This chilling, mysterious new thriller follows 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.
For in-depth thoughts on Old, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Old offers a lovely uptick in quality over the already wonderful accompanying Blu-Ray. Film grain is deftly managed which allows even more detail to come out of the background. Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores and perspiration. The increased range of the color spectrum is stunning to behold. The HDR/Dolby Vision enriches the colors from already impressive to out of this world when it comes to vibrancy. The sun-drenched landscape keeps mostly to earth tones and pops up green vegetation, but the nuance with which it is reproduced is eye-popping. There are some brilliant bursts of color in some of the clothing on display throughout. The highlights in the film are more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Elements in the environments of the film are more vivid and finely delineated. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is great, but Universal has delivered another fantastic transfer on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with an incredibly effective Dolby Atmos presentation that fully immerses you in this world. There are elements in this track that are truly enveloping, such as the sounds of the waves hitting the shore. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more thrilling scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven scenes filled with subtle whispers. The score from Trevor Gureckis brings this film to life in a really thrilling way. Dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is engaged well as an extension of certain exciting elements including a pivotal underwater scene. The sound design of this film is quite intense, and the implementation of environmental sounds are executed very effectively. The mix here is very well done with nice engagement of all the channels, which makes this track more than satisfactory for fans of the film.
Special Features
- Deleted Scenes: Ten scenes totaling eight minutes of unused material is provided here including a cold open, a scene between Guy and Prisca, a harrowing scene with Patricia and more. There are some good moments that are worth checking out.
- Shyamalan Family Business: An eight-minute featurette in which Shyamalan discusses how this film is a reflection of where he is in his life along with his experiences of working with his daughters on the set. It is fun to hear from a second generation of Shyamalan in the entertainment business.
- All The Beach Is A Stage: A ten-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss how the setup of this film is similar to working in the theatre and the unique challenges this shoot provided to him as a filmmaker.
- Nightmares In Paradise: A nearly eight minute featurette in which the creative team discusses finding the right shooting location for the film and some of the positive and negative ways in which the weather impacted the production.
- A Family In The Moment: A six-minute piece in which the cast and crew discuss shooting a pivotal scene in the film and how it brought everyone together in unexpected ways.
Final Thoughts
Old is a film that finds director M. Night Shyamalan working in the peculiar register that he knows well but has not returned to in a while. The film has moments that will spark incredulity, but the themes he is trying to explore will really hit home for many. This is bound to be a very divisive film, but Shyamlan fans should find a lot to appreciate about this one. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and some decent supplemental features. While not the absolute best from the filmmaker, this feature is a welcome sight for his fans. Recommended
Old will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD on October 19, 2021. The film is currently available to own on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
