After a string of duds, Shyamalan returned to studio filmmaking with this 2021 thriller probing ageing and sickness – via the beach that makes you old
I saw this stargate episode already, thanks.
After a string of duds…
In the five years prior to Old he directed two movies and one TV show.
The TV show was great!
Split was fucking excellent!
I agree that Glass was an utter dud.
I watched it but no longer remember much of the details, but I remember not really enjoying it much. Like many of Shyamalan’s duds, it was a great concept that I think lacked in execution.
It was exactly as forgettable as you remember.
after a temporary exodus from Hollywood and a retreat to his roots in independent cinema, Shyamalan finally returned to studio film-making in 2021 with the release of Old
But he had just released the abomination that was Glass a few years prior. I think Knock at the Cabin was a better “return” if he could be said to have ever left. Following that back with Trap though felt like sliding backwards again which was a bummer as I really wanted to like that movie.
If Glass had not gone the way it did, it would have been a fantastic monument in his film history. Instead it is kind of like the Matrix, and the less part muddies some of the shine on the best parts of his career imo.
An interesting conversation to have with Shyamalan is about the business side of movies. He is very good at making sure the movies turn a profit and I would like to know more about that, it has been on my list of things to doomscroll one day.
On budget, these are some of the recent films.
- The Visit — Budget $5M; Gross $98M
- Split — Budget $9M; Gross $279M
- Glass — Budget $20M; Gross $247M
- Old — Budget $18M; Gross $90M
- Knock at the Cabin — Budget $20M; Gross $54M
- Trap — Budget $30M; Gross $83M



