M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film stars James McEvoy as a man with dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities. When some of his 23 identities decide to kidnap some pretty teenage girls, the horror begins. Cue the scary music!
Like most of Shyamalan’s movies, this one starts with an interesting premise but also like most of Shyamalan’s movies, about halfway through, it goes off the rails, landing in a hot mess of weirdness, nonsensical plot twists, the trademark throwaway scene featuring Shyamalan (seriously, why DOES he do this?), a super lame ending, and for the moviegoer, complete frustration. Shyamalan fails us again.
Anya Taylor-Joy continues to build her impressive horror film resume on the heels of last year’s strong performances in The Witch and Morgan as our emotionally-complex but smarter-that-her-friends damsel in distress. But it is McEvoy who stands out. It’s just a shame that such an interesting performance wasn’t showcased in a better story.
