Being a huge fan of both “Unbreakable” and “Split,” I was highly anticipating “Glass.” The sequel to a film that came out 19 years ago had a lot to live up to. Despite the bad reviews “Glass” has gotten, I found myself liking the film a lot. It’s not perfect; however, the positives easily outweighed the negatives. I ultimately found “Glass” to be a very solid conclusion to this superhero trilogy
“Glass” is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy and Sarah Paulson. “Glass” is the third movie in Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy, a sequel to both “Unbreakable” and “Split.”
“Glass” follows Kevin, who has 24 different personalities, who is kidnapping and murdering young women. David Dunn, a security guard with supernatural abilities, tries to track him down. After one encounter, both are sent to a mental institution where a psychiatrist tries to convince them that their beliefs of having supernatural abilities are delusions. Meanwhile, Mr. Glass, who is in the same mental institution, may be planning something sinister.
“Glass” is in the superhero genre, but it does not follow the superhero formula at all. While there are fight scenes and characters with supernatural abilities, this is more a drama/psychological thriller than it is a character study. The viewer is able to see how these characters are developed and understands how these people have a viewpoint of what they believe in.
There are also conversations in the film that touch upon one’s mental health or how one feels as an individual, and it sparks some engaging scenes that I was invested in. A factor that helped interest me in these scenes is the performances.
With an A-list cast, it should come to no surprise that the performances from everyone was nothing short of fantastic. Willis gives his best performance in years as David Dunn. He is a character who knows what he wants but feels conflicted about things in his personal life. The amount of emotion that he conveys is believable.
Jackson as the titular character was also terrific. This film solidifies the fact that Mr. Glass is one of the best movie villains of all time. He is a genius who is always a step ahead of everyone and seeing Jackson give his all is entertaining to watch.
The standout, however, is McAvoy. He was absolutely incredible in “Split,” but in this film he is even better. The viewer learns more about his character and his past. Not only does this offer a better understanding of the character, but it makes his performance that much more sympathetic. The way McAvoy is able to switch different personalities in seconds is something one has to see to believe. I truly do believe he is worthy of an Oscar nomination for his role.
From a technical standpoint, the movie shines as well. The cinematography and direction are nothing short of top-notch. There are a couple of long take sequences that stand out, though it is hard to talk about them without spoiling it.
The cinematography also benefits the action scenes as well, since they are very well filmed. For a film that is 130 minutes long, it has a pretty solid pace. I never found myself to be bored.
In terms of flaws, I was disappointed in the lack of a story arc for Willis’ character. While they set him up very well in the first 15 to 20 minutes, he is unfortunately left as a side character throughout the rest of the film as he was not given much to do.
There are some story elements the film decides to focus on more, and I wish they would have focused more on Willis’ character instead. And some of the pacing was a little jarring. The pacing from both “Unbreakable” and “Split” didn’t always blend together that well.
Overall, “Glass” is a very solid conclusion to a trilogy that I never knew I wanted. Not everyone will agree, but that is the beauty of film: it’s subjective. I would say for those who are wanting to see this film, but are skeptical because of the reviews, go see it anyway. You may enjoy it as much as I did.
