Jason's Review of Old 2021 ★★

Watched Dec 07, 2021

I remember seeing the trailer for Old, and thinking “that’s an interesting premise.” I also remember thinking “that’s going to be difficult to pull off properly.” And unfortunately, this is one of M. Night Shyamalan’s numerous ambitious misfires. I like Shyamalan a lot because I’m always rooting for singular filmmakers who swing for the fences and do things their own way. And there are some very powerful and interesting ideas here, fleetingly represented. There are also some of the absolute worst scenes and most ham-fisted writing I’ve experienced all year. It’s a dichotomy (fascinating ideas vs. cringeworthy execution) that’s unfortunately not that unusual in Shyamalan’s filmography.

But I’ll keep going because I like the guy, and every once in a while he gives us a Split!