Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Split is on track to become the most profitable film for Universal Pictures for 2017. It only cost $9 million to make and has already made $80 million last weekend.
Many people judge M. Night Shyamalan and his films, and Split was certainly receiving mixed reviews. In times like this, I know I just have to see it myself to make my own conclusion.
The trailer really hypes this movie up and makes it look like it is scarier that it actually is. I get scared really easily and I wasn’t scared in this film, so that’s saying something.
There were some disturbing scenes throughout, but also many funny moments. Even if they weren’t meant to be funny, you still seemed to laugh out loud because we aren’t used to seeing James McAvoy like that.
I couldn’t get over how amazing James McAvoy was in this film. I already knew he was a great actor, and I could see how hard this role would be to play but he just blew me away. He gave me goosebumps. That’s how incredible he was. Impeccable acting!! I have included an interview with James McAvoy on TODAY at the bottom of the page which I watched before I saw the movie. After seeing this, I ended up watching the movie from an actor’s standpoint. I could only imagine how hard some of those roles would have been to play, and even how hard some of those scenes would have been to do. 10/10 James McAvoy!
This film was very smart in the way that it was believable. It unintentionally gives you ideas on how to stay safe in case you’re ever abducted yourself. I know that sounds intense but it is true. It could happen to anyone and I found it enlightening that M. Night Shyamalan shared some smart ways to stay out of trouble.
Something that I think we can all agree on is that the damsel in distress in thriller and horror movies can get really annoying. They seem to overact and become unbelievable. Well, in this film, the casting was done right. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the main abducted girl, Casey Cooke. Cooke has starred in a few horror films and you can definitely see that she has the experience. I found it interesting watching the girls being taken at the beginning of Split. It’s done so well because you start questioning whether you’d do the same in her situation. Her character is really quiet and collected, while the other two girls just want to go crazy on the abductor and escape quickly. Casey, however sits quietly and gets acquainted with her surroundings. It is a really smart way to go about it all. You need to come up with a smart way to escape, and she took her time coming up with an exit strategy.
The other two girls, Claire Benoit (played by Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (played by Jessica Sula) weren’t really annoying characters either. Some people may say differently, but I found it very realistic. Instead of screaming, Claire in particular, cried, was breathing heavily and you could tell she was shaking with fear, just like you would in that situation.
The film’s ending leaves you with a lot of questions. It is quite a twisted ending. A bit of wtf moment. Definitely not what I’d expected. A 24th split personality comes through and totally transforms….himself and the storyline.
There is even a strange Bruce Willis cameo at the very end, which many are saying is connected to the film he starred in in 2000 called Unbreakable, and I think there is now even a possibility of a sequel. We’ll just have to wait and see.
In conclusion, this story had an amazing concept and the acting was impeccable but it’s not what you’d expect. I think it could have been executed differently. It really does open up your eyes though to split personalities. It does exist! And even abduction can happen to anyone so I am impressed that M. Night Shyamalan made this concept into a movie.
I can 100% say that I’d see the movie again for the acting. And you should too.
And when you watch it, look out for a little cameo of the director, M. Night Shyamalan too!
Positives:
- Impeccable acting
- Many funny moments
- Wasn’t a scary film
- Realistic in terms of the abducted girls’ reactions and the concept of being abducted and having split personalities
- The disturbing scenes were uncomfortable but made you realise that it does happen in real life too
- Gives you ideas on how to stay safe in case you’re ever abducted yourself
Negatives:
- The trailer really hypes up this movie
- Some disturbing scenes
- Confusing ending
- Wasn’t a scary film
- Disappointed a little after seeing the trailer first
- Movie could have been executed differently
Rating for movie: 6.9/10
Rating for acting: 10/10
I think he should have been paid for each character he played haha. What do you think?
What were your thoughts on Split? Let us know by commenting below.
– Written by Lauren Yeates
