VOD Review: Split (2017)

"For us, the end justified the means."

What I'm trying to say is that Split was a decent enough psychological thriller, even though it was a bit long and didn't offer much in the way of incident until the end... but that ending... that ending...

I can't, and won't, talk about that ending here, because I know that there's still plenty of peeps out there who haven't seen this movie yet, but I will say that the way the story ended, made us a bit giddy with anticipation as to what comes next with this story... and what comes next is going to be awesome.

M. Night Shyamalanananan may just be returning to form after such a long string of disappointing efforts.

On their way to a birthday party, three teenage girls are kidnapped by a guy who looks a lot like a young Professor X. They're locked in a dank room (presumably in a sex dungeon of some sort), where it turns out the kidnapper is actually Dennis, a stern germophobe... but then he's Patricia, a kind lady who seems up to no good... but then he's Hedwig, a 9-year-old boy... Whoever he really is, it's clear that he's got some issues.

THE FACT THAT HE'S TELLING THEM TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM TERRIFIES HER MORE THAN ANYTHING.

Why this guy with Split personalities has kidnapped the girls is a mystery, but when they get wind that another of his personalities, The Beast, will be arriving shortly to teach them a lesson, they start to panic; especially Casey, who is the level-headed one of the group. She's also had a pretty rough life, so she's not about to put up with the rantings of a madman, and so she seeks to manipulate his personalities in an effort to escape.

And that's all we're saying about that.

YEAH, HE LOOKS LIKE A BALL OF JOY, DOESN'T HE?

Split is a well-made, interesting thriller that has a great cast and a very disturbing premise... that it doesn't really do much with. James McAvoy owns the screen with his performance, and Anya-Taylor Joy lends a ton of credibility to the final girl trope in this one, but Shamalayananan doesn't ever really deliver on the great set-up that he's constructed.

It's good, but it's basically an above-average PG-13 Horror movie, and you know that means little in the way of boundary pushing.

James McAvoy has always been a hell of an actor, and I don't men his work in the X-men movies; if you want to see him set the screen on fire, go watch Trance or Filth, both are great flicks. His work here, as the... thing... with multiple personalities is something extra special to behold. Most of the movie is him jumping from personality to personality, and making us uneasy as hell, and he pulls it off brilliantly.

Anya-Taylor Joy is an actress coming into her own as well. Not only is she adorable, but she's one of the best young actresses of her generation, and she plays the part of clever victim here flawlessly. The backstory that gives her character its disturbing depth was maybe the creepiest part of the movie, and she sold it perfectly.

And then there's the twist at the end... the thing that made us immediately think back over the whole movie and see it in a different light. It didn't make it any more thrilling, but it did make it, and what comes next, a hell of a lot more intriguing and kick-ass. I imagine that with the way things go with the Internet, that you may have already heard what it was, but if for some reason you haven't, then read nothing about the move and give it a watch... and you might be as geekily surprised as we were.

WHEN IT COMES TO MANIPULATION, CREEPY DUDES HAVE NOTHING ON TEENAGE GIRLS.

Things get a bit bloody towards the end, but it's more disturbing than it is graphic.

"HA! NO GORE FOR YOU!"

It's PG-13, so no nudity, but there are plenty of shots of girls in their undies.

RELAX, GIRLS, YOU CAN STAY DRESSED.

The very end, where we find out that... well, you'll know when you see it.

SHE DIDN'T SEE IT COMING EITHER.

Split was decent enough, if a bit pedestrian given its subject matter, but the performance of James McAvoy and the huge twist/reveal at the end kicked this one up a solid letter grade for us.

For those two reasons alone, Split is worth checking out if you passed on it in the theater like we did.

B+

Split is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

The captivating women of Split: Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula.