Old
The brief
Shyamalan's latest high-concept thriller feels like a Black Mirror episode stretched to feature length, with his trademark stilted dialogue working against what should be deeply disturbing material. The aging premise creates genuinely creepy body horror moments, but the pacing drags between scares and the third act explanation lands with a disappointing thud. Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps do their best with clunky exposition, though watching child actors rapidly transform into teenagers provides some unsettling highlights. If you're still on board with Shyamalan's particular brand of supernatural puzzles and don't mind when the pieces don't quite fit together, this scratches that itch.
The verdict
If you're a Shyamalan devotee who enjoys creepy body horror and can tolerate stilted dialogue in service of a supernatural mystery, this delivers enough unsettling moments to scratch that itch. If you need tight pacing and satisfying explanations from your thrillers, the dragging middle act and disappointing reveal will leave you frustrated.
Watch with
- 👥 Horror fans who appreciate slow-burn concepts
- ⚠️ Skip with young kids - aging themes disturbing
Heads up
- Disturbing body transformation sequences (moderate)
- Children rapidly aging into adults (moderate)
- Medical crisis situations (brief)
- Psychological distress and panic (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Cast
- Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird
Official synopsis
A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Both trap protagonists in surreal, anxiety-inducing scenarios beyond their control.
Total runtime: 1h 48m + 2h 59m = 4h 47m
