‘They always underestimate the mastermind…’
Ahh M. Night Shyamalan. Master of horror. Lover of twists. Creator of Unbreakable. It seems that last title is the one that Shyamalan finds the most important. I flat out didn’t care for the big reveal at the end of the otherwise engaging Split. Shared cinematic timelines are all the rage right now, of course, with Marvel and DC constantly churning out interwoven connected movies. Unbreakable is a film that barely made a cultural splash upon release, and one that absolutely did not require a sequel, nevermind a threequel, and yet here we are…
Finally all together, an eclectic trio of anti heroes must settle on an uneasy allegiance in order to find the truth about their strange superpowers. David Dunn (Bruce Willis) has super strength, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) has cognitive abilities that most can only dream of, and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) can, like, do loads of different voices or something. Various relatives, hangers on and psychiatrists attempt to stem the tide of world annihilation at the hands of these unlikely superheroes.
As ever with a Shyamalan movie, there are numerous great ideas and concepts vying for attention here. And, as ever, they are executed badly or allowed to fizzle out unresolved. The three leads are as reliable as ever, with McAvoy particularly entertaining, but Sarah Paulson never really gets to grips with her character and the wonderful Anya Taylor-Joy is utterly wasted in a role that has very little bearing on the final cut.
The nagging feeling throughout Glass is that this is an unnecessary film. I’m not sure who it is for. Are there Unbreakable superfans out there? Do they exist? Perhaps I am being churlish, but I got very little out of seeing these characters reunited. And while there are some visually innovative moments, Glass is a forgettable film from a director capable of so much more. It is time to leave this nonsense behind and move on.