6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
M. Night Shyamalan unveils a chilling, mysterious new thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly - reducing their entire lives into a single day.
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzieHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 24% |
Thriller | 15% |
Comic book | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
M. Night Shyamalan's reputation has fallen on hard times. The filmmaker who burst onto the scene with 1999's The Sixth Sense and later dazzled with Unbreakable and delighted with Signs has never quite regained the momentum from his early film career, releasing increasingly panned movies and hitting rock-bottom with The Happening. With his latest Shyamalan efforts to return to a style of metaphysical suspense that served him so well in The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Old is not an offshoot of those films, but its admirable efforts to dig deeply into the human condition and merge physical and emotional upheaval is to be commended. The film does not always work, but it works well enough as an interesting case study of the human condition, accelerated.
Old of course looks new, young, and fresh on Blu-ray. the picture is largely impeccable, offering excellent clarity and color reproduction throughout. Most of the film takes place during the course of a day on the beach. It's sun-drenched and surrounded by beautiful blue waters and skies. Opposite is sand and a tall earthen cliff with some dots of natural greenery scattered around the frame in the background. These colors come together with beautiful natural harmony and vitality. Clothing and a few other colors offer nice splashes of support throughout. Black levels are excellent, whether when the camera ventures to the darkened, cavernous point of entry (but not exit) and as day turns to night. Detail is strong. The picture yields crisp, well defined facial details in addition to sharply defined sand and rocky surfaces. It can't match the UHD for total sharpness but the movie never feels shortchanged, texturally, on Blu-ray. The picture is clean and efficient. There are no encode problems to report.
Old features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The track offers little in terms of real discrete overhead usage but the symphony of natural beachside sounds are certainly very enveloping and authentic. Waves splash through with regular movement; the track is always in a state of sonic interest as the location ambience proves very well pronounced and integrated. The listener will always be spatially aware as waves crash onto the sand here and there throughout the listening area. Music is well pronounced with some solid depth, and the low end kicks in to support a critical underwater scene late in the film. Otherwise, dialogue drives most of the listening experience. It is delivered cleanly, clearly, efficiently, and with excellent prioritization from the front-center channel.
This Blu-ray release of Old contains four featurettes and a handful of deleted scenes. DVD and digital copies are included with purchase.
It's great to find a movie that actually tries to broach a topic rather than just slather the screen with mindless drivel, a movie that aims to entertain with thought provoking purpose rather than empty content. Whether it's fully effective is another question, but the effort is most welcome and the movie is very enjoyable, even if it doesn't quite reach a full-on metaphysical treatise on life and death and the process that moves the former to the latter. Still, it's Shyamalan flirting with the kind of movies that put him on the map and his fans will certainly want to check it out. Universal's Blu-ray is excellent, as expected: video and audio presentations are top-notch and the supplements are fine. Recommended.
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