood clotting disorder had depth and personality. Unfortunately, this is something the other characters lacked.
Aaron Pierre as Mid-Sized Sedan in “Old”
The Bad:
Old had barely any character development. It centered around eleven people with deep and complex histories. Yet, it really didn’t explore their family dynamics and character motivations. The film briefly discussed medical conditions and divorces, but other than that left the audience in the dark. Another disappointing aspect of the movie was the acting. While it wasn’t completely awful, it was definitely dry. The actors’ emotions and reactions did not match the intensity of the situation. But I don’t think this was necessarily the cast’s fault, as the script was undoubtedly the worst part of the movie.
Left to Right: Aaron Pierre, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, and Abbey Lee Kershaw
The Ugly:
The script was uninspiring, emotionless, and boring. Most of the lines had the characters stoically announcing the events unraveling in the movie. The scene in particular that left me especially disappointed was when Prisca described how there was a doctor on the beach and that she needs to get the doctor to make sure the rapidly aging children are okay. Not only is this painfully obvious, but she had also been attempting this for the past twenty minutes before this spiel. It was an unnecessary addition that actually took away from the movie. Instead of giving Vicky Krieps the opportunity to portray an emotional and loving mother, they reduced her character to simply narrating the current events. This was a reoccurring problem in the movie as the characters lacked development and emotions.
Thomasin Mackenzie and Alex Wolff who portrayed the aged Maddox and Trent
Final Verdict:
I give the movie a 5/10. The plot is interesting enough to hold attention, and the scenery and effects are very well-done. But it wasn’t enough to make up for the lazy writing which negatively affected the movie. I was extremely excited for Old upon seeing the trailer but was left disappointed. The premise had so much potential but unfortunately turned out to be sub-par.
Check out the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes