Glass
Glass
After pursuing Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities that reside within, David Dunn finds himself locked in a mental hospital alongside his archenemy, Elijah Price. The trio must now contend with a psychiatrist, who is out to prove they do not actually possess superhuman abilities.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedFebruary 12, 2025
First came UNBREAKABLE, introducing us to the superhero character David Dunn played by Bruce Willis. DD seems an unlikely superhero because he looks just like an ordinary man, but as the title points out, DD is indeed unbreakable. As a human, he has his flaws but is generally a good father to his young son. This film is a gem, one to be enjoyed again and again.
I was so excited that the writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan, then brought us SPLIT, some sixteen years later. The (somewhat troubled!) protagonist, Kevin Wendell Crumb, superbly acted by James McAvoy, introduces us to *several* characters 'all for the price of one'! For KWC has split personalities due to the horrific child abuse he endured (don't worry, this is only lightly touched on). There are many personalities, a few darker than others, and then there's The Beast. I love this film, rate it very highly due to the story, the action, and James McAvoy's brilliant acting and ability to switch between the different personalities. Great acting all round, has to be said. And, as in all good films, there are brief moments of humour (thank you Hedwig and Miss Patricia). In summary: Tense, exciting, edge-of-the-seat fun.
GLASS
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A couple of years later - thankfully we didn't have to wait too long this time! - comes along GLASS. The main character this time is of course, Mr Glass, played by Samuel L Jackson. We were first introduced to Glass in the first film, Unbreakable. He is the supervillain to David Dunn's superhero, his speciality being his quick and brilliant mind.
Since birth he has struggled with the life-changing defect of having highly fragile bones - bones that shatter like glass. He is the very opposite of David Dunn's character, he IS *breakable*. Thus, feeling frustrated and ostracised because physical activity is denied him, the young Elijah Price (or Glass) turns to a quieter pastime for his sharp mind. And as an avid comic collector, he soon believes in the reality of superbeings or superhumans living amongst us.
In GLASS we see the coming together of all three superhumans. The official film trailers show us their capture and imprisonment in a psychiatric setting. We wonder if and how they'll escape. What new escapades are in store?
The movie begins well - even at the point of the creative credits - and soon, two of the main characters literally run into one another. All good and exciting. We see the dilemma of other characters and embrace ourselves for some of the action. And then, some few minutes into the film, the story abruptly changes direction and the pace goes from exciting to crawl. This middle part of the story is too slow paced, some of the scenes unnecessary or overly long, some dialogue puffed out when we've already got the idea of what the head psychiatrist believes / the reason given why they're there against their will. The viewer does get the feeling that something is 'off' - why are two of the main characters, seemingly innocent, treated in this heavy-handed manner? To what end? What about their human rights? Half way through the film, the pace begins to pick up momentum. Now it's getting interesting again. Later, we're promised some heavy duty action. But the film turns into another direction and my fiance and I were left disappointed. There is a shock and then the final twist.