Spilt

Shyamalan Makes a Scary Fun Film                                           3/5

Standout
     Is it too late to Nominate McAvoy for an Oscar...Yes?...oh well...

No Jump Scares
     Yay a horror movie (well kinda) without any unnecessary jump scares, just great performances.

Redemption
    This is Shyamalan's best movie in a decade. Good to have him back from whatever Lady in the Water was.

Twist
    Like all of Shyamalan's films this ones got a twist, though you might have to be a cinephile to connect the dots. 

Rotten Tomatoes 75%                                  Cinemascore: B+

No spoilers. I know that with this movie there are going to be many on the fence like I was, but I'm here to reassure you are looking to this review to tip the scales, you will not have the plot spoiled here. I will keep it as vague as possible. Three girls get kidnapped by a stranger, Kevin, who has multiple personalities living in his mind. Slowly they must work together with each other and some of Kevin's personalities to uncover the reason they were captured against their will and escape with their lives. That's all I'm going to say about the plot now.

Split is going to divide some people right off the back considering the depiction of its antagonist condition (which is largely exaggerated). While I understand where much of it's criticism comes from (on concept alone), I can tell you that it's made clear early in the film that this is not the practical world, only one that resembles ours. Split's strength is its performances, spearheaded by McAvoy whoes acting reached god level tiers as he switches from personality to personality. Several of the side characters are also fairly strong, with the two of the three kidnapped girls residing at the bottom of the list. They were easily the weakest though neither was so bad that they pulled me out of the movie. The cinematography here is also quite good, and like many a Shyamalan film before it is stuffed with tracking shots following characters room to room, as well as fixed shots during conversation. All this is tied together with a strong script that knows when to cut the tension and when to keep the audience in the dark.

I mentioned in an editorial that this film feels like a Shyamalan film fresh off The Sixth Sense and I stick to that statement. It's not as good as The Sixth Sense, and defiantly not as good as Unbreakable, but its good none the less. For horror and thriller fans their is certainly enough here to satisfy a weekly fix, but for non horror fans like myself you may be surprised how much you enjoy this movie. It's not too scary, and is self-aware enough when to take itself seriously and when to not. Split was a healthy surprise and I eagerly anticipate whether Shyamalan's next will propel forward on its momentum. Just stay humble M. Night.