First, the Recap:
It becomes more than a regular day and the time following when three high school girls–the privileged Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula), along with outsider Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy)–find themselves in a harrowing circumstance after being kidnapped by Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with issues–24 of them to be precise. Suffering from a severe case of multiple personality disorder, he keeps the girls locked up in an undisclosed, seemingly remote location, all while advising his hostages they have been chosen for a special purpose–to meet The Beast. Encountering the different mindsets and demeanors of many of Kevin’s other personalities, the girls desperately try to reason with several of them for means of escape, even as Kevin’s therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), begins to suspect things are afoot. Soon, the true horror of The Beast comes to light, and no one’s survival is assured.
Worth Seeing: Yes
After the total disasters that were “The Last Airbender” and “After Earth”, it appeared writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan’s winning streak was truly at an end. Then came 2016’s excellent fright fest, “The Visit”, which firmly put Shyamalan back on the map doing what he does best. This fresh effort continues that reignited spark. While a little bit more of a slow burn than last year’s film, “Split” is no less creepy in its execution, harrowing in its revelations about not only Kevin’s character, but that of Casey as well, and still manages to provide some excellent twists and genuine horror film fright and imagery without going too extreme. McAvoy is brilliant in playing the titular lead character, ebbing and flowing through personalities with impunity, while Taylor-Joy is totally effective and affecting in presenting a character whose own past is less than cheery. Folks, M. Night IS back, and he’s here to stay, delivering what we always loved about him, as well as incorporating a whopper of a cameo to boot!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
