Split

I remember the hype around "The Sixth Sense" back in the late 90's and "Unbreakable" was also a noteworthy film. They are the only films by M. Night Shyamalan that I had seen previously. I think the public just got tired of the typical plot twist in his films in the subsequent years. His science fiction films didn't do any good to resurrect his reputation either. I think "Split" would be even more popular if people didn't know it was a Shyamalan movie because again, you spend much of the movie looking for clues to the twist at the end instead of just enjoying the story. Having said that, the performance of James McAvoy and the plot provided entertainment & suspense. The show was well directed by Shyamalan and his fans will like this show but others may not.

Today's horror films seemed obsessed with jump scares. I believe horror fans have it the hardest because they are used to being scared and therefore the genre cannot achieve its purpose with them. Psychological horror and the thriller genre have a greater chance of success and Shyamalan has the ability to bridge the two. His movies are less about jump scares and more about suspense. The various plotlines are well choreographed in "Split". Casey's childhood, Dr. Fletcher's sessions and the captivity of the girls are depicted in turn so as to slowly provide the exposition we need to understand the movie as a whole. I was worried that a film about a man with 23 multiple personalities was going to make the story convoluted but thankfully, the plot was simplified to feature mostly the personalities who believe in The Beast. I like the editing as Dennis makes his way to the train station because is representational of the personalities coming into the light. Another noteworthy moment is when The Beast sneaks into the room behind Dr. Fletcher. I like the conclusion of Casey's part in the film as we given to understand that she is ready to seek the help she needs. As mentioned, you expect some kind of plot twist because that is what Shyamalan is known for. When it appears to not come, you feel a little let down because you spent the whole film waiting for it. Then comes the final scene and it made the whole movie worthwhile. Some moviegoers will be confused about the final scene and I would explain why but it would give away the big surprise. However, I have given two clues earlier in my review as to what the final scene means. The final scene doesn't make the rest of the movie awesome but it more than justifies the sequel.

James McAvoy's best performance is as Kevin. That was a powerful moment. His portrayal of all the various personalities was pretty noteworthy. I like how he changed his accent for some. This was a decent concept for a movie and it played well enough on screen. Shyamala's cameo is apparently the same character as a previous cameo of his. Speaking of him, I think his reputation affected the ability of the audience to fully enjoy "Split". Some were hopeful for Shyamalan's return to the limelight because of this movie and I understand why. It is not the movie itself that impressed me but the potential for future sequels from Shyamalan when, in the final scene, we see the only man who can stop "The Horde". Even though we only ended up with one sequel, I was quite interested in seeing it.

3.5 Stars out of 5