Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Split Blu-ray Movie Review

Is it a Sign?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 5, 2017

A new M. Night Shyamalan movie is almost always an event, but not always for the same reasons. The director draws more attention than most of his peers, in large part because his career, to this point, seems split between three distinct timeframes. First, with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, it was "Wow!" and "How is he going to top that? Then with The Village and Lady in the Water, it was "This will be his comeback film!" And lately, with The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth, the response has been "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." He made a mild comeback with The Visit, though that movie seemed to mark the beginning of the "nonchalance" phase. It's been ages, it seems, since Shaymalan was really on top of his game back in the late 1990s. But every movie has to be an event because there's truly not many better pure filmmakers out there. He's been a victim of poor material (much of it from his own hand) more than he has been poor craftsmanship behind the camera. Can his latest Psychological Thriller, Split, possibly bring audiences back into the fold, or have they had one too many bad-vibe visits to House Shyamalan?

Following a party at a Philadelphia-area restaurant, three teenage girls -- Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), and Marcia (Jessica Sula) -- are kidnapped by a man they come to know as "Dennis" (James McAvoy). They're drugged and, when they awaken, find themselves in a strange place, perhaps a basement of some sort, with fresh drywall here, old brickwork there, and a spick-and-span bathroom off to the side. He's not hurting them, but they're locked inside and effort to find a way out. They quickly come to realize that their captor is one person, but an individual who engages multiple personalities in dress, speech, and cadence alike. As they plea to the more amenable of the personalities, they desperately search for their own way out, particularly as they begin to piece together the real reason they have been taken, sorted out from various clues given by the multiple personas they encounter.

When discussing the film, Shyamalan quotes Steven Spielberg who once said that "90% of directing is casting." If that's the case, Shyamalan must have breezed through making Split. James McAvoy delivers a transformational performance in the lead, not saying that as a pun on the movie's title but quite literally in his ability to fully realize any of the several characters he portrays throughout. And it's not just a change in voice or clothes or even attitude or approach. He finds a depth to each of the "characters," the purpose they play not just in the story but in the character's life. McAvoy never betrays the revolving door of personalities, refusing to give up on any of them and instead finding their own individual centers within the larger persona in the middle of it all. He's certainly helped by Shyamalan's writing and the foreknowledge of where the character is headed, and why, but the performance is incredibly nuanced, finely honed, and deeply understanding of how the various personalities play individually and collectively alike in shaping the character and driving the film towards its surprise ending and place in the Shyamalan canon.

Split is itself a movie with something of a split personality. Part kidnapping Chiller, part Horror film, part Survival picture, part Psychological Thriller, the film is Shyamalan's most fundamentally complex since his early successes with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. The film is also both overtly exciting yet deeply metaphoric as it explores the very real manifestation of the most unseen, untenable parts of the human condition and the merging of the body and mind beyond established scientific limitations and exploring something deeper than even the titular multiple personality disorder. Shyamalan gives credence and credibility to the idea and pushes the boundaries further than they've been pushed before, but it's in the way he ties it all together in the final minutes, and in the closing moments in particular, that give it a serious shot in the arm, rearrange everything the audience thought it knew about the movie for the first 100 or so minutes, and it's suddenly something much more interesting in the larger world of M. Night Shyamalan. And if this is any indication, it's comeback time. Welcome back, Night.

Split Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Split was digitally photographed, but a movie of this type would seem better suited to film. As it is, it's very slick and smooth and clean whereas a grittier texture might have enhanced it a bit more. Nevertheless, the digital image is excellent, glossy sheen and all. Clarity is outstanding and detailing is about as good as one will find in 1080p. The source can render some elements, like the roughly textured walls in the holding room, a little inorganically smooth, but there's no mistaking the inherent complexity to skin and clothing textures, in close-ups for sure and even in various midrange shots as well. Every pore, wrinkle, bit of stubble atop McAvoy's trimmed head, and stitch and fray on clothes are accounted for and clearly visible. Colors are pleasantly neutral, contrasting some bright shades against the well lit but still dank and dreary location where the girls are held. A few flashbacks offer some punchy fall leaves, the Hedwig persona wears a jacket with bright yellow shoulders, and various environments around the film, including a therapist's office and a restaurant, offer a satisfying splash of nuanced and well saturated color. Black levels hold very deep and help define a number of scenes. Skin tones are slightly pasty but never too far out of the ordinary. Very slight noise is visible in a few places, but overall Universal's transfer is a major winner.

Split Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Split features a standard-issue DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It as dynamic as can be, offering a nice range of subtle cues and intensive low end effects alike. Music is impressively wide and well defined throughout the range, but the low end certainly dominates, and in the final act in particular. It can go a little unkempt, harsh, and deep-throated by design, resulting in a very effective and chilling incursion into the listening area that all but penetrates the bones. The low end support, however, is the highlight, with many diverse and deep sounds pounding the stage in the final act. There are some interesting support effects throughout, inducing the deliberately tinny, hollow sound of a girl's heavy but hushed breathing as she hides in a small locker in chapter six. A few shotgun blasts offer a satisfying concussive boom, not quite to the level of reality but deep enough to please. Dialogue is a mainstay and delivers front-and-center and with excellent clarity and prioritization.

Split Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Split contains an alternate ending, deleted scenes, and three featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Alternate Ending (1080p, 0:32): With optional Shyamalan introduction (1:37 total runtime intro + scene)
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 14:37 total runtime): Casey at Party, Meeting Shaw, Shaw Has a Party, Shaw's Date, Girls Talk, Patricia Talks Meat, Casey Tells Her Dad, Hide and Seek with Hedwig, and Maybe We Are Crazy. With optional Shyamalan introductions (26:37 total runtime intros + scenes)
• The Making of Split (1080p, 9:50): A catchall piece in which Shyamalan discusses his growth as a person and a filmmaker, how the film reflects his growth, casting, script secrecy, characters, the film's style, influences (namely It Follows), locations and set design, and budget.
• The Many Faces of James McAvoy (1080p, 5:38): A quick look at the challenges of Mcavoy's performance, the many characters he portrays, and cast and crew talking up the qualities he brought to the film.
• The Filmmaker's Eye: M. Night Shyamalan (1080p, 3:40): A look at Shyamalan's writing process and work as director.

Split Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Split isn't quite a return to the very top of Shyamalan's game, but it's his best film in some years and portends the comeback a filmmaker of his talents deserves. The movie is smart, edgy, and finds a nice balance between spoon-feeding the audience and keeping things interesting, surprising, and unique. McAvoy is terrific, the sound and cinematography are wonderful, and the movie maintains engagement for the duration, culminating in what is arguably the best twist yet in an M. Night movie. Universal's Blu-ray is of a high quality as well. Top-shelf video and audio are accompanied by a few supplements. Highly recommended.