Title: Glass (2019)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense)
Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy
Plot: Committed to psychiatric care under the supervision of Dr. Ellie Staple (Paulson), the worlds of Elijah Glass (Jackson), David Dunn (Willis) and Kevin Wendell Crumb (McAvoy) come together in what promises to be a beastly occurrence.
“This is not a cartoon. This is the real world”
Review by Eddie on 17/02/2019
The conclusion (?) of one of the most unlikely and unexpected of shared movie universes makes its way onto our screens in the form of M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass, the melting pot of ideas that started 19 year’s ago with the oft derided directors under-appreciated sophomore feature Unbreakable from 2000.
Following up his return to form and smash hit Split, Glass follows directly on from the turn of events in Shyamalan’s James McAvoy dominated thriller and while not all is successful in the filmmakers often too self-indulgent outing, this far-fetched yet entertaining affair should please fans of this particular world created by the divisive talent.
Bringing together Samuel L. Jackson’s scheming and intelligent Elijah Glass, Bruce Willis’s nigh on indestructible David Dunn and McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb (among a collection of other’s) in a loony bin coordinated by Sarah Paulson’s mysterious Dr. Staple, Glass is a character driven piece that explores the possibility of real-life superheros and villains, with a dabbling of beast oriented carnage thrown in for good measure.
Those not overly familiar with past occurrences may find themselves growing quickly tired of Glass’s rather slowly paced and methodical approach to its material, inspired by Shyamalan’s love of comics and his desire to create his own heroic landscape but fans of past event’s will lap up the chance to see the three lead actor’s together on screen.
The shared scenes between the A-list performer’s is unquestionably the films strongest asset with Willis the best his been in some time and Jackson doing his usual solid shtick but much like Split before it, McAvoy elevates everything around him quite substantially as he laps up the chance to run wild with the many personas of Crumb.
If it weren’t for the fact Glass is very much a genre film and made entirely for pulpy audience enjoyment, McAvoy’s multiple performances would garner a substantial and well-deserved collection of plaudits and whenever his given a chance to run riot, Glass is a seriously entertaining and crazy ride.
The ride Glass takes however is halted in its tracks as it’s third act begins, an act that feels both like an anti-climax and an event that explodes with a fizz rather than a bang.
It feels as though Shyamalan didn’t have the means at his disposal to deliver what seems to be coming or that perhaps he was unsure of how the slow build to the films finale was going to get done in a way that ties many of the plot lines together and for a director that found fame with how his film’s often conclude, Glass finds itself lost in its last waltz, making what has come before it feel somewhat underwhelming.
Final Say –
There’s fun to be had here thanks to the performers (especially when McAvoy is given the limelight) and fans of the previous installments will find much to enjoy yet while Glass doesn’t shatter what has come before, it also doesn’t do enough to feel totally warranted.
3 carnival rides out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
Interesting review! I’m curious about this trilogy, I only saw Unbreakable when it came out… I might give it a go when I find it on DVD!
It’s a film that’s held up really well! Well worth a rewatch.
E
Looking forward to seeing this! I expected that the performances of the three main leads would be the highlight of Glass. Thanks for sharing your review. It was a pleasure to read.
Thanks for the kind words mate. I hope you enjoy the film:)
E
After Split I was wondering if the next one would meet my expectations. I was afraid it wouldn’t. I might watch it on DVD though. I’m still pretty ambivalent.
It’s a dvd watch for sure. No reason to rush and see it.
Has some nice moments but overall a little so-so.
E
I didn’t think he’d be able to match the same intensity that Split had because Split scared the living daylights out of me. I’m still going to watch Glass because I’m curious-but at least I know now what to expect.
Go in with medium expectations and I think you will find a lot to enjoy. The great thing is McAvoy is just as good here as he was in Split!
E
Don’t wish to sound too fanboyish but I’ve waited a long time for this particular film and seemed to simply enjoy seeing these characters on screen again played SO well together in a very nice send-off? . . . my expectations (though not clear) were pleasantly met albeit not shattered?! I managed to hold off reading your review until I got to see it today! Thanks! For Unbreakable fans this film has some solid moments!
I think you’re right Morgo, fans of Unbreakable will really get a kick out of this film. It has some great throwback moments and ties off the story in a decent fashion. Was great getting to see Jackson and Willis spar once more.
E
I’m one of the few critics that liked this movie. Yes, I agree it’s the weakest of the three films (and wasn’t a necessary movie to be made), but it still delivers an engaging story. Plus, the acting of the three main actors are great, especially McAvoy.
Oh man McAvoy is just amazing isn’t he? He really elevates the whole thing whenever he is on screen.
E
It’s a genre movie that played like a prologue except it was the next and last installment. I would think with Disney’s involvement he’d have unlimited resources but it’s not really his style. It felt more like Kick-Ass in some parts, very indie. Unwashed with shiny explosions.
It certainly had its moments. I think some critics have gone a little to harsh for the film but overall it was fairly forgettable.
E
Hey do you guys get all the movies there? Any blackouts?
We unfortunately do get a lot of movies quite late, sometimes years on from some countries but mostly its pretty solid. We get way more movies head straight to video than countries like America.
E
That’s very strange. Just going off of the “Australian Millennials” page would mean a 5 million dollar loss in movie sales. With 9 million millennials there total. if they follow our habits here, it’s a shaky 70% loss or about 60 million. If you included all moviegoers it would be at least a hundred. Sometimes, people in charge of distribution are stupid and bottleneck good ideas because they can.
It does make it tough sometimes, and I believe it encourages younger tech savvy audiences to download things because its just not available any other way.
E