Film Review - Glass

After a string of misfires spanning through 2015's The Visit. Director M. Night Shyamalan's films had long lost must see status. Viewers and critics alike pointed back to 2000's Unbreakable the directors follow up to the phenomenon of The Sixth's Sense the originator of the M.Night twist as the last superior film he produced. However, in 2016 Split was released starring James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb abused as a child by his mother developing 20 different personalities to hide from the light taking to abducting young girls to sacrifice to his main protector personality The Beast. The film through a slowly built word of mouth campaign brought audiences back to Shyamalan with a twist at the end that whispered middle film of trilogy.

Glass opens with Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) referring to his multiple personalities as The Horde in the midst of another abduction. This time it's four chained up cheerleaders at risk with lead personalities Patricia, Hedwig, and Dennis watching over them waiting on the arrival of The Beast. David Dunn 19 years after learning of his special abilities now runs a home security store with his son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) reprising his role from Unbreakable by his side and in his ear when Dunn aka The Overseer dons his dark rain slicker to go out on patrol or walks. Dunn hears about the abduction heading out to the suspected location factory area brushing into Hedwig getting a vision of the girls' predicament. The resulting fallout of his intervention lands him in Raven Hill Memorial Psychiatric Hospital alongside Crumb and his old nemesis Elijah Price / Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson). Dr. Ellie Staple (Sara Paulson) treats the trio putting barriers in place to dull their heightened abilities as she tries to rid them of their delusions of grander her research indicates is buried in Freudian psychology's Holy Trinity of  Ego (Price), Id (Crumb) and Super-Ego (Dunn).

Shyamalan goes low tech with his comic book tale with all of the elements present. A hero, a villain and the mastermind pulling the strings. The film also features a team up which is common in the comic book world among heroes and villains alike to take on a common foe. There is no great CGI sequences or out of this world abilities. Instead, DID suffering Crumb/ The Horde and Dunn / The Overseer have more than normal strength, Dunn's intuitive feelings sparked by touch and Mr. Glass a brittle body housing a superior mind.

James McAvoy gets top billing as the multi-personality Crumb. When the credits roll it feels like his different personas make up about half the cast. McAvoy moves seamlessly between characters revelling in the roles of 9-year-old rapper Hedwig and Patricia the most. Each role has very distinct mannerisms. Hand gestures and speech patterns for Hedwig, arches longing for high heals with Patricia and shoulders, chest and neck for wall climbing The Beast. Bruce Willis is understated as David Dunn which strikes the right balance to the mania of The Horde. Samuel L. Jackson does not speak for about half of his onscreen time as Elijah Price. Heavily sedated to dull his mental capabilities he twitches and tremors while slouched in his wheelchair. Look for Anya Taylor-Joy reprising her role as Casey Cooke the girl who survived from Split. Taylor- Joy alongside Charlayne Woodward as Mrs. Price and the aforementioned Spencer Treat Clark play the three main characters respective support person all having a greater impact on the tale than one might expect.

Glass is the conclusion of a trilogy that most would not have known they were in the midst of until the final frames of Split. Shyamalan's comic book rule based franchise is the anthesis to both the Marvel and D.C. Universes. Here the heroes and villains are only a step outside of normal human abilities. Being an M. Night film an ending twist is inevitable but this one ties up the origins of the three in such a complete way that makes the audience wonder if the director had this all in mind since penning Unbreakable; if you can recall a certain throwaway sequence in that film you will have your answer.

*** 1/2 Out of 4.

Glass | M. Night Shyamalan | U.S.A. | 2019 | 129 Minutes.

Tags: Eastrail 177, Multiple Personality, DID, EGO, ID, Super-Ego, Comic Book Rules, Strength, Brittleness, Psychiatric Hospital, Medication, Cameras, Secret Society, Philadelphia, Water, Strobes, Abduction.