Glass (SPOILERS)

First name, Mr. Last name...

M. Night Shyamalan is a very interesting case. It's safe to say he is divisive among the world of cinema...and that's putting it lightly. However, one thing that I am sure everyone can agree upon is that he truly struck gold with the film Unbreakable. With a unique take on the superhero genre and powerful performances from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, this film really did a lot to put Shyamalan on the map. Since then, his career took a nosedive before he reemerged in recent years, with the film Split being considered his comeback. While I am not the biggest fan of the film personally, I genuinely enjoyed the performance by James McAvoy and was intrigued to see where Shyamalan could go with the character of Kevin Wendell Crumb. At the end of the movie, it turns out that Split was a stealth sequel to Unbreakable, creating a mini-shared universe that was planned to close out with Glass. Now reviews for this film are...not so great. That being said, I really enjoyed Glass for what it was and think it did a (mostly) solid job wrapping up this trilogy. And here's why:

UPS

1. The actors were really good in this film. Our big three continue to sell us on their characters, with McAvoy going even further by taking on many more personalities. Outside them, Sarah Paulson delivers a reserved yet ultimately intense performance as Dr. Ellie Staple, who per Shyamalan's twist turns out to be more than she lets on, while Spencer Treat Clark, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Charlayne Woodard reprise their roles from their respective films in welcoming ways. Overall, they all give it their all, even if the story (especially in regards to Willis, which we'll get to,) doesn't do enough to serve some of them well.
2. The ways in which Shyamalan ties this movie to Unbreakable and Split. The two major ones for me were having Shyamalan himself cameo as a way to show that the characters he played in all three movies were all the same person, while of course the big one is definitely the reveal that Kevin's father was on the same train as David and as a result perished when it was derailed. All in all, these reveals made everything come together nicely and make the movie more satisfying.
3. Now, contrary to what everyone else may say, I actually really liked the ending. Sure, it may not be what everyone was expecting and in some ways was kind of disappointing, but it was a truly unique way to wrap the story up and provides a sense of joy when it seemed like it was going to be a lot more depressing. 

DOWNS

1. Bruce Willis, as mentioned before, was not given the full spotlight that he deserved. Compared to Jackson and especially McAvoy, Willis easily gets the short end of the stick, which really sucks considering that he started out the film being a major focal point before sizzling out and eventually dying in the climax. Yep, he dies, and the way it happens make it all the more unfortunate. All in all, he did the best with what he was given, but sadly it wasn't enough. 
2. The way the movie starts trying to bridge the world of the film with the world of comics starts to get very heavy-handed. In particular, during the final showdown, everyone takes very long amounts of time to stop what's going on to talk about how these events would play out in comics, and it just sounds so unnatural and out-of-place. All in all, it flowed well in Unbreakable but it didn't work quite so well here. 

OVERALL

I was really impressed with Glass. Sure, not everything played out the way it could have, but it was different from what I expected in a good way. It may be hard for me to recommend it, but if you like these movies, I would at least give it a shot. Who knows, maybe the overall consensus will turn around someday. After all, Unbreakable didn't start out with the best record either...

And that's it for this post guys! Tune in for more coming your way :)