(SPOILERS) Split is a lot more compelling when thought of in a key way

A compelling thriller needs a director that treats suspense like a carefully doled out drug. It should be delivered intravenously into the blood stream of a film. This is a measured discipline that comes with both experience and natural storytelling ability. If you were to take those attributes and sharply infuse them into a supernatural or even a superhero story, the results can be...well, interesting.

 

While recent thriller Split doesn't quite reach the heights of director M. Night Shyamalan's best work, it is both capable and entertaining, telling a straight-forward story to its natural completion. The film stars James McAvoy (in an obvious showcase for him) with an impressive performance that adds levity, intrigue and creepiness to a role that easily could have been over the top and hammy,  given its multiple personality gimmick. What's most interesting though, is that the film becomes more interesting after it ends. 

 

(spoilers ahead)

 

In a brief epilogue directly after the movie's completion, we are re-introduced the Bruce Willis's character from Unbreakable (David Dunn), revealing that Split not only shares a universe with the 2000 film, but that the two now could possibly share a supervillain. When looking back on Split with this knowledge, it makes the proceedings seem more like a preamble to something, as opposed to simply the solid (but not terribly impressive) stand-alone story that it is. Perhaps this is a supervillain origin story above all else.

 

To be fair, the revelation in question is not necessarily exciting in and of itself. It could easily be gimmicky and eye roll inducing. However, given how effectively that Split establishes the mythos of "The Beast" and, by extension, "The Hoard," you don't roll your eyes so much as focus them on the possibilities that can come from this development. 

 

After all, Bruce Willis's pseudo-superhero David Dunn's entrance into the fold raises a lot of questions, both within the film and in reality. For instance, regarding the overarching mythology: is Dunn now going to have to seek out and confront this new supervillain? Is Samuel L. Jackson's Mr. Glass (the other supervillain established back in Unbreakable) still a factor? Will Mr. Glass, himself, seek out The Hoard in order to recruit him (err...them)? What has David Dunn been doing all of this time? Furthermore, you have to wonder: can these two mythologies be blended within a new full length feature film, despite the likely studio ownership disputes? Was this whole thing just a sly nod from the director, and not meant to hint at anything else in the future?

 

Both financially and critically, Split is proving to be Shyamalan's best received film in many years. This is significant because Shyamalan clearly still has stories to tell, and a genuine hit can afford him the capital to continue telling such stories--something which had been seeming increasingly unlikely in recent years. As a director, Shyamalan has never been perfect, but at his best (removed from his worst tendencies) he can create delicate thrillers that find an alluring balance between pathos and terror. 

 

Unbreakable represented some of Shyamalan's best work. It was an ingenious way to unfold a superhero story, which pre-dated the superhero/comic book genre of which we are still in the midst. It also established an effectively eerie mood which cultivated mystery and intrigue in an exciting way. It was a personal story for Shyamalan, representing a passion of his that was close to his heart, and it showed. If Split makes it possible for him to continue this story with some added dimensions provided by the emergence of The Hoard as a possible antagonist, then Shyamalan's best twist in years might have been creating what is essentially a back-door pilot for an all new franchise. 

Etcetera.