Glass – Movie Reviews by Ry!
Glass – A Fragile Sense of Ideas
You have an idea; something that you believe will profoundly be looked at with awe and excitement. Through the genius of setups, the mastering of all the webs (and twist) leads you to cultivate a story that will be welcomed by the masses. Through the vision of M. Night Shyamalan is a story that is befitting of such glory. In the end, Glass becomes a trial of ideas that falters in its potential.
Glass picks up after the ending of Split, while also tying into the bigger world created in Unbreakable. The story follows three superpowered individuals, David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Kevin (James McAvoy) and Eljah Price (Samuel L Jackson), as they face the truth of their abilities. With the bulk of the story taking place in a mental institution, it provides a parallel of confinement with layers of thematic detail and expositional exploration of ‘what is super’. You get a general setup to these individuals, drawing on what drives them to use their powers. The idea is situated within the horrors and realities of ‘superhuman’ abilities within a logical perspective. With these three as the main focal points, it creates a mirror on the illusion of grandeur. By blending the fantastical through grounded direction, M. Night drives this perspective through human characteristic. You get a sense there is more happening, seeing that deception and truth become one in the same. The first half becomes a great retrospective of the superhero genre because of strong character interaction and smart dialogue. The film is driven with a potential of something great, then the second half kicks in.
The story falls into the trap of heavy-handed explanation of generic ‘comic book’ tropes. All the build up of tension, character development and thematic purpose becomes an amalgamation of everything that M. Night is known for in the worst way. Through unexplained situations, water down narration and cliché twists, the story leads into a clustering of unwanted material. The characters become plot points of the obvious, leading to a climax that is all too familiar to comic book fans. Once the epilogue rolls, you just wonder what could have been if the gimmicks weren’t used. Glass boils down to a fragmented experience. If you’re a fan of the previous films, I say it is watchable. Otherwise, it’s a good Friday night at home.
Final Score – 2.5 out of 5 (Friday Night Rental)