I don’t want to go overboard and call it narrative genius but it’s certainly captivating cinema and all three narrative strands (the young girl flashbacks, doctor and McAvoy, and McAvoy and captive 3 girls) are riveting
After many disastrous movies I’m encouraged about the recent trend for Shyamalan. The visit wasn’t archiveable, but it was nonetheless his first film that didn’t smack of self-importance (god those pregnant pauses were/are unbearable) and split is just a far superior film that continues that trend. He might not be Nolan or Spielberg but he’s now 47 years old with 3 archiveable films that are entertaining and consistent
Again set in Pennsylvania like all his work
McAvoy does a prodigious work here
Editing of the uncle approaching the young Anya Taylor-Joy character is a great scene
Parallel editing in the finale is well done as well
Moves (and missteps a little) going from like a Thomas Harris-like novel to a straight werewolf horror/superhero movie and I didn’t care at all for the finale- plenty of flaws
Like all of Shyamalan’s work I need to see it again but for now I feel confident enough to put it in the archives though it doesn’t crack or come all that near to the top 10 of 2016
[…] Split – Shyamalan […]