Let me first start off by saying how badly I wanted to like this film. I wanted to love this film! So much love had been built up for the trilogy since 20 years ago when unbreakable was released. And 2018’s split further helped the franchise favorably!
I bugged and badgered my partner to accompany me to watch this which we finally did. After like a million people had watched it already!!! Just kidding - I doubt a million people actually watch M Night’s films. *Message to said partner - You are a snail when it comes to catching movies in the cinema!* Anyway…
Glass started out great. M Night went straight to the action within the first...? 15 minutes of the film? Not sure. Wasn’t really keeping track of time. You’re THRILLED, you’re AFRAID, you’re simply GLUED TO THE SCREEN wanting to know what happens next.
Honestly what M. Night always has going for him is his unique film making style. I love his story telling style! He unfolds the story a little paragraph at a time and while it might be slow moving for some, it is the kind of story telling (if done right) that engages me. And he sure knows how to do that.
His use of colour (which me and Mr Chan relish taking note of),
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| The pink room scene |
the way he picturize each shot, all while leading you to a room that holds a secret behind the door. Sometimes you want to be in on that secret and sometimes you don't. In his case, it’s usually either a hit or a miss. He has f****d up some movies real bad.
Like The Last Airbender!! I loved that cartoon series OK! - The one that M. Night didn't taint.
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| This series was really good! |
My family and I used to watch it together. And just for ruining that you suck M. Night!
But back to Glass...
I don’t know what happened somewhere in the middle because M. Night decided to try to convince us that both Bruce Willis and James McAvoy’s characters are not supernatural. And this is not a spoiler in any way. It was in the official trailer.
The movie was so tireless and adamant in claiming that these characters were not supernatural, it really took up quite a significant amount of screen time and honestly I was rather irritated by it. Seriously after 4 hours of 2 whole films that were dedicated towards showing that David Dunn and The Beast were extraordinary, M. Night tries to convince us otherwise (for about an hour or so) in this highly anticipated movie.
Maybe he meant to frustrate us so we don’t ask ourselves too much questions about motives and all. After all, he does need to produce a ‘surprise’ ending and it really helps if the viewer's mind is annoyed, irritated and distracted rather than sharp and focused.
But I have to say that James McAvoy was an absolute delight to watch! He really knows how to wring emotions out of his audience be it fear or sadness or laughter. That guy is wonderfully talented. May I mention that I first appreciated him from the film Penelope, before he was as well-known as he is now. Such a charmer!
Getting back to Glass... Again… Damn it, I need to learn not to get so distracted!
I should probably dedicate an entire review to McAvoy because honestly if there was anyone who gave his all for the movie, it was this guy. That is not to say that Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson didn't because they were good too. But beside the magnificent James McAvoy, they were just alright, not great.
The new addition to the cast is Sarah Paulson’s character as Dr Ellie Staple. She is a major plot point in the movie and ANNOYED ME as hell in this. I don’t know, it’s probably not so much her acting as just the script and role she was given. But she was just real bland in this movie. Though I do wonder if that was ultimately the motive for her blandness. After all she is not one to celebrate any uniqueness or diversity. She wishes to cure it in her capacity as a psychiatrist. See... how bland her character sounds.
Other characters that were brought back for this (including David’s young son who is not so young anymore) had rather insignificant roles overall. Honestly at certain points I was cursing and swearing because of just how useless they were! They were certainly no help to any of the main characters. More like a burden in my opinion. Wait until you see how Anya Taylor-Jay’s character got one of them in serious hot water. Ridiculous.
In the interest of remaining neutral despite all the annoyances peppered throughout the film, I have to say it wasn't a bad movie. In fact, it was quite good if we consider all aspects of the film (the camera shots, sound/music, etc) but it’s just not something I will want to watch again or something that I felt elevated the whole franchise. In fact, it was the weakest movie of the three for me. Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it either. But…
Major Spoiler Coming Up!!
For killing a beloved hero, one who has been in our hearts for 19 years. So NOT cool M. Night! One who is supposed to be super strong and UNBREAKABLE. I mean he broke down a metal door off its hinges for God’s sake. Surely he deserves a better end than suffocating in a pool of not so very deep water. Held down by men he should have very easily been able to fight off. If you felt that finishing him off was the best possible end to a beloved trilogy then at least finish him off decently.
With that, I would like to end off the review. If this seems abrupt and unsatisfactory, well that is just how Glass’s ending felt too.
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