by Monica Hayes
One of the most polarizing directors in Hollywood, M. Night Shyamalan is back with this psychological, horror thriller, Split, that finds him able to connect this current story with an earlier one from his successful past.
Up to his old tricks again, Shyamalan is coming off his last successful thriller, The Visit. In a nutshell, Kevin, who is diagnosed with Dissociation Identity Disorder, has 23 distinctive personalities. One of his personalities kidnaps three girls after a birthday party because they are to witness the emergence of personality 24, The Beast, who will rid the world of the privileged and unclean. The girls spend their time trying to enlist one of Kevin’s personalities, nine-year-old Hedwig, to help them escape – only to fail at every turn.
To be honest, McAvoy was a joy to watch as he flawlessly switched between personalities and at times, having full blown conversations with two different personalities without so much as a stutter. However, even McAvoy’s excellent performance does not save this movie from being a complete disaster. Split is the typical snooze fest where victims are kidnapped and try to escape their captures (Green Room, Saw, 10 Cloverfield Lane), with underdeveloped subplots and loads of unanswered questions.
Oh, I almost forgot about the twist! You know it just wouldn’t be a Shyamalan movie without a twist right? Well, safe to say, it is not as bad as Signs, but it is a surprise nonetheless. I’ll let you decide if it’s a pleasant one or not. Overall, Split should not be labeled as a horror movie, it’s more like an intense thriller with some comedy.
Grade: C+