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Old

100 Movies of 2021

Old

2021

M. Night Shyamalan

Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Thomasin McKenzie ...

5.6

21,408

Mystery. Fantasy. Thriller. Drama A thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.

	Media	Author	Review
		Owen Gleiberman Variety	"It's a good premise, but the director doesn't explore it so much as he throws ideas against the wall (...) 'Old,' even once you accept where it’s going, lacks shape and consistency"
		John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"Viewers who can take it at face value may find a chill or two here, but ultimately 'Old' can’t escape the goofiness of its premise long enough to put its more poetic possibilities across successfully."
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"The elements of silliness and deadly seriousness are nicely balanced and although I wasn’t absolutely sure about the ending (...) this is just very enjoyable and I was on the edge of my seat (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Glenn Kenny The New York Times	"Shyamalan’s fluid filmmaking style (...) serves him especially well here (...) While Shyamalan is often cited for his tricky endings, it’s arguable that he doesn’t quite stick the landing with this one."
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"'Old' is fascinating and entertaining. It’s just too bad that it doesn’t age into its potential (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Scott Mendelson Forbes	"The lack of pressure to be anything other than a distinctly Shyamalan-ish horror movie makes old both a relentless terror and a comforting watch."
		Tim Grierson Screendaily	"Shyamalan fails to satisfyingly ratchet up the tension or convincingly explore the potential reactions to such an odd, desperate situation"
		Justin Chang Los Angeles Times	"'Old' isn’t so bad, except when it’s terrible (...) [Still] it’s nice to see Shyamalan doing a deranged one-off, taking the movie equivalent of an invigorating stroll in the sun"
		Matt Goldberg Collider	"Even when his screenwriting choices are questionable as they are here, I can’t deny that 'Old' had me hooked even at its silliest, dumbest moments"
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"The result is a silly, well-acted piece of schlock that offers a decent time at the movies instead of the awful one that it promised us"
		Patrick Cremona Radio Times	"Just like the best of his work, it’s a thoroughly entertaining experience in spite of its flaws (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Amy West Digital Spy	"For its many faults, though, there's something undeniably fascinating about 'Old', and it all comes back to Shyamalan's willingness to swing so hard he might miss entirely every time he steps behind a camera (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Lisa Nystrom FilmInk	"Old is the long-awaited reminder of Shyamalan’s ability to deeply unsettle audiences"
		Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard	"[It] is stuffed with brilliant ideas. It’s also one of the most ridiculous films of 2021 (...) The fact remains that 'Old' is never scary and that tension is consistently frittered away (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Robert Daniels IGN	"'Old' is just as profound as any thriller Shyamalan has done. It’s a film that probably won’t merit repeated viewings, but that first one is a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to be alive"
		Chris Evangelista SlashFilm	"For all of 'Old's flaws – and those flaws are bounteous! – it’s a film with energy; a film with life."
		Joshua Rivera Polygon	"It’s not particularly subtle, but it is affectionate and a little bit wistful. As a thriller, the film is middling (...) As a lamentation, it’s sometimes facile"
		Sandy Schaefer CBR	"[The director] turns what might've been a creepy yet poignant meditation on the inevitability of death into a frustrating mixed bag of a thriller with a muddled execution"
		Mae Abdulbaki Screen Rant	"'Old' has its moments of intrigue, of bodily horror, and themes surrounding the passage of time, but it’s too often bogged down by its tedious mystery (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Joshua Rothkopf Empire	"'Old' is probably the most boring movie he could make at this point (...) A decent-enough thriller, intriguing in the moment but ultimately too timid to say anything meaningful about ageing (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Peter Travers ABC News	"[It] shows director Shyamalan at his best and worst (...) [It] sets up a provocation that he lacks the ability to develop much less sustain (...) You leave 'Old' wondering how a brilliant premise could end with such a botch job"

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