Sunday, March 12, 2017

"Split" (2017)

M. Night Shamalan is an enigma. A low boiling less sluicier David Cronenberg. But still effective. This movie is a grind though. A ridiculous premise wrapped in two stories running together that eventually sets up a more broader scope. Is it too late? Will people get the connection? Yes and...well who cares?

This story is of 3 kidnapped girls. The guy played by James McAvoy is too many personalities to name here. What made his mind go in so many directions is in trauma...duh! Whilst living a Buffalo Bill life, he is really setting up a trial...actually. There is "chosen one" scenario that hits all the necessary beats to the end. Shamalan actually trumps his previous reveal within the movie into something much more grander scale. Does this movie stand alone? It does not. It is all the dull tropes of kidnapped psycho villain. It's not breaking new ground. Nor is it attempting to get clever. It's straight forward. The acting is stilted and...weird. Much has been said of McAvoy's many voices. I found it corny and silly. But...mental illness movies that exploit multiple characters seem to always go into the cartoonish. Seems there's no real solution to get beyond that.

This movie isn't a stand alone. Hopefully it doesn't ruin your expectations. There are no new ideas here. It's a slog but..audiences nowadays seem to appreciate the open ended world. I prefer mine with much more of a solution.

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