Shiamaylan Movie Review: ***Old (2021)

Old is a really creepy movie.  This is a very cruel experiment.  A pharmaceutical company has discovered a beach that causes rapid aging.  This way they can test their drugs over a lifetime which only lasts a couple of days because of the rapid aging.  Most people die within a day.

So they spike their drinks with the drugs they want to study, and recruit them to go to a secluded beach.  In this case there is a small group that goes to the beach--The family of Guy (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Prisca Cappa (Vicky Krieps) and their two children, Maddox and Trent ( Thomasin Mackensie age 15 and Alex Wolff age 15 with several others as they age). Prisca has a tumor.  There is a rapper Brenden/Mid-sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre) and his girl, another family, Charles (Rufus Sewell) is a surgeon with grandmother and a daughter, and then a couple.   

First Brenden's girl is dead (maybe a murder), and then the grandmother.  Complicating the plot is Charles has paranoia.  Then the three children in just a couple hours are teenagers.  The realize the beach is causing aging.  However there is no way off.  Climbing the cliffs results in black outs.  Kara becomes pregnant and has a baby in just an hour or so.  The baby does not live.  She climbs the cliff knowing she will pass out an fall.  Due mostly to aging they all die, except for the two who were children.  They attempt swimming into the lagoon, and survive to turn the people doing the experiments into authorities.

This movie is a bit hard to follow, just because the plot is so incredible.

In Theaters ***Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

 I saw Mufasa at the movie theater.  It goes a long way to explain where Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) came from, and why Scar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) was persona non grata at the beginning of Lion King.  Mufasa was carried away by a flood, away from his family; and was rescued from the river by flood and some crocodiles by Taka who becomes Scar.  Taka is a lion prince.  However when a different lion pride invades their land, Scar and Mufasa are left to fend for themselves as Taka's parents are killed.  The leader of this new pride, Kiros (Mads Mikkelson) has sworn vengeance on Mufasa who killed his son trying to defend Taka's mother.  They must run, and they meet Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) a stray lioness who is traveling with  Zazu (Preston Nyman), her scout and Rafiki (John Kani) who is leading them to Milele, a supposed place of plenty.  Rafiki wants to go there to meet a long lost brother he saw in a dream.  Mufasa wants to go there as his parent were headed there when the flood came.  However Kiros is still following them.  Sarabi causes and elephant stampede to give them some room from their pursuers.  However in doing so she becomes trapped admist the stamped ad Mufasa rescues her.  Knowing Taka is fond of Sarabi Mufasa gives credit to Taka for the rescue.  However Sarabi sees through this as she has fallen for Mufasa.  Taka is jealous, plots with the pursuers to let them know where they are going.  Consequently when they get to Milele the lions lead by Kiros also arrive.  Our travelers are outnumbered and outwitted.  The animals of Milele rise up with persuading from mufasa and beat back to invading lions.  However Kiros has trapped Mufasa.  Taka realizing his treachery and comes to save Mufasa.  In doind go he is scarred around his eye.  That is how Taka gets a new name.  He is allowed to stay with the pride, but as an outside member.

Not as good as other Disney shows.  This uses computer animation so the animals are more realistic.