MovieChat Forums > Split (2017) Discussion > Stupidest Captives Of All Time

Stupidest Captives Of All Time

posted 8 years ago by Croweyes1121
37 replies | jump to latest

I *really* wanted to love this film. But the entire time, I just could not get past the stupidity of the female characters. There are just SO, SO many ways they could have escaped and were either too dumb to see it or simply chose not to that I just couldn't take anything else seriously.

I mean, it's incredibly obvious that when "Kevin" is "Hedwig", he's shy, scared, and in every emotional way a nine-year-old. And yet these girls think that testing the ceiling for weakness and then ramming through it making the maximum amount of noise to attract attention to make a hole is the way out rather than, I don't know, just saying to Hedwig, "hey, I want to show you something", and then making a run for it, closing the door behind him? It literally would have been that easy.

Or later, when Hedwig is showing off his room and dances. There's a point that he's actually completely on the floor with his feet in the air for God's sake. JUST. RUN. I mean yes, I get that they didn't exactly know the full layout of the house, but good grief, at least TRY!

At another point, one of them hits him in the back with a chair and then, rather than just KEEP HITTING HIM UNTIL HE CAN'T GET UP, they just run away and hope he doesn't recover. I just...::facepalm::

Maybe it's because I've seen so many other movies with strong, intelligent, resourceful captives in better movies lately (10 Cloverfield Lane springs to mind), but these people just seemed so idiotic at every turn that I couldn't feel but so bad for everything they went through as a result.

One more point...at the beginning. "Kevin" knocks out their dad and gets in the driver's seat. Now I get that the girls in the back were goofing off, but honestly...just how long would it really take people in a car to realize that a TOTAL STRANGER just sat down?! And when the main girl looks in the mirror, sees that the groceries are on the ground, and realizes that the man sitting next to her isn't her dad, she just turns her head around SO SLOWLY to look at him that I was like "oh my God, why are you still sitting there"? Even when he chloroforms the other girls, she doesn't even take THAT opportunity (when he's busy with TWO OTHER PEOPLE FIGHTING HIM) to escape, but instead chooses the absolute worst time to try and subtly open her door. And when it sounds that it's open, she just sits there like "you didn't hear that, did you" and gets herself chloroformed as well.

I'm sorry, I just...these people were morons from beginning to end IMHO. And it ruined what should have been a great film. McAvoy, by the way, was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. But I just can't look beyond these dumb, dumb decisions made throughout by the people we're supposed to be rooting for.

[–] BroBone 8 years ago

I'm sure when the OP is kidnapped or abducted he/she will be able to think clearly and rationally and not be overcome and frozen with fear.

_
I swear to God I'm an atheist.

[–] MickeyONeill 8 years ago

Thanks for saving me from posting all that...

Agreed

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Now... dicks have drive and clarity of vision, but they are not clever...

[–] smoko 8 years ago

@Croweyes1121 And when the main girl looks in the mirror, sees that the groceries are on the ground, and realizes that the man sitting next to her isn't her dad...
A small point: that wasn't Casey's Dad. But you're right about that scene being pretty stupid.

I'd also add: why didn't Kevin spray Casey straight away? She could've escaped, yelled for help, etc. but instead he just cleans the dashboard. He's as dumb as she was!

[–] hrmnrabb 8 years ago

Yes, they were morons. I kept thinking there was a twist and that something wasn't what it appeared but alas, they were indeed just idiots.

Them not pushing him in the bathroom and then locking him in the room or not clobbering and KOing the 9 year old personality is asinine.

"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it."

[–] omarpowermotivation 8 years ago

Yeah but wheres the fun in that?

[–] linas-morkunas 8 years ago

I realize that those three were teenage girls who probably never had experienced intense and life threatening situation like that before, yet still there were three of them against a scrawny looking weird dude with multiple personalities. They could have realistically overpowered or at least knocked him out unconscious if they were acting in unison like one girl was suggesting at the beginning, yet they chose to go a cowardish route. I know I'm not a girl and I can't put myself in their shoes, but c'mon now...when you know your life is on the line, gather all of your guts and will and act accordingly. You are not a 5 year old girl anymore - you have a body of a grown up woman

[–] jamasian_man 8 years ago

They couldn't do anything. Even if the three teenage girls attacked him or tried to get him unconscious, there were multiple locked doors. Casey only gets as far as she did because the therapist lady put a handkerchief on the door.

And if you all forgot, Hedwig's special power was giving the light back to anyone he chooses. When the girls block the door on him, he calls back Dennis and its him chasing the blonde girl immediately. He was strong enough to carry them all to his lair as Casey said, they didn't have a lot of strength or weapons. Only the bed frames or bucket or spray, not much else.

Dennis was also a perv and wanted them sexually, which is why he kept trying to de-clothe them throughout the film, but it was Miss Patricia who keeps him in line. Also the black girl does indeed attack Miss Patricia and escape, but eventually she gets trapped too because of the locked doors.

Its only Casey who tries to talk with Hedwig and get past all of them the most. She gets the blonde girl the info about the vent, she keeps herself and them safe by not fighting immediately, and she tells the black girl to pee on herself to save her from Dennis. She also is the only survivor total, and is able to get to the walkie talkie. She only survives because the Beast rips off her sweater and reveals her self harm. And by the film's end she maybe will take a stand against her uncle.

I think the hesitation thing at the beginning was a red herring on the twist. You are made to believe maybe Casey is in on the kidnapping, or she's a personality. She's not supposed to be there, but she is and Dennis isn't sure what to do, but then he realizes she might talk and she's gotta go too.

[–] linas-morkunas 8 years ago

so you're telling me all three of them supposedly smart and savyy girls wouldn't figure out a way to open the door locks or at least find a means to call for help to the outside after they apprehended him? I know there wouldn't be a movie like this if any victim in that situation acted like a rational and determined human being...yet still, this wussiness and helplessness from your standard horror movie characters puts them all below average mark in my opinion. Characters in a horror movie don't have to necessarily act dumb in order to progress the plot further - there have been plenty of great movies of this genre where protagonists tried everything in their power to overcome the odds stacked against them and that made those movies immensely more great and enjoyable to watch. Sadly, this flick is not one of them. Yet another miss from Mr Shyamalan I'm afraid

[–] redfox5367 8 years ago

The victims are always stupid in these horror movies.

[–] Professor59 8 years ago

Yes. When they were first with Hedwig, and Casey says she wants to show him something, I assumed they would just lock him in the bathroom and leave.
Instead, they treated it like a long game, just gathering info for a future attempt. Very disappointing. Of course it turns out that everything everywhere leads to more locked doors, so without knowing the layout and having keys, they just end up trapped a few minutes later, like the first escapee was.

Also pretty disappointed in the doctor, who supposedly knew the patient extremely well, yet never for a moment considered that he might be the abductor who was all over the news. Maybe she was so wrapped up in her ambition as a groundbreaking lecturer that she glossed over it. She deserved to be the first victim.