Split (2017)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  6 / 10

  Split continues Shyamalan's upward trend, but still not hitting greatness. Ahhhhhh I am so disappointed with this! I really wanted to love it, it ticks all the right boxes for a decent thriller. Yet somehow Shyamalan missed the mark. It's not bad, in fact it's crafted intricately...just not great. A man with 23 different personalities abducts three young girls as he prepares to unleash the 24th personality that dominates the others. This is extremely difficult to review. For every positive outcome there is a negative to counteract it. For example: Kevin's internal survival against the other personalities was an intriguing and compelling concept. However, the enthralling psychological analysis was negated by the stupidity of this whole 24th personality that is able to physically change Kevin. A thought provoking theme is decimated by an unrealistic concept in an attempt to be dramatic. It didn't need to be! The first act was going so well with interesting ideas that Shyamalan clearly has an interest in. His focus on this multiple personality disorder shows in the film. Patient and psychologist conversations take place that explains Kevin's fractured mind. Then it constantly shifts to the thriller aspect where these three young girls are trying to escape from a sinister location. It's not exciting. At all. These girls aren't put in any real danger or hardly attempt to flee so what's the point? They just exist for the finale which as a result makes the film absurdly boring. These girls are lifeless. Except Taylor-Joy's character who actually has some decent backstory, told through flashbacks. Split is a tool for James McAvoy to showcase multiple fantastic performances. Genuinely creepy and unnerving. His ability to automatically switch characters was faultless and found him to be highly enjoyable. Also like the final scene which harks back to a certain film which I shall not name. I look forward to future prospects. But in the end, Split was a failed attempt at a thriller but an intriguing psychological drama. It's unfortunate the two just didn't blend for me.

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