M. Night Shyamalan used to be a running joke in Hollywood. After a string of successful films to start his career, he turned out disastrous projects, leading many to believe his career was over. However, it appears Shyamalan has finally found that magic touch once again, making him one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood.
Split has been a massive box office success. The film has brought in over $ 82 million during its three-week run. It’s one of the films that have contributed to the Shyamalan resurgence. The film prior to Split, The Visit, was also acclaimed by critics. These two movies broke a streak of massive flops for Shyamalan, a streak which many thought he couldn’t come back from.
We all remember the sensations that were The Sixth Sense and Signs. The movies became instant classics. Shyamalan movies fell off a cliff after that point, films such as The Village, The Last Airbender, After Earth, while making money, just didn’t have the same effect as Sixth Sense and Signs.
I’ve been one of Shyamalan’s biggest critics. Personally, I felt he lost his touch with everything after Sixth Sense and Signs. The plot twists, which became synonymous for a Shyamalan movie, just didn’t hit the mark like they used to. It was just a constant stream of crap being shoved down our throats.
After I saw Split my opinion on Shyamalan changed quite drastically. It was the first time in nearly a decade that I left a Shyamalan movie and actually enjoyed my experience. While I’ve not seen The Visit, Split has encouraged me to give it a look. In fact, I recently re-watched both Signs and Sixth Sense, just because I couldn’t get enough of Shyamalan.
M. Night Shyamalan might have revived his career with his two most recent movies. After years of torment, it appears as if he’s turned a corner. Can he keep up this momentum with his next film? Only time will tell.
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