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‘Glass’ provides bittersweet ending to Shyamalan’s ‘Unbreakable’ trilogy
Written and directed by Shyamalan, Glass blurs the ideas of superheroes and villains.
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A still from 'Glass.' (Universal Pictures/File)
Glass, the final installment of M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy, is to premiere on Jan. 18.
The first film, Unbreakable (2000), which features Bruce Willis as David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, or Mr. Glass, shows another take on superhero characters. Meanwhile, the second installment Split (2016) is a psychological thriller with a little connection to the first movie. As the final chapter, Glass draws conclusion for the two films.
Glass opens with Dunn and his grownup son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark). Nineteen years after the fatal train accident, Dunn is now in the security business and spends his spare time fighting bad guys.
Wearing his raincoat, Dunn searches for Kevin Wendell Crumb, played brilliantly by James McAvoy, a man with 23 personalities. The two characters meet, but their eventful meeting is being interrupted by police and Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson).
Dunn and Crumb are transported to Raven Hill Memorial Psychiatric Research Center. They’re placed in separate rooms equipped with their respective kryptonites.
Read also: Director M. Night Shyamalan merges past storylines in new movie 'Glass'
Staple is a psychiatrist specializing in individuals who believe they are superheroes. To find logical explanations for the Dunn and Crumb’s “odd” behaviors, Staple invites Dr. Glass.
Written and directed by Shyamalan, Glass blurs the ideas of superheroes and villains. In the movie, Staple offers logical explanations, which leads the audience to doubt the main character's superhuman abilities. The way Staple questions people’s obsession with comic books also makes the audience feeling closer to Glass, Dunn and Crumb.
The movie also highlights the blurred lines between conscience and horrible decisions, making us question humanity.
In terms of acting, there’s no doubt that McAvoy is the cream of the crop. The actor effortlessly portrays Crumb’s multiple personalities, which include the 9-year-old Hedwig, a film professor, the well-mannered Patricia and the scary Beast.
Although Shyamalan succeeded in terms of developing the characters and writing a twist ending, Glass is not as strong as the first two films. The director said in a press release that he wanted each movie to stand on its own strengths, language and originality. However, as someone who watched the first two films, I saw many references to the first film. Hence, I’d suggest you do a Shyamalan movie marathon prior to watching Glass.
Despite the mixed reviews you may have read, Glass is still worth watching. The twist ending and brilliant performances are among the reasons for you to love the movie.
In the end, it is a bittersweet moment to bid goodbye to Shyamalan’s trilogy. I personally waited until the very last minute before leaving the theater, secretly hoping to see a post-credit scene. (kes)
