Home Video Catch Up: SPLIT

It should be noted that I, not as a critic but rather an individual human being, can't see everything in theaters. Part of this is owed to the fact that I don't have the clout to where I can be invited to press screenings, which means that I'm stuck with the mere mortals by paying ten bucks for each trip to the multiplex (well, that and I don't to blow ten greenbacks on a potential stinker). With that in mind, allow me to introduce a new occasional series of posts where I review movies that I didn't get to discuss while they were still making their rounds in theaters. I call it HOME VIDEO CATCH UP. Now, with that out of the way, let's get the ball rolling.

Boy, it's been a long time since M. Night Shyamalan made a movie that's worth watching unironically. After Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, his career seemed to take what is probably the most epic nosedive that I've ever seen, with most of his more recent films ranging from unintentionally hilarious disasters like The Happening or Lady in the Water or grating tests of endurance like After Earth or The Visit (that last one I turned off after only the first five minutes). Many people have described Split as a sort of arthouse B-movie or something of the sort. To be honest, that description is right on the money. Yeah, it's all very well shot, the score's fantastic and it's got some talented actors; but, when you think about the plot, this sounds more like material ripe for cheesy drive-in material rather than traditional studio-backed arthouse fare.

Granted, while I do agree with the majority of the Internet film community that this is a relatively solid flick and easily Shyamalan's best film in quite some time, some of his more negative quirks still pervade the proceedings. Like how the dialogue, while elegantly worded, doesn't sound like stuff normal people would say. There are some plot elements that (while I won't mention them by name for fear of spoilers) feel tone-deaf and contextually unsuitable. And, sometimes, it just feels awkward and uncomfortable (and not in the way its supposed to feel). But, with all of that said, Split still supplies its fair share of popcorn thrills.

James McAvoy absolutely shines in his role (or rather roles). This kind of role is difficult to pull off without making an actor look like the most foolish person in the room. Yet, McAvoy to lend gravitas to his portrayal of a man with multiple personalities who at one point dresses up as a woman and acts like a nine-year-old. Any actor with that level of skill to make something like this believable (or, at least, not cringeworthy) has to be commended. Betty Buckley also deserves a mention for her work as the nurturing psychologist trying to decode the mentality of McAvoy's numerous personalities. She turns in some pretty good work here.

And, with the exception of the twist involving Anya Taylor-Joy's character being completely ill-fitting and kind of grossly inappropriate, the finale is an utter thing to behold. Up until the third act, McAvoy's been the normal type of psycho (if there is such a thing); but, at the end, he figuratively and literally gets to cut loose. Also, that stinger at the end is something that's already blown the minds of my fellow cinephiles (once more, I won't give it away).

Overall, Split is an exceptionally entertaining bit of schlock horror cinema and a beyond welcome return to form for a prolific filmmaker.

SPLIT gets a...
SATISFACTORY out of TEN