Shyamalan's Big Comeback

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2019)

Split is deemed as M. Night Shyamalan's big comeback as a filmmaker, and I'm inclined to agree. To say Shyamalan has had a hit or miss career would be an understatement. His first three films, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, were all quality movies, but afterward the man entered into a fifteen long year slump starting with The Village up to The Visit. So, when Split came out we were all pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually good. Yes, Split is a good movie. Is it Shyamalan's best? In my opinion, no. Unbreakable is still his best work. Sixth Sense is also better, though I enjoyed this movie a bit more. However, this is still a solid movie; certainly the best the man has put out in over a decade and a half.
The plot is pretty simple. You have three girls leaving a party but get abducted by James McAvoy's character(s), The Horde, a man with twenty-three personalities occupying his mind. Now these three must try to survive and escape their tormentor. Meanwhile James McAvoy's doctor is notices that The Horde is acting peculiar, and is attempting to determine what's happening.
What carries split, and makes it as good as it is James McAvoy's character(s). Seeing this man playing all these different personalities so brilliantly is great to watch. His performance should have at least easily nominated him for an Oscar, which never happened. The film has an eerie look and atmosphere to it' something Shyamalan has always excelled at even in his bad movies. The score isn't one of Shyamalan's best, but it complements the film pretty well.
Once we get to the third act it becomes a thrilling survival horror film, which is when the film is at its best, in my opinion. Usually, the third act is when most Shyamalan movies fall apart, but here it's the best part of the movie.
I do have some issues with Split, however. It does feel slow in spots. Some of it does feel like padding. The film is just under two hours, when it could've been just an hour and a half. Also, while James McAvoy is a lot of fun, I didn't care much for the three main girls. The main heroine is okay, but the other two girls are nothing characters. The scenes between McAvoy and his doctor were far more interesting to watch, or when the doctor is trying to explain The Horde's condition to the other scientists.
Overall, Split is a good film, and was a good comeback for Shyamalan. I hope he can keep the momentum going, though Glass has been pretty divisive so things appear shaky once again for him.