Review of Split (2017) by Violinguy88 — 03 Feb 2017

Split is a sort-of throwback film for M Night Shyamalan in that it recalls some themes and material found in some of his earliest films (especially his second film - can't say too much). What is different here is, there is no hokey or contrived surprise ending like in some of his weaker films like Lady in the Water and The Happening. Split comes to an ending with a few loose ends still out there, but as with good entertainment, it leaves us wanting more.

James McAvoy is tremendous here. I would say, tremendous times 23 for the number of personalities. He shows a lot of depth and some real solid acting chops. So does Anya Taylor-Joy as the quirky and "different" protagonist.

My main critique of this film is, frankly it was a little boring. I like Shyamalan's pacing and I enjoy the way his films seem to have a rolling boil instead of a vigorous one, but this one lacked any big scares or moments. The film can feel very claustrophobic at times, which is probably on purpose, but at the end, when the protagonist and antagonist have their showdown, the film just kind of peters out.

There is talk of a sequel to one of his earliest films, and this one sets it up beautifully, but my wife hasn't seen that earlier film so she was a little confused. I had to explain it to her without giving away the plot of the other movie.

All in all, this is a nice return to the slow thriller for Mr. Shyamalan and I'm looking forward to where he goes from here.