Split (2016): Being Predictable
This one is tricky. The film has received some criticism for stigmatizing mental illness, so to suggest the film “fears” any part of its subject material would play into those issues. But I don’t think that’s the most interesting fear present in this movie. You see, this feels like Shyamalan’s attempt to break out of his box and do something different, with Split turning out to be a stealth sequel for Unbreakable—16 years after the first one had come out! The result turned out to be the biggest twist he’d given us since, well, that one we all know about. And it worked. This made audiences hungry to see what Shyamalan would do with a full-on franchise. Unfortunately, the end result did not deliver.
