M. Night Shyamalan comes close to recapturing his former touch…

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Spilt, for better or for worse, is classic M Night Shyamalan. It’s his most purely entertaining movie in years.

‘Split’ immerses you into the chilling world of its characters as they descend into their individual versions of hell.