Review: Split is Greater Than the Sum of it's Parts.
- Feb 24, 2017
- 2 min read
M. Night Shyamalan is hardly a revered director. At one time he was a king with the world at his fingers but after a long line of awful films, he faded into obscurity, little more than a memory. Can his latest film break free of the terrible trend or will it be forgotten like so many others?
Kevin (James McAvoy) has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a condition that causes him to have 23 personalities, each of which is entirely different from any of the others. Some are young, 9 years old. Others are powerful and obsessive, some are even female. When a number of them take over and kidnap three young girls in an effort to bring forth a 24th personality, known only as the beast, the stage is set for one of Shyamalan's best.
James McAvoy steals this movie. From the moment he arrives in the film, nothing else matters. As he portrays various personalities it quickly becomes apparent that he is putting his all into each of them to ensure that people with the same face are distinctly different. It's some of the best performing in a genre film, period. He's creepy, terrifying and at times, endearing and he pulls it off without a hitch.
Unfortunately the film relies on the character of Casey, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who can hardly act her way out of a wet paper bag. She isn't awful but she is an unfinished character with a major plot line that fails to conclude. While I was on her side, it was only because of McAvoy's villain, not because of a cardboard heroine.
But the best part of the film comes after it ends and that means SPOILERS. Not major plot spoilers but there's a scene that changes things at the end. If you don't want it ruined, go watch the movie, it's pretty fun and a good way to spend a few hours.
After the films conclusion we are treated to a scene in a diner, a news report covering the story we have just seen. They speak of The Horde, the name given to Kevin and his many identities. One woman muses that they gave another man a name some 15 years ago. Reveal Bruce Willis speaking softly, "Mr Glass, they called him Mr Glass." If you don't know, it's a callback to what I consider to be Shyamalan's best movie, Unbreakable, a semi-superhero movie starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson as Mr Glass. With any luck this means we'll see a sequel to both Unbreakable and Split, McAvoy vs Willis, a perfect film.
If you like McAvoy enough to let him creep you out or you really want an Unbreakable sequel, definitely check Split out, it's worth the price of admission and you won't be disappointing.
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