Here’s an irresistible idea for a movie. Old people worldwide suddenly snap and start killing anyone belonging to the younger generations. Think an ageist version of George Romero’s The Crazies. Or maybe a mash-up of Romero’s Night of the Living Dad and The Amusement Park.
Things get off to a good start too as the opening in which an old dude goes nuts on his home healthcare nurse is a solid table setter. Too bad it’s just a bait-and-switch as the movie then back peddles to when the outbreak first began. For the next forty-five minutes or so we are stuck dealing with this family getting ready for a wedding. The stuff with the bride renovating an old farmhouse for the reception feels like a goddamned Hallmark movie or something.
While everyone is preparing for the nuptials, the family remembers poor old grandpa is at the nursing home and they go and pick him up. Since no one had bothered to check on him in a while, the family is horrified to discover that gramps, along with all the other elderly people in the home, have turned into savage killers. Naturally, the family hightails it out of there, but the oldies follow them home and crash the wedding.
The premise is ripe for social commentary about elder abuse and neglect. Sadly, the movie never takes it in that direction. It would rather be yet another zombie movie variation. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the horror sequences crackled, but for the most part, Old People is slow moving and dull. It doesn’t help that much of the action is dimly lit so it’s hard to tell what’s going on half the time.
The good news is the last reel manages to rekindle some of the pep that the opening sequence had. So, at least the first and last ten minutes are worthwhile. It’s a shame that the eighty minutes in between are pretty weak.
No comments:
Post a Comment