FilmSnobReviews

Title: Split
MPAA Rating: R
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

What It Is: Three friends Marcia (Jessica Sula), Claire (Richardson), and Casey (Taylor-Joy) are abducted in a mall parking lot by a strange man. This stranger, named Dennis (McAvoy) is an extremely dangerous individual living with (D.I.D) Disassociative Identity Disorder. He has 24 separate identities each with their own thoughts and feelings. His therapist Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley) is using his case to prove her research on the very thought that each identity is, in fact, a different person living within one vessel. Dennis, however, has a far more sinister plan for these three girls. Whatever it may be can’t possibly be good.

What We Think: I’m not impressed. I’d heard all the buzz but I really hated the film. None of what happened in the film was particularly excellent and the “twist” near the end fell really flat. That’s to take nothing away from James McAvoy’s stellar performance. He truly turns each of Kevins (aka Dennis) individual personalities into something awesome. None of them feel as though they aren’t and could not be a real person. I really think Anya Taylor-Joy is great here as well. Her backstory feels authentic and you really get what’s going on within her.

Our Grade: C+, It is a decent enough film by Shyamalan. When you couple it with The Visit it is safe to say that good ole M. Night might be fully back. I think that Jason Blum and Blumhouse are just what he needed. Keep those film within budget and keep those budgets very low. McAvoy is a damned treasure and this further proves it. I think you should see the flick certainly. I would recommend it to horror and suspense fans despite the fact that I myself am not a huge fan. Credit must go where it must go.