The Biggest Plot Hole In M. Night Shyamalan's Old
In Hollywood, there are movies that leave you scratching your head, and then there are M. Night Shyamalan movies. The writer-director has a long history of throwing caution — and oftentimes, believability — to the wind in exchange for entertainment and suspense. Filmgoers wade through surprising twists and turns, attempting to connect the dots before a shock ending is usually dropped on them. It's been the Shyamalan recipe for success for over 20 years, and that's still the case for his latest mind-bending flick, "Old."
The story, based on the French graphic novel "Sandcastle" by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Pierre Oscar Lévy, focuses on a group of vacationers who are taken to a secluded beach paradise, where they all begin to age at a terrifyingly fast rate with no explanation of what's causing it. The mystery is eventually solved, with Shyamalan serving up one of his biggest plot holes to date. Spoiler Alert: The whole thing is a science experiment. The vacationers are unknowingly test subjects for a pharmaceutical company, which has been using the beach and its rapid aging abilities to run deadly drug trials. This sounds entertaining and all, but Shyamalan forgets to explain one major issue.
How is a murderous beach resort able to stay in business?
At one point during "Old," it is revealed that the tourists being subjected to the latest round of trials by Warren & Warren are referred to as "Test #73." This implies that there have been dozens of other secret victims who have visited the supposed paradise. As Screen Rant points out, if so many people are going missing, and all the company is doing to stay out of trouble is hiding their passports — as the movie suggests — then how on Earth is such an operation still going on? Why have the police not been alerted by family members or friends? Are there different islands with different beaches? What else is being done to make these victims disappear? Who's feeding their cats? These are all understandable questions that Shyamalan, for some reason, didn't care to answer.
In some of his more popular films, the 51-year-old filmmaker was able to wrap up his stories in a bow and showcase his characters without sacrificing key moments or plot details. Thus was the case with "The Sixth Sense," "Signs," and "Unbreakable." But as the years have gone on, Shyamalan has been less and less meticulous with his storytelling.
In "Old," there are several mysteries and questions that are still left unanswered once the credits roll, but not explaining how a luxury beach resort gets away with murdering its affluent guests is definitely the biggest.