The Edition, in partnership with Schwack Cinema, brings readers a monthly review of movies on offer, serving as encouragement or warning (as the case may be), for moviegoers in Male' City, and movie-lovers, everywhere.
‘Glass’ is director M. Night Shyamalan’s long-awaited final instalment in his ‘superhero’ thriller trilogy; his 19-year follow up to the highly acclaimed ‘Unbreakable’ (2000) and 3-year sequel to the psychological horror thriller ‘Split’ (2016).
Like what seems almost a given with Shyamalan’s movies, Glass too proves to be eccentric, whacky, at times cheesy, and definitely polarising, as clearly seen in its mixed reviews; but it still is, ultimately, a fun wild ride.
Beautifully shot and cinematographically bold in its depiction, the story continues the trilogy’s tradition of grounding its ‘superhero’ elements in reality. M. Night Shyamalan can be credited with pioneering this trope with Unbreakable, long before Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed Batman trilogy popularised it.
Moviegoers who have not seen Glass’s preceding titles need not fret over not having seen Unbreakable and Split to enjoy this movie, as Glass is accommodating with scenes included to recap the story arcs of all characters in previous films. Nevertheless, the casual movie-goer will miss several throwaway references to predecessors and easter eggs left for the fans.
As shown in trailers, Glass follows an older David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a superhuman poncho-clad vigilante, publicly labelled ‘The Overseer’, who is investigating a string of abductions and murders, leading to a confrontation with ‘The Beast’, an animal/human hybrid super-powered persona of the dissociative identity disorder (DID) suffering Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), and the titular mastermind ‘Mr. Glass’ Elijah Price (reprised by Samuel L. Jackson).
James McAvoy definitely steals the spotlight with his portrayal of split-personality afflicted Kevin, exhibiting 23 different personalities, adding on to those established in Split, ranging from a spectrum of comedic and light-hearted characters to downright devious, terrifying and menacing. Samuel L. Jackson also impresses as his character’s mental prowess is alluded throughout the majority of the movie and, when it is displayed, it does not disappoint. However, Bruce Willis’ character is not given much lines to work with, and his story arc is sparsely developed when compared with the others.
While the first twenty minutes is fast-paced and action-packed, the movie does slow down to a suspenseful slow-burn, unrelentingly building up to a crescendo in the final act.
Furthermore, the movie makes use of a beautifully rendered score, by returning composer West Dylan Thordson who also collaborated in Split. His masterful use of swelling music in uplifting, nerve wrecking ‘scratching’ violins in suspenseful moments, and menacing interspersed piano intonations, breathes life into every scene. The film also borrows scores from the previous two films.
M. Night Shyamalan is not a by-the-book director, churning out movies in a traditional streamlined format on a conveyor belt, and Glass also subverts ‘superhero’ trope expectations, which might explain its polarising reviews.
For fans of the superhero movie genre, Glass is a unique instalment and a movie I highly recommend, especially for its often overt critique and commentary on the trope.
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