Glass

Starring: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, Adam David Thompson, M. Night Shyamalan
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Thriller
2019


Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mysterious woman (Sarah Paulson) who studies people who believe they are superheroes finds an interesting situation in Philadelphia, as three men there each believe they have unique abilities.

Review:

Tim: M. Night Shyamalan shocked many people by delivering the excellent Split (his best film in a ages), and the cool twist of setting it in the same world as Unbreakable. All of a sudden, he was cool again. There were high expectations for Glass, the conclusion of his superhero trilogy that served as a sequel to both Split and Unbreakable. And, I suppose I'd consider this a good movie, but it just barely gets there. In many ways, it's a strange film- Shyamalan made a series of odd decisions about the story. There's a few things to like in the film, although this good movie is ultimately disappointing.

The two previous films in this series are both good enough to warrant repeat viewings. I'm pretty sure I'll never watch Glass again. It was very cool to see David Dunn, Elijah, and Kevin/The Beast/all those other personalities together in a film. I really want to stress that, as it's the film's biggest strength and its most lasting impact. It's been nearly twenty years since we saw David and Elijah and it was incredibly fun to get to revisit their characters. For most of the last two decades, I didn't expect that would ever happen. To see those two with Kevin from Split was exciting and fun. As I reflect on Glass, that's the chief reason I enjoyed watching this movie.

It absolutely helps that the cast is so good. David is a great character, but it's mostly because it leverages Bruce Willis' strengths. He doesn't have to act outside of his comfort zone. It's fun seeing him in this restrained performance. Samuel L. Jackson is just great fun as Mr. Glass. Although it's often painful for us to watch his character do anything, he's enjoyable in this role and he gets to sport some great hair. I loved James McAvoy in Split and it's so fun to see him play these characters again. McAvoy's extensive talent is once again on display here. Seeing these three men together and watching them interact on screen was fantastic. The film is also helped by the addition of Sarah Paulson. The cast is further rounded out by the brilliant move of bringing back Anya Taylor-Joy (who is delightful again) and Spencer Treat Clark from the film that began this whole saga. The cast is so good and it's the movie's greatest strength.

I wanted to start with that because as cool as the cast is, there's not a whole lot else to love about this film. Shyamalan takes three incredibly cool characters and puts them in situations that limit their effectiveness for nearly the whole movie. He confines these three in separate rooms. McAvoy still gets to do his thing and therefore, comes off the best. Willis isn't utilized nearly enough and Jackson is wasted for the bulk of the film, staring off, catatonic. The movie spends too much time on Paulson's character, who (despite her performance) is never as interesting as Shyamalan seems to think she is. The whole plot feels off. The surprise ending to Split, finally revisiting the characters from Unbreakable- it was all leading to.... this? The whole story, how the characters are used, the climax of the film and whatever the "twist" is supposed to be- it all feels like a lower tier director working with a substandard script. It felt like a draft, one that required multiple rewrites. Now, don't get me wrong- nothing in this film is a disaster. It was just okay. There's decent moments, especially when we get to see these characters interact. As a whole, though, the story felt like the wrong one to round out this trilogy.

I understand what Shyamalan was trying to accomplish with the film's climax, but it just didn't do it for me. He certainly leveraged misdirection and subverting expectations, but did it have to be so anticlimactic? So final? He disposes of most of the opportunities to continue this surprise franchise. So many stories end here, and in the most unsatisfying ways. Of course, the potential franchise shifts at the end and opens up a door for more stories, but it's hard to watch this film and feel any kind of excitement about the continuation of this world. There could be a fourth film, sure- but after the events of this film, does anyone want that? I personally wasn't especially thrilled by (spoiler, I guess) The Shamrock Society or their aims. I just kind of shrugged. Maybe Shyamalan has some cool idea for another film, but it felt like he painted himself into a corner here.

Now, Glass does get credit for charting a different path, even if that path isn't all that enjoyable. This movie fought against the desire to be predictable. This isn't a MCU or DCEU film. It's something separate and different, even if it pays homage to that world. Shyamalan deserves credit for trying something different, which helped push me toward calling this film "good". However, I have to admit expectations were higher. This film is a big step back from Glass and Unbreakable. Ending the trilogy with the weakest movie isn't a good move.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Unbreakable, Split, Lady in the Water