When I went to see Split in theaters in 2016, my mom was surprised that I loved it. So was I, to be honest- one of my friends had to push me into seeing it. M. Night Shyamalan has made some real crap in his time as a filmmaker, but when he wants to be, he is a genius.
Glass, its sequel, is similarly brilliant. I think (hope) the role of The Horde is the defining role of James McAvoy’s career, because he’s absolutely brilliant every moment he’s on screen. Glass provides an emotional continuation of Split’s story that is satisfying, thrilling, thoroughly enjoyable, and makes for one of the finest film experiences I’ve had in years.
SPOILERS FOR SPLIT AHEAD
It’s really impossible to talk about a movie in a franchise without covering the movies that came before it, so if you haven’t seen Split and don’t want it spoiled, now’s your chance to look away.
The big, signature M. Night twist at the end of Split was that it was a stealth-sequel to 2000’s Unbreakable. In interviews at the time, he claimed that Unbreakable was the first in a trilogy. It’s lucky that he chose to wait for the second installment, because Unbreakable deserved a solid sequel and not… whatever Lady in the Water was.
Yikes.
Glass begins just a few weeks after the events of Split, with Philly superhero David Dunn (Bruce Willis) pursuing The Horde. It has a quick action sequence near the opening, and then quickly reverts back to M. Night’s signature style: Slow pacing, really weird, inhuman dialogue (that I forgive, because the movie is so damn good), and long, slow, extended shots that allow us to really immerse ourselves in the characters.
Interestingly, Mr. Glass- y’know, the one the movie is named for- has almost no time on screen for a good chunk of the beginning. But when he does appear, Samuel L. Jackson is brilliant. Mostly. When he’s not being completely brilliant, Mr. Glass has some… really bad, awkward scenes where he announces which superhero tropes the characters are currently enacting. He did this in Unbreakable as well, so it’s consistent with the character, but it’s still dumb.
I apologize for the incorrect apostrophes. This was the best GIF I could find!
Bruce Willis didn’t get the screen time he deserved. McAvoy portrayed 24 separate characters, which was incredible, but I think David Dunn should have had some more time in the spotlight. When he was there though, he was great. It was a great continuation of Unbreakable.
I’m really glad that Spencer Treat Clark was able to reprise his role as Joseph Dunn, David’s son. It really made the movie feel seamless. Anya Taylor-Joy returns as Casey Cooke, but I really feel like Casey got a bit sidelined. She was necessary to the plot, and as such, I feel she was underused. The emotional tension from her scenes relies a bit too heavily on audiences remembering her from Split, rather than having her build on the character we’ve been introduced to. Even Charlayne Woodard came back as Elijah’s mother! Sometimes recasting a role is necessary, but when you can keep the same cast from a 19 year old movie? Excellent!
There’s not much more I can say without ruining the plot. The performances are great. The dialogue is weird, as it always is in Shyamalan’s movies. It’s a compelling and satisfying continuation of Unbreakable and Split, and I highly recommend seeing it.
SPOILERS FOR GLASS AHEAD
If you hate spoilers, now’s the time to go.
There’s a part in Split where Kevin Wendell Crumb’s terrifying personality The Beast can only appear at the train yard at 30th St. Station in Philadelphia, because his dad hopped on a train and never returned. At the end of Unbreakable, it’s revealed that Mr. Glass caused the train accident that kicked off the movie. Plot twist! It was the same train.
God, I got chills just typing that again. What a perfectly executed plot twist. Shyamalan laid the groundwork for it in Split without us ever realizing. Love love love love.
As the three super-characters were dying? I was in tears. Kevin, switching from personality to personality trying desperately to find one that could save him was heart-wrenching. He’ll be remembered for this for decades.
And then… it all went to shit. This nearly-perfect movie went for a double-twist. A super-secret society of secret superhero secret assassins is the dumbest god damn thing I’ve ever heard.
Glass was grounded. Glass was real. And then, the doctor lady starts rambling about how she’s part of a secret club that kills off superheroes and has been for 10,000 years? Get the hell out of my face. This is a payoff for which there was no setup. In the last few minutes of the movie you’re going to show me secret 4-leaf clover tattoos that appeared nowhere else and is also a stupid and awful, dumb, silly idea? It completely ripped me out of the movie. It was great that secrecy was their goal and Mr. Glass ultimately foiled that plan, but… no. Secret society of superhero silencing is super stupid.
It’s just the two things- Mr. Glass’s narration and the 10,000 years of secret society whatever- that bar Glass from being one of my favorite movies. Even with that, it’s an excellent film with excellent performances and a great way to kick off 2019. Go see it today.