A One Mann’s Movies review of “Glass” (2019).
Bob the Movie Man’s Rating:
Certification:
UK: 15; US: PG-13.
I just re-read my review for “Split” from 2016: a movie that had its moments (mostly from James McAvoy) and from an interesting group of characters (also McAvoy!).
In terms of “WTF” moments it’s up there in the league table for the final five seconds of the film, linking the events of “Split” to the same timeline as M. Night Shyamalan‘s “Unbreakable” from 2000. Spin forwards another three years and you have the conclusion of a very long running trilogy. (For those perhaps as curious (or as sad) as me, I asked on the “Mark Kermode” ‘Facebook Appreciation‘ group if anyone could come up with another trilogy spread over a longer period. I only got two valid answers: Richard Linklater‘s “Before…” series (1995 to 2013, so just about a match) and Pscyho I/II/III (1960 to 1986, a clear winner).
The Plot
Three men are holed up in a highly secure psychiatric establishment for study by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson): Elijah Price (aka Mr Glass) (Samuel L Jackson), the evil force behind the train wreck featured in “Unbreakable”, claims to have an IQ so vast that he is under a constant state of drug-induced stupor for everyone’s safety; David Dunn (Bruce Willis), the only survivor of that train wreck, claims to have incredible strength; and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) is/are the multiple personalities of not only Kevin but Barry, B.T., Dennis, Felida, Goddard, Hedwig, Heinrich, Ian, Jade, Jalin, Kat, Luke, Mary Reynolds, Mr. Pritchard, Norma, Patricia, Polly, Samuel and ‘The Beast’, all in the one body.
Dr Staple’s goal is to prove to the men that their superpowers are an illusion; a manifestation of their own self-hyped belief in their own abilities. Will she succeed? And when the three discover they are all housed in the same place – ‘Avengers assembled’ as it were – what will then happen?
A game of two halves
I really enjoyed the start of this film. Kevin is up to his old tricks again – this time with a string of cute cheerleaders to torment. But Dunn and son (Spencer Treat Clark) are in vigilante mode righting wrongs as they see fit. There was an entertaining action film that could have been spun out of that premise alone.
When things get to the institute the film maintains its interest value, albeit that Paulson grated on me enormously. Jackson is pleasantly restrained for him, without all the normal f-ing and blinding and seeing McAvoy exercise his “Split” range – and more – is constantly entertaining.
But then, for me, Shyamalan’s script went off the cliff.
What exactly WAS the premise? It’s not really possible to say much more without adding spoilers. But when the ‘twist’ comes and the overall plot is revealed, it’s another WTF moment…. but not in a good way. There seems to be no logical rationale for it all as far as I could see.
A valiant – and financially very successful – attempt
Shyamalan should be congratulated for giving this a go: a quiet superhero film, without a budget amounting to the gross national product of a minor African state. In fact, with a budget of just $20 million and with global ticket sales (at the time of writing) of over $100 million, having been three-weeks at the top of the US charts, Shyamalan is laughing all the way to the bank!
The turns
All of the acting is serviceable. But no-one is going to expect Oscar nominations for this, although McAvoy surely deserves an honourary mention; some of his transitions between characters (particularly one straight to camera about 75% through the film) are awesome.
It was also a pleasant surprise to see Anya Taylor-Joy returning again (from “Split“) as Casey, although she fails to make as much impression in this film as her earlier outing.
However, a Razzie nomination should go to Shyamalan, who yet again pops up as a security guard called Jai. Like Hitchcock, he likes to appear in his films, but unlike Hitchcock he doesn’t just cross the screen during the opening titles: he insists on having dialogue. And – sorry – but its just embarrassing.
Final thoughts
There are the makings of a good film in here, and the blending of the three characters into a narrative is a cute idea. But it’s a film that left me feeling generally unsatisfied with its story arc, and as such one I would recommend waiting for on a streaming service.
Trailer:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ghQs5AmNk .
