Old Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

3. It Should've Had An R Rating

Old is without question the most narratively unhinged film in Shyamalan's filmography, so it's a little frustrating that it ended up being shot for a PG-13 rating.

Though Shyamalan basically bends PG-13 to its absolute breaking point here, there are numerous scenes where he's clearly had to shy away from a visceral, intense moment to keep the MPAA happy.

Given how far off the deep end Shyamalan goes with the concept, this would've absolutely been a better movie with a fittingly permissive R rating, allowing him to deliver full-fat traumatic visuals rather than leaving much of it merely implied.

That isn't to say that Old feels distractingly sanitised - because again, Shyamalan does about as much with PG-13 as any director could - but R would've truly allowed him to crank it to 11.