SPLIT REVIEW

After three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct personalities they must find some of the different personalities that can help them while running away and staying alive from the others.

Starring: James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jessica Sula

Directed and written by: M. Night Shyamalan

  So HorrO, what did you think about “Split?” I don’t know, I’m still kind of split about it. Well, you better figure it out because you have a review to write. Damn, it’s time to write a review already. Yea, it’s that time. Alright then, let HorrO take it from here. Sounds good, but just remember to keep it spoiler free. I’ll try to make it as spoiler free as possible, but no promises (that ’s your warning)!

  Ok, enough with the funny stuff, lets get serious. There’s usually a lot of anticipation with M. Night movies that end up pleasing the audience, or letting them down in a big way. Either way, he’s proven to be a good story teller, it just depends on how the story ends. And boy does this one have a surprise for the audience at the end!

  Before getting to the end of this story, lets start from the beginning. After a quick intro to Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Marcia (Jessica Sula), they’re kidnapped by Dennis (James McAvoy). You can also call him by the name of one of his many other personalities Patricia, Hedwig, or his real name Kevin. While he has 24 personalities, most of the focus is on these few. Hedwig is the most entertaining, as he’s a 9 year old boy. Patricia is a caring lady, and Dennis is the serious neat freak mastermind. While the girls are shocked by the different personalities, each manages to intrigue the audience in their own way. And James McAvoy makes this identity crisis work because he does a fabulous job of playing all of them.

  Of course while watching a M. Night movie, the audience has to look for clues as to what the possible twist will be. As usual, there is a twist, but not the one the audience might have expected. Originally it seems like his 24th personality might be the twist, but it’s pretty straight forward. His personalities mention the coming of the Beast, and the Beast does make an appearance. The Beast is exactly that, as he’s got super strength, climbs walls, and is really fast. It’s the Beast that eventually decides the fate of the girls, who fail repeatedly to escape from the other personalities. 

  As with many M. Night movies, some of the clues are presented in a side story. Here, the side story is about Claire as a little girl. Her father and uncle are teaching her how to hunt bucks. That’s bad news for the bucks, and not the only bad thing that happens on the trip. Claire’s life changes from this point on, and explains why she’s a little different from the other girls. 

  Basically, if the audience is watching and listening for clues “Split” should keep their attention. There are plenty of clues to be on the look out for, and probably some more to be found in a second viewing. If their not into hunting for clues, perhaps the different personalities are enough to entertain them. Otherwise, there isn’t a whole lot of action, besides a couple of escape attempts, until the end of the movie. Either way, M. Night introduces another interesting, and slightly strange story worthy of 3 pools of blood.

  Hey, HorrO, what about the big surprise? I can’t give that away. Well, how about a clue? All I’ll say is if you’re a fan of M. Night it should be a good surprise for you. And I do believe there is a point in the film where there’s a clue, but I would have to see it a second time to be sure. Otherwise, you won’t see it coming unless you’ve already been tipped off. Great! Thanks HorrO! No problem… whoever you are?

  HorrO