M. Knight Shyamalan’s new movie is out and I waited until $5 Tuesday to catch a showing. As the trailers started the theater was still mostly empty. By the time the Universal logo appeared on the screen more than half the seats were taken. So maybe word is getting out on this movie. I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since the stinger at the end of the movie, Split. Not that I particularly liked Split, but the prospect of seeing Bruce Willis reprise his role after 19 years was intriguing.
The writer/director/producer managed to get most of the original cast together. Events have caused the Willis and MacAvoy characters to join the Jackson character in a hospital for the criminally insane for what appears to be a 72 hour hold. Yadda yadda yadda.. they escape… battle royale… the end. But since this is a Shyamalan film, you know that’s not all. Saying anymore about the plot would ruin the experience.
What I can say is that the pacing is slow. It not as slow as Unbreakable but it does feel like a 1960s Hitchcock film. The director is keenly aware of the framing and colors on the screen. It is an homage to comic books. The James Newton Howard score blends the heroic tones of Unbreakable with the horror screeches of Split using a violin.
We do get to see “flashbacks” that were cut scenes from the first two movies. This surely saved on the special effect budget that it would have cost to de-age Willis. This movie would probably improve with a second viewing like Unbreakble. I have not revisited Split and am not in a hurry to do so.
If you liked Unbreakable then this is an easy recommend. If you want to see something different that is a bit of a Hitchcock throwback then this might be for you. Either way, I also recommend re-watching the first one beforehand. I do not need to see any more movies in this universe but I’ll show up for the next Shyamalan show.
