Shyamalan's comeback 'Split' is both partially good and stupid

Split is a curious conundrum. It has been widely seen as something of a commercial and critical comeback for director M. Night Shyamalan, although even some of his worst movies have made hefty profits. And like Get Out, it's a low budget, non-gory fright film that became a big word-of-mouth success.

But the film itself is definitely a mixed bag. It has all the hallmarks that make Shyamalan films watchable but also eyeroll-worthy. It's gorgeous-looking but it's also packed with indulgent pregnant pauses that stretch plausibility. It has a terrific central performance from James McAvoy (who I've been underwhelmed by up 'til now) but it also suffers from a script bogged down in psychobabble.

And like every Shyamalan film I've seen -- it's desperate to deliver a knock-out blow of a twist in its final frames. Although, without spoiling it, I'd argue that this one is more laughable than surprising.

Ever since he burst onto the Hollywood A-list with his character-driven ghost story The Sixth Sense, Shymalan has been trying to recapture its magic, often with diminishing results.

Even films that packed some power like Unbreakable and Signs, didn't hold up quite so well when their premises were held up to scrutiny, and the director's self-conscious self-importance oozed out of every frame.

Clearly, he's become a popular punching bag for movie snobs like me, and the fact is that the guy knows how to shoot a movie and stage an effective suspense sequence.

And in this film he is aided tremendously by McAvoy who gives a bravura performance as a man possessed by several wildly different split personalities, holding three teenage girls captive against their will.

Where the film errs is in its great pains to justify its existence. The film, for the most part, avoids going into the darkest territory it could, even a heavy handed flashback subplot involving molestation is handled in chaste, broad strokes. The movie also seems to spend a lot of precious time dwelling on whether the model-esque captive girls will or will not be nude.

Not that I need gore or excessive violence to be scared, but the stakes never feel as high as they should, in part because the nominal lead of the three captive girls (breakout star of the much better film The Witch, Anya-Taylor Joy) never seems as troubled as she should be by anything that is taking place.

I don't know if it's an inability to write credible, fully-rounded women or a character written to serve a plot as opposed to a plot meant to serve a character, but from almost the beginning of the film up to the end, you want to scream at Joy's character for her poor decision making skills.

Meanwhile, Shylamalan loves to layer in those convenient turns in the story which happen to hasten a character's escape or lead to their inevitable downfall. All in all, it doesn't keep the movie from being entertaining but it also prevents it from being smart.

I know this is a terrible pun. But I will have to give this movie a split decision.