*The review contains spoilers.
While Unbreakable and Split were great stand-alone films, Glass’s efforts in combining the two is disappointing.
Glass tells a story of when David Dunn (Bruce Willis and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), from director M. Knight Shyamalan’s 2000 film Unbreakable, and Split’s multi-personality Kevin Wendal (James McAvoy) have a comic book showdown for the ages. While the thought of the two worlds collided together seems like a good idea at first, Glass just piles in half-baked story plots that don’t really make any sense. It’s a really a shame because the first act is quite entertaining to watch, but that is because of the film’s star-riddled cast and the interesting tone – a tone that certainly should have been consistent throughout the film.
The problems begin near the third act when those renowned Shyamalan twists come in to play in his films. Glass has several “oh wow” twists to it, but there is one that is just baffling that leaves the viewer feeling cheated.
Another questionable choice in the film was the cinematography. There is one technique that Shyamalan used that was okay at first but got tiresome when the technique kept on getting used. That said, there is some also great and creative cinematography that makes up for it.
The excellent cast is certainly one of the few reasons why the film is watchable. Seeing an aged Willis come back to his role as Dunn was great and performance reminded me what made Unbreakable great, which was the fact that Dunn’s character had trouble trying to figure out who he is. Jackson is always fun to watch, he always tries to bring in some sort of personal detail to his characters that he plays. That’s exactly what he does for Price and it pays off. McAvoy is a stunning actor, and it is really brought out in the film. He does a precise job and I would say that he deserves an award for it. Sarah Paulson does a great job as well, playing the psychiatrist that is trying to help the minds of the sick.
To sum it all up, Glass isn’t bad or great, just good enough to pass the time. The film’s much-talented cast, first act, and cinematography are the pros, while the bad plot devices and weird and personal choices made by the director are the cons.
