Review of Split (2017) by Bradysmith — 19 Feb 2017

M. Night Shyamalan was lost in what we thought was an inescapable hole of awfulness. Then came the visit and even though it was far from a great movie it showed signs of life, and glimmers of hope for a return to form.

Split is Shyamalan's full fledged rebirth. It may not be as deep dramatically or as nuanced or emotionally mature, etc as his first 3 films were but it's such an extreme improvement on such disasters as the Happening and After Earth that it's almost amazing to think about.

With an impressive, albeit somewhat campy, turn from McAvoy, another impressive performance from Anya Taylor Joy, creepy atmosphere, disturbing tiwsts, and impressively focused direction overall, Split turns out to be a very satisfying thriller.

This is what we've been waiting for from Shyamalan for years and it's his most complete work since Signs. With his talent rediscovered I'm looking forward to what he'll do next and desperately hope he doesn't fall back into that dreaded pit of mediocrity.