Old - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Old



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
M. Night Shamalamadingdong has sort of had his ups and downs. He broke out onto the cinematic scene with 1999’s The Sixth Sense, and followed it up with several big time thrillers like Unbreakable and Signs. He was basically given the keys to the kingdom due to his skillful ability to infuse taught thrillers with mind bending twists that no one saw coming (for the most part). However, after those films the film maker started falling on hard times. His hits became less and less, with his career effectively going lower than the Wachowskis by dive bombing with The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth (poor Will Smith may never recover from that film). However, not all is lost. After those films he sort of went into a second awakening, pulling out films like Split and Glass and even The Visit that may not be gigantic blockbusters, but hailed a return to more serious film making for the director who pretty much lost it all. Old continues in that passageway of solid film making without ever truly being a massive blockbuster again.

Old is taken from a graphic novel and actually had me glued to the screen for the first 2 acts. It had incredible cinematography, a tense “where is this going?” story, and a twist ending (duh, it’s M. Night Shyamalan) that was rather impressive. The only thing is, the movie has a few flaws that keep it from being REALLY good. The story revolves around a group of families who go to a resort to struggle with their own issues. Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps) are going one one last vacation before their marriage dissolves. Chrystal (Abbey Lee ..most notably known for being of the wives in Mad Max: Fury Road) and Charles (Rufus Sewell) are there because of his stress issues, and Jarin (Ken Leung) and Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird) are there due to his wife’s epileptic seizures. However, there little vacation turns into a nightmare when they get instructed to go to an out of the way beach where they find themselves trapped.

Not only are they trapped, but it soon becomes apparent that something supernatural is going on as everyone begins to age. Every half hour that passes is revealed to take a year off their lives, and it’s now a race against time to find a way to escape if they can. A race that is hindered by a force that seems to keep them trapped their and nothing they do can get out.

Like usual, the story has a hidden twist at the end, and while I won’t spoil it by saying WHAT it is, I would say that this was the weakest part of the film as well as one of the strongest. The first two acts are really creepy and tense, especially since Shyamalan keeps his cards close to his vest in regards to what is going on. We get to know the basics really fast, but the REASON is not what anyone expect. Not to mention that it truly is a creepy little tale as the parents slowly age one by one as the children “grow up”. That being said, the ending is both kind of cool, and rather a let down. The idea of WHY the whole thing went down was a neat sci-fi twist. The only problem is that the whole thing is just wrapped up way too neatly and too happily. Something that was echoed among many critics who saw the film as well. The ending had the wright idea, but tying up EVERY loose end came at the expense of believability. It was just so pat and neat that it didn’t seem to fit with the tension and horror of the rest of the movie.

As an ensemble film the acting was above average. Rufus Sewell chews up the scenery as the dementia failing Charles, and Abbey Lee was absolutely terrifying as the self absorbed Chrystal (her ending was especially disturbing). Gael Garcia Bernal and Vicky Krieps do a solid job, but it’s really the kids (in their differing forms during the movie as they age) are really what I was paying attention to.




Rated PG-13 for strong violence, disturbing images, suggestive content, partial nudity and brief strong language




4K Video: Video:

Old is one of the few movies actually shot on 35mm film and then transferred to a 4K master for the home video release (which the Blu-ray gets a downscale too). This results in a fantastic 4K UHD transfer that blows the already great Blu-ray out of the water. It’s got just enough grain to look organic, and tons and TONS of appreciable details to go gaga over. The film has a sort of teal and yellowed tinge to it with hints of green sometimes, which results in a generally resplendent look with a sickening feel to it. Colors are mostly muted during the yellowish scenes, but outside of those they are bright and amazingly rich and vibrant. The blue of the ocean is startling, as is the white and crisp reds from the coral and the clothing that Mackenzie wears. There’s some black crush in the caves, and a I noticed some mild banding (even in 4K), but overall this is a jaw dropping film that makes great use of the native 4K master.







Audio:

Universal once again puts the Dolby Atmos track on BOTH the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD disc, so this portion of the review will remain constant across both reviews. The Atmos track is a really immersive one, making great use of surround activity, such as the creepy score that permeates every section of the film, or the whispering lapping of waves falling on the beach. Dialog heavy portions take up a large portion of the film, and while that means the surrounds and subs sometimes don’t get front and center attention, they still known when to come and play. The spacial sensitivity is impeccable, with the track having pinpoint accuracy in locating directional cues, and panning effects.





Extras:

• DELETED SCENES
• SHYAMALAN FAMILY BUSINESS – We look at what Night's two daughters, Ishana and Saleka, contributed to the film and how collaborating with family made filming outside Philadelphia still feel like home.
• ALL THE BEACH IS A STAGE – Shooting a film in a wide-open space is challenging because angles have to be created, much like theatre. Night explains the significance of his camera movements and the cast discuss the unique experience of filming without coverage.
• NIGHTMARES IN PARADISE – When making a film like OLD, finding the right shooting location is everything. Hear the story of why Night took the production to the Dominican Republic and how Mother Nature both challenged and helped the production.
• A FAMILY IN THE MOMENT – Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Thomasin McKenzie and Alex Wolff recount one very special, emotional night of filming that brought them closer than they ever imagined.

Final Score:
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Old is a solid, if not flawed, M. Night Shyamalan film that did way better than I expected. It wasn’t jaw dropping like Split (seriously, MacAvoy outdid himself in that film), but it is a solid thriller for the one despised and mocked director. The 4K UHD disc is fantastic, showing appreciable upgrades over the Blu-ray and easily the superior disc with great Atmos audio. A fun watch and a movie that pleasantly surprised me.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Abbey Lee, Ken Leung
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Written by: M. Night Shyamalan, Pierre-Oscar Levy (Graphic Novel), Frederik Peeters (Graphic Novel
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French DD 5.1, Spanish DD+ 7.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 19th, 2021

Recommendation: Solid Watch