Glass

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

Security Guard David Dunn pursues Kevin Wendell Crumb’s superhuman figure, “The Beast,” in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an key figure who holds secrets critical to both men.

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

I was never an M. Night Shyamalan fan. When I started watching movies more actively I had already missed the fame of his Sixth Sense (the twist had been spoilt for years) and Unbreakable, and the movies I was privy to was his real awful years, culminating in one of the most boring films I have ever watched (and never finished) After Earth.

But when Split came out, he finally managed to hook me. I went back to watch Unbreakable after it was revealed as a sequel, and I finally became team Shyamalan. Glass was announced, and the first trailer promised more of his grounded approach to a superhero film, something to contend with the big-effects blockbusters of Marvel and DC. While it’s not getting much love from the American critics, I was absolutely thrilled with his epic conclusion of the power of belief and that humans are more capable of extraordinary feats than what we believe. Although the twists are a little more predictable (especially if you’ve seen as many movies as I) the journey to the end proves that Shyamalan might have finally got back his mojo by giving a big middle finger to the influence of studios that tanked his previous projects.

Set only a couple of weeks after the events of Split, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is on the hunt for the Beast and his horde (James McAvoy), but their duel leads them to a facility where the mastermind Elijah Price, aka Mr Glass, has been held since Unbreakable for his heinous crimes.

While the director has to take the credit for the story and direction, Glass is nothing without the almost psychotic skill of McAvoy. While he was beyond brilliant in Split, which got Shyamalan his third instalment, he managed to somehow take his multitude of characters and push them to a level that must have been incredibly taxing for him emotionally. In the finale, he has to rotate between his personalities like a Rolodex, and by the middle of the film you already know which one he is without him saying a word. That level of skill would have gotten him award nominations left and right, but because it’s showcased in a movie that traditionally won’t get the prestigious nods, his brilliance might go unrecognised for a long time and it makes me really mad.

But the show wasn’t entirely carried by his multitude of shoulders. Jackson and Willis’ reprisal of their Unbreakable roles was also commendable - both of them have not only aged physically but their characters have also evolved from the path they have been put on. Mr Glass has become more ruthless, a product of his internment over more than a decade, and Dunn is more determined to be the hero, which seems almost obsessive. Shyamalan is clearly a Bruce Willis whisperer - the actor has not been his best in the last few years, but I believe it’s because younger directors are too scared to properly mould them into their characters. Jackson is just his usual extravagant self, with crazy hair and a stare that could make paint peel.

While some twists were predictable, there was one direction I did not expect the movie to go in, something that a TV show would do more than a Hollywood movie, but it helps tie up a great trilogy that might not get the praise it deserves now, but will eventually in the realm of cult classics.

Glass is a film where you should ignore what the critics are saying and just go enjoy yourself. It isn’t faultless, but it tells a more positive story about the human condition than is common in such films, that we are better and more powerful than we believe, and you find yourself almost forgiving the actions of the villain.