Creepy Much? "Split"

Split (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, Betty Buckley

Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

The Story:

3 teenagers are abducted after a birthday party. Dennis (McAvoy) is an unusual predator though, as he has been diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities by Dr. Fletcher (Buckley). Unfortunately, there appears to be a 24th personality about to emerge from Dennis, and it may be the most dangerous one of them all.

It's easy to pick on M. Night Shyamalan's career as he's seemingly been swinging for the fences since the Sixth Sense, but cannot seem to recapture that lightning in a bottle.

Maybe that's the problem?

Quit trying.

Just keep making movies, and you don't need to throw in a "I see dead people" hook, or a 'clever twist' in the final act that makes the movie seem even better than it was.

Going down the list of movies that he's written and directed, I see only one real dud...that I've watched... and that's After Earth.

That was just a bad movie, beginning to end, top to bottom.

The rest of his catalog, the ones I've seen, I've enjoyed to some extent.

I don't think I'll ever add him to my list of favorite writers or directors of film, but his movies are always watchable and fairly entertaining.

Which leads us to his latest, which I'm purposefully not talking that much about because it is a movie that will draw you in, mostly based on McAvoy's performance.

This is his film, and it rests squarely on his shoulders, and he does an admirable job carrying it.

Just like the picture above, McAvoy slips into each character and they are wholly distinct from one another. Most are just behavioral changes or the manner in which they speak, but some even suggest actual physical changes, and it's a role that commands attention whenever he's on screen.

Equally compelling is the flashbacks of Casey (Taylor-Joy) as he tragic past is unearthed during her capture.

Not a perfect movie, but easily Shyamalan's best effort, at least for me, in ages.

Final Grade:  B-