When it was released in theaters back in 2017, M. Night Shyamalan’s Split was a big box office hit, grossing $278.4 million worldwide against a $9 million production budget. But if any interested viewers missed it on the big screen, they now have the opportunity to watch it for free at home. Though Split has been available to purchase and rent on various home media platforms for years, it’s currently streaming on Tubi at no extra cost. The caveat, of course, is that there are ads that play throughout the movie, but this is a way people can enjoy Split without breaking out the credit card.
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For those who don’t know, Split stars James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with dissociative identity disorder who has 23 different personalities. At the start of the film, he kidnaps three young girls, who attempt to escape from his lair beneath the Philadelphia Zoo. Over the course of the movie, the girls meet some of Kevin’s various other personalities. Throughout the story, there is a buildup to the emergence of a 24th personality called “The Beast,” heightening the stakes. Anya Taylor-Joy co-stars as Casey Cooke, one of Kevin’s victims.
On its own merits, Split was viewed as a comeback vehicle for Shyamalan. It earned positive reviews (Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% score), with many people praising McAvoy’s performance. But after it came out, Split garnered even more attention when it was revealed to be a stealth sequel to Shyamalan’s fan-favorite 2000 film Unbreakable. In the closing moments of Split, Bruce Willis has a cameo as his Unbreakable character David Dunn, confirming the two films are part of the same universe. The actor’s brief appearance in Split set up a third installment in the series: 2019’s Glass.
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In many ways, Unbreakable was ahead of its time, released before superhero movies dominated the pop culture landscape. Initially, Unbreakable was not as acclaimed as Shyamalan’s breakout hit The Sixth Sense, but in the years since, it’s now considered one of his finest achievements. Shyamalan’s thoughtful and personal exploration of comic book mythology has aged very well, and there had long been calls for some kind of follow-up. That’s why moviegoers were so excited about Split‘s ending tease.
Glass arguably fell short of those expectations (37% on Rotten Tomatoes), as many critics felt Shyamalan struggled to end his trilogy in a satisfying manner. Regardless of how one feels about Glass, Split is still worth a watch as a standalone thriller. In particular, cinephiles will enjoy McAvoy’s captivating performance. He effortlessly switches between Kevin’s different personalities, making each one feel distinct. His presence throughout the film is unnerving, and Split would not have worked as well as it does if it wasn’t for him. It’s also nice to see Shyamalan, who was still working his way back from some infamous misfires, having fun crafting a thriller. 2015’s The Visit started him on the comeback trail, but Split took things to the next level.
Will you be watching Split on Tubi? Which film from the Unbreakable trilogy is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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