First Reviews of M. Night Shyamalan's Split Released Online
01/18/2017 06:07 pm EST
Our Own Take
We'll have our official Split review up soon, but for now, here's the initial reaction from our own Kofi Outlaw!
Variety
Critic Peter Debruge hails Split as a return to Shyamalan's early days of glory:
"A welcome return to form from 'The Sixth Sense' director M. Night Shyamalan, whose unhinged new mind-bender is a worthy extension of his early work."
Village Voice
Critic Alan Scherstuhl thinks that while there are hints of great horror, Split misses the mark:
"...Split shows too little of the individual selves for viewers to develop a stake in puzzling out who's up to what. McAvoy is impressive as he switches personalities, but never scary or moving; the script gives him many chances to exhibit virtuosity but too few for soulfulness."
USA Today
Critic Brian Truitt thinks that not only is Shyamalan back, but he's also made a quality Hitchcockian thriller in Split:
"An eerie and intimate psychological thriller with Hitchcockian tones harkening back to the Shyamalan's early 2000s run that put him on the filmmaking map."
We Got This Covered
Critic Matt Donato echoes another general sentiment that even though Split has problems, James McAvoy carries it with his great peformance(s):
"Split is never as clever or poignant as it thinks it is, but James McAvoy won't let it be forgotten, either."
NY Post
Critic Sarah Stewart goes a step further, saying that McAvoy's performance is the only redeeming thing about Split:
"Unfortunately, you could probably improve "Split" by editing out everything around McAvoy and making it an experimental one-man show. At least then it would escape this parade of clichés, from the scantily clad, terrified young girls to the gentle psychiatrist (Betty Buckley) fretting that her patient is going off the rails."
Empire Magazine
Critic Kim Newman declares that, overall, the Shyamalan experience makes Split worth it:
"Shyamalan papers over plot-holes with dry black humour and well-judged suspense, and - as always - holds back some surprises."
More About Split
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