Glass - Review
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Samuel L. Jackson
Celebrated (and admonished) for his films that boast shocking twists, M. Night Shyamalan pulled off his biggest one to date in the final moments of 2016's Split when he revealed that Kevin Wendell Crumb exists in the same universe as the characters from Unbreakable (2000). Three years later and Shyamalan has returned to conclude this long-gestating trilogy - but was it worth the wait?
Following 'The Horde's' (McAvoy) evasion from authorities, David Dunn (Willis) assumes his vigilante persona to give The Horde his comeuppance. During a showdown between the two, they are apprehended by Dr. Ellie Staple (Paulson) and placed in a psychiatric hospital where the maniacal genius Elijah Price a.k.a Mr Glass (Jackson), Dunn's nemesis, is also institutionalised.
Within the film's first half an hour, Dunn and Crumb's 24th personality 'The Beast' enter into a face-off that is intercepted before the two are witnessed by any civilians. Once the pair are carted off to Raven Hill Memorial, the action grinds to a halt and the film's pacing becomes incredibly stilted, meandering along until the final act sees the three enhanced humans flex their powers at the same time. Up until this point, Crumb, Dunn and Price are largely kept apart and Willis and Jackson's screen time pales in comparison to McAvoy who exercises 20 different personalities, with each one furiously competing for "the light". Interestingly, it's Paulson's icy psychiatrist who we spend the most time with but her presence is merely a way for Shyamalan to fuel his desire to craft clumsy monologues that epitomise the film's scripting issues.
Unbreakable was a smart and slow-burning subversion of conventional comic book and superhero fodder. whereas Split was an entertainingly high-concept thriller. Glass tries to marry these two sensibilities but the outcome is a mass of confusion, rarely offering substantial glimmers of either quality. Characters, particularly Price, make constant reference to superheroes, villains and other comic book tropes that are starting to bleed into reality but Shyamalan unsuccessfully gives these theories much weight. The story of Glass is evidently loaded with ideas, it's a shame that only a minority of them manifest in the script.
Although there are many stumbles in the storytelling department, Shyamalan remains an exciting visual force and does wonder with the small $20 million budget that wouldn't even cover one Avenger's salary. He shoots scenes that are dense with dialogue in fresh and individualistic ways, charging even the most physically uneventful moments with a dread and sense of quiet foreboding. The narrative may neglect to keep your attention but the visuals certainly won't.
An exhausting and convoluted closing entry into the subversive superhero franchise, Glass dispiritingly fails to deliver on the quality of its predecessors and results in one of the biggest missteps of Shyamalan's career.
EB
Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Samuel L. Jackson
Celebrated (and admonished) for his films that boast shocking twists, M. Night Shyamalan pulled off his biggest one to date in the final moments of 2016's Split when he revealed that Kevin Wendell Crumb exists in the same universe as the characters from Unbreakable (2000). Three years later and Shyamalan has returned to conclude this long-gestating trilogy - but was it worth the wait?Following 'The Horde's' (McAvoy) evasion from authorities, David Dunn (Willis) assumes his vigilante persona to give The Horde his comeuppance. During a showdown between the two, they are apprehended by Dr. Ellie Staple (Paulson) and placed in a psychiatric hospital where the maniacal genius Elijah Price a.k.a Mr Glass (Jackson), Dunn's nemesis, is also institutionalised.
Within the film's first half an hour, Dunn and Crumb's 24th personality 'The Beast' enter into a face-off that is intercepted before the two are witnessed by any civilians. Once the pair are carted off to Raven Hill Memorial, the action grinds to a halt and the film's pacing becomes incredibly stilted, meandering along until the final act sees the three enhanced humans flex their powers at the same time. Up until this point, Crumb, Dunn and Price are largely kept apart and Willis and Jackson's screen time pales in comparison to McAvoy who exercises 20 different personalities, with each one furiously competing for "the light". Interestingly, it's Paulson's icy psychiatrist who we spend the most time with but her presence is merely a way for Shyamalan to fuel his desire to craft clumsy monologues that epitomise the film's scripting issues.
Unbreakable was a smart and slow-burning subversion of conventional comic book and superhero fodder. whereas Split was an entertainingly high-concept thriller. Glass tries to marry these two sensibilities but the outcome is a mass of confusion, rarely offering substantial glimmers of either quality. Characters, particularly Price, make constant reference to superheroes, villains and other comic book tropes that are starting to bleed into reality but Shyamalan unsuccessfully gives these theories much weight. The story of Glass is evidently loaded with ideas, it's a shame that only a minority of them manifest in the script.
Although there are many stumbles in the storytelling department, Shyamalan remains an exciting visual force and does wonder with the small $20 million budget that wouldn't even cover one Avenger's salary. He shoots scenes that are dense with dialogue in fresh and individualistic ways, charging even the most physically uneventful moments with a dread and sense of quiet foreboding. The narrative may neglect to keep your attention but the visuals certainly won't.
An exhausting and convoluted closing entry into the subversive superhero franchise, Glass dispiritingly fails to deliver on the quality of its predecessors and results in one of the biggest missteps of Shyamalan's career.
EB
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