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Split

23 February 2017English2h 30m
out of 10
Recommendedmost critics liked it
Monk Score · 8 scored reviews · 1 not rated

McAvoy's fractured turn makes Shyamalan's thriller worth the uneven ride.

Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: James McAvoy's performance
  • Criticised: Weak narrative tension and ending

Audience

User score 4.0 out of 10 from 1 rating, not enough ratings for a verdict yet
Read 1 audience review ↓

Not streaming in India

Critic consensus

What 9 critics are saying

Critical reception for Split is mixed-to-positive, with the majority of reviewers welcoming it as a strong return to form for M. Night Shyamalan. James McAvoy's performance as a man with multiple personalities is the most consistently singled-out element, with several critics describing it as genuinely unsettling. Detractors found the narrative tension inconsistent, the psychological underpinnings tenuous, and the ending unresolved, with one critic calling the film outright avoidable.

How the 8 scores spread

1 not-rated review isn't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 9 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (9)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    Firstpost

    Film review ·

    Split, however, is a bonafide roar back to form which showcases why Shyamalan became a superstar in the first place.
  2. CatchNews

    Film review ·

    Watch Split for James McAvoy – he scares the bejesus out of you. The subtle manifestations of changes on his face as he slips in and out of alters is terrifying. They make your skin crawl and hands feel clammy. You sit through the movie feeling strangely cold despite a warm jumper and a thick cardigan on you.
  3. Deccan Chronicle

    Film review ·

    Unlike last year's 10 Cloverfield Lane, Split is not given to a discussion of elaborate strategy: its cage is more existential.
  4. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    'Split' immerses you into the chilling world of its characters as they descend into their individual versions of hell.
  5. Sify

    Film review ·

    Shyamalan never loses grip over the narrative even when the surprise element slackens and slows down and finally whittles down to a zero. Split is remarkably assured in following the rules of a solid cat-and-mouse thriller. The attempts at bringing in a psychological heft by trying to align Casey's current captivity with her childhood predicament is, at best, tenuous.
  6. Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    The narrative is cuts away one too many times, the tension is not pervasive and there's no ending as such. Split hopes to parcel out into a franchise and that's obvious from the unfinished ending sequence.
  7. DNA India

    Film review ·

    Save for that unexpected cameo at the very end of the film, you have little to sit through this film for. Avoidable.

From our readers

Audience reviews (1)

1 rating · user score 4.0

  1. Tejas NairApr 2020
    4/10

    I was impressed by James McAvoy's ultra performance as a person with dissociative identity disorder and his ability to quickly change from one personality to another at a click of two fingers but I was largely unimpressed by director Shyamalan's slow-paced first 90 minutes in Split where nothing really happens. TN.

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