Movie Review: Split

I have to tell you I liked this movie right up until the end. I'll explain why HOWEVER I'm warning you right now that I have to include spoilers to support my reasoning.  I'm going to share plenty of insight before that but there will be spoilers.  For those of you who don't want to know the ending I've posted the spoiler below my signature so you can't say I didn't warn you or give you a chance to avoid it.  Okay moving on....      Chances are you're familiar with the films of M. Night Shyamalan.  He's responsible for such hits as The Sixth Sense, Signs and The Village.  He's often been referred to as a modern Alfred Hitchcock, even down to appearing in each of his movies.  Split like its predecessors are a psychological thriller with a nod to the supernatural (no, not ghosts).

 Basically the story is that three teenage girls are kidnapped from a parking lot.  They are being held prisoner in a dungeon style basement by a crazy man.  Not your run of the mill crazy man but one with different personalities. They encounter three: Dennis (responsible for the kidnapping), Patricia (who tends them) and Hedwig (a 9 yr old boy).  While they're captive some of the other personalities are emailing their psychologist for help.  However Dennis shows up at these emergency sessions claiming all is well now.  The girls learn they were kidnapped for a special purpose: to serve the Beast.  As Hedwig tells them  "He's done awful things to people and he'll do awful things to you."

    James McAvoy is Kevin, a man struggling with the diagnosis of DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) that has identified 23 distinct personalities.  The personalities vary in age, gender, health issues, OCD, even sexual orientation, but most importantly some are very violent and dangerous. McAvoy shines through transformation. There's no bleed through of one personality into another, his portrayal is that strong.  Kevin's Dr. Fletcher  is played by Betty Buckley (remember her from Eight is Enough😀).  Their relationship is co-dependent.  While he needs her to help survive the throng in his head, she needs him to justify her life's work.  For someone as invested in Kevin as she claims to be, she was quite easily manipulated which really bothered me. I also kept waiting for the doctor to get off her butt and just do something beyond scheduling appointments; it's almost as if she refused to see what she knew she had denied possible.  The three teenage girls are portrayed by Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, and Anya Taylor-Joy.  Casey (Anya) is the outcast who was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time, and her relationship with Claire (Haley) and Marcia (Jessica) remains estranged despite their circumstances.  (RED Flag people~ a bit predictable) Through Flashbacks we see that Casey's turbulent childhood is responsible for the social outcast she's chosen to be.

     The movie will definitely keep you on your toes.  I highly recommend using the RunPee app for bathroom breaks as I saw someone leave and miss a really crucial scene (I swear by that app and use it for every movie possible, here's my review ).  I would recommend seeing this in the theater.  Throughout the move you get this feeling that the walls are slowing closing in, a sort of claustrophobia.  The girls are in this dungeon, these catacombs are Kevin's home and you can feel that they're not enough to contain him anymore. Watching on your couch will lessen that element and I think take away from the film a bit.

I'm going to break here.  My grade overall is 3.5/5 Crowns.  

There were 8 Previews (Here's a list of all I've seen this year)

Before I Fall Think dramatic teenage girl version of Ground Hog Day March 3
Guardian of the Galaxy 2  Toddler Groot OMG!! May 5th 2017
Rings Horror so I won't be seeing it but Hubby and Ms M are psyched February 3
Life  Sci-Fi Space Thriller with interesting cast ~ I'll probably see this March 24 the
A Cure For Wellness This new trailer peeked my curiosity  February 17th
Dunkirk  Has Ms. M's favorite 1D so we'll be at midnight showing July 21st
The Mummy Why did they remake this? And with Tom Cruise ~ a weak maybe  June 9th
Get Out Modern twist on Stepford Wives ~ looks so creepy February 24

Don't forget below my signature is the rest of my review of Split WITH Spoilers

 

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Okay here we go:

I am sooo angry, and frustrated with what M. Night did at the end of this movie.  Truly he had a good thing going and then BAM what a total slacker move.  After Casey survives her attack with the BEAST (the 24th personality) she's seen by a paramedic; who doesn't question the multiple scars over her body ~REALLY come on those aren't new.  Yes let's release her right there in the zoo to her guardian despite the pleading her eyes are making to be saved. But that isn't what really aggravated me.  The Beast has survived being shot close range multiple times with a shot gun ~ he's biologically changed his composition and has the skin of a rhino (remember there's paranormal themes).  He's seen talking among him-selves about the future. Okay maybe a hint at a sequel.  Still not mad ~it is the next scene which I don't even think lasted 45 seconds that just ruined it for me: In a diner patrons are watching the news unfold of the terror that's occurred in their town.  The perpetrator at large has been named The Horde aka The Beast.  A woman comments "This reminds me of that case years ago of that man in the wheelchair, what was his name?" Bruce Willis looks at them then the camera and replies  Mr. Glass

Really!!!!!!!!! Are we now supposed to believe that like Marvel and other franchises all of Mr. Shyamalan's movies are connected?  For those of you unfamiliar with the movie Unbreakable (2000) Bruce Willis plays David Dunn who is never sick or injured against Samuel L Jackson's Elijah Price nicknamed Mr. Glass due to his incredibly fragility.   So is this a sequel to Unbreakable? Is there going to be another movie with David Dunn fighting "The Horde"
NOPE  Sorry not every movie has to be related to another movie I get his last few movies weren't as great as his earlier ones but come on dude don't go there.