[Review] Split (8/10)

Split marks the return to form by M. Night Shyamalan, so say the critics, and has one of the higher scores on RottenTomatoes.com for the writer-director.

For me, this was a joy to watch and experience through the direction of Shyamalan. There were some scenes and dialogue that he still needed to work on, as with most of his movies; but the suspense he crafted where they counted were pure enjoyment.

One of the reasons for the success of this movie was the two main leads, James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy. First was McAvoy's amazing feat in playing so many different characters in a single movie, sometimes even in a single scene. His portrayal and characterization made each character believable, even if they were not fleshed out most of the time.

But Taylor-Joy, this up-and-coming star that first caught the attention of the cinema world in The Witch, held her own with no problems when playing against the far more seasoned McAvoy. I couldn't take my eyes off her because she has so much presence onscreen.

The subject of the movie also presented something that's worth talking about and the possibilities of the human genome. They are documented in reality but just not enough cases of such to prove the theory.

But some scenes that I thought could have been done without was definitely the cameo of Shyamalan himself, because when he appeared I could not focus on the dialogue anymore. Then there's Betty Buckley's scene in a living room chatting with a friend and showing off a pair of well-shaved legs that was not only jarring but the exchange added nothing to the main story. And then the words that came out of Haley Lu Richardson's character when she was encouraging her friend to break free.

These scenes were so detrimental for Shyamalan himself because of how far he has come - to fight back to the good gracious of the industry, and these scenes were just the bad habits that he should have gotten rid of by now.

But this was a well-rounded movie, small budget with great acting, and with a revelation in the end that completed the movie as a piece of entertainment. I will say, though, that the final scene with that special cameo was unnecessary and should not be followed through even though it was fun to watch. But let's just keep it at fun for this particular juncture and nothing more.