Hello everyone, and welcome back to another review but this time, we will be looking at a film that came out all the way back in January. This is because in order to get more reviews out I whenever I see a film that came out in the year, that I did not see in theaters, I will review it. Thanks to the airplane on my trip I was able to see both this film, and the Kid Who Would Be King so expect a review for that very soon as well. But now lets talk about the film we are looking at now, and that is Glass, the sequel to both Split, and Unbreakable. I did not get the chance to see this film in theaters mainly because I had not seen either of those films, so I wanted to wait and watch them before I saw this new one. After watching, and really liking both, I finally was able to see this film, and it was definitely an interesting watch, that’s for sure.
The film is set 19 years after Unbreakable, and only a few weeks after the events of Split, and begins with David Dunn as he uses his powers to hunt down various criminals, and is given the name of the Overseer. He is on the hunt for his latest target the Beast, just one of the 24 split personalities in Kevin Wendell Crumb, who is hunting down teenage girls. With the help of his son, Joseph, David is finally able to track the Beast, and face off with him. However their battle is quickly interrupted when the authorities led by one, Dr. Ellie Staple, arrive and quickly arrest them. They are then taken to a mental hospital where David’s old nemesis and mastermind, Elijah Price AKA Mr. Glass resides, and all three are taken in to therapy where the Doctor is trying to convince them that their so called superpowers are not real, and are just mental health related. This gets the men to ponder about whether or its true, and this leads Elijah to enact a plan to show the world that they exist. But can he be able to enact that plan, and are their powers really delusions like Dr. Staple says they are.
When the film finished, I did not know how to feel about it because it definitely is not what you would imagine a sequel to either Unbreakable or Split to go. The first act is pretty much what anyone who loved Unbreakable would want it to be with David Dunn out fighting bad people with the help of his son as they have a sort of Batman, and Oracle type relationship which I really loved. It pretty much goes as you would expect right until the start of the second act where from that point on the film pretty much stays in one location for the rest of it run-time, becoming a more slower film in the process, and you know what, I actually kind of dug it. I really do appreciate Shyamalan not going the conventional route, and just doing his own thing making a film that is different, and feels like his own movie, and for him taking some risks with the narrative. The questions the film raises about these superpowers and whether or not they are real is actually really fascinating, and not only makes you think about the themes in question, but also makes you question if these characters really have these incredible abilities or are just delusional. That does however lead me to one of my issues with the film and that is that it does feel like it wants to keep shoving that idea into our throats many times, and it gets a little frustrating how the film keeps telling us that they are delusional when we know they have powers because of what we saw them do, so maybe if they had gave us more hints that they were delusional then it probably would have been a little less frustrating. The pacing also is a little off in the second act where it can be a little slow at times, but then again it kind of is like Unbreakable in that respect. But I do like how this film does tie into Unbreakable in many ways like some cameos, and one of the twists at the end. Speaking of those twists, there are quite a few. Without spoilers, I actually liked them in concept, and thought they were pretty interesting, but I felt that they could have been executed a little better with one being handled too silly, and not very realistic, and one just not executed with the right tone. But even with its narrative flaws I like that Shyamalan simply did not play it safe with this film.
However whatever shortcomings it has in its storytelling it makes up for with its stellar craftsmanship. Shyamalan shows once again why he is a legend crafting a very well made film that takes advantage of it low $20 million budget. The production value on display is very impressive with the way scenes are shot, and how the mental institution looks on the inside. He also shoots the film very well, and you can very well tell its a Shyamalan film and there are many scenes that are just perfect (particularly any shots with Mr. Glass moving around or staring at the the camera). The score is also very nice, and intense, and moving in many scenes, though I am disappointed that the Unbreakable theme is not utilized here as that music is just awesome. Like that film however there is not a lot of action, but the action we do get is actually pretty underwhelming. While I wasn’t expecting anything like a Marvel movie here, the moments of action here look, and feel really awkward, with the brawls being shot weirdly switching between wide shot, to close ups. To be fair the $20 million budget prevented there from being any kind of big showdown but still the way the action is shot does make the big third act showdown feel anti climatic in some respects (in fact slight spoilers but the film constantly teases a big showdown in a high rise but does not commit it to it not only thanks to the budget but also how the narrative goes). Luckily this not an action heavy film so it is not present too much.
Now lets talk about what is easily the best part of this movie and that is the performances particularly those given by James Mcavoy as Kevin, and Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah. Mcavoy once again shows why he is one of my favorite actors working today as he shows off just how wide his range is by playing all of Kevin’s personalities, and he just elevates every scene he is in, and makes Kevin an interesting, and sympathetic character(s), and quite frankly with his work in here, and Split, I say its pretty darn Oscar-worthy (obviously that will never happen but still its pretty phenomenal what he does here). Jackson is once again amazing as the title character, even if for a large part of the movie he doesn’t even say or do anything. But trust me, once he starts talking, its just Jackson giving it his all from there, and I also like how the movie (again vague spoilers) kind of sides with the villain here, and supports his motivations. That is a bit of a double edged sword however in terms of how the focus on Elijah, means David Dunn gets less to do. This brings me to the most disappointing part of Glass, and that is Dunn’s character arc. While Bruce Willis is fine in the role, and like I said his interactions with his son played, Joseph once again played by Spencer Treat Clark (who is great here, and really deserves more works) are perfect, he gets surprisingly very little screen-time, and dialogue, and his arc is pretty much the same as the first just even less developed, and glossed over. It also ends in a pretty unsatisfying way, which left me feeling upset considering how great of a character David is, and how this is how his story comes to an end. Anya Taylor-Joy is similarly underutilized as Cassie Cooke, essentially just serving as a plot device to calm the beast down (all the more disappointing considering she was the protagonist in Split), although Charlayne Woodard as Elijah’s mother does do the most with her limited screen-time. As for Sarah Paulson as Dr. Staple, she’s fine in the role its just that the character just exists to explain all of the important things to the audience, which can get a little annoying at times especially when some of these things the audience can infer just find.
So Glass was definitely one hell of a film, as I had no idea what to think of it after first viewing. But the more I thought about it, the more I really started to appreciate most of the choices Shyamalan made, even if I did not agree with some of the story choices. This is a film where I can absolutely stand why people would hate it, and be disappointed by it, but it’s also one where I can understand why people would love it as its just so different, and is its own beast. So while not a perfect film, Glass still benefits from its strong directing, game cast, and thoughtful ambitions, that I still find it to be really interesting experience. Again I cannot express how thankful I am to Shyamalan for making the film he wanted to make, and going against the norm which is just what he excels at, and I hope he continues to keep self financing, and making films for the foreseeable future as he is a huge inspiration to many. Even with all of the superhero films releasing this year, I don’t think there is gonna be one that is quite like Glass, and I consider that a good thing.
Rating: B
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