Old Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs
1. The Wildly Overbaked Ending
No spoilers here of course, though how Shyamalan chooses to end his story is sure to be by far the most divisive aspect.
While the director avoids nuking the entire film from orbit with a terrible plot twist - though there is a plot twist, to the surprise of nobody - he nevertheless distends the story about 10 minutes past its clear departure point.
Brevity is the soul of wit, and Shyamalan arrives at a clear dramatic crescendo on which he could end the film, but instead aims for a have-your-cake-and-eat-it ending that tries to do everything for everyone.
It wouldn't shock many people if this excessive epilogue was added during post-production, because it does feel rather tacked-on.
If you can accept these gripes, though, there is a lot to enjoy in Old. Here's what Shyamalan got right...