Dir; M. Night Shyamalan. Starring; Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel Jackson. PG-13. Color. 129 min.
One gets to the point where you simply cannot talk about how awful of a filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is. “Glass” is that “Un”-breakable point for me. I am more in awe of the director at this point. How does he do it? How does he continue to make the most non-sensical films in the world and still get funding because he’s the twist ending guy?
The third in a trilogy taking place in the “Shyamalan” universe, “Glass” is the story of three characters coming together to prove that comic book hero’s exist in the real world. Bruce Willis reprises his role from “Unbreakable” as Bruce Dunn aka the Overseer, a green hooded security guard vigilante working with his now grown son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) to save lives one google search at a time. Picture Alfred to Batman only he’s the young one.
James McAvoy returns as the Beast, or the Horde from the sequel “Split”. I’m not exactly sure what his favorite title is. Having lived through his previous endeavors, the Horde has captured a group of young cheerleaders and has them tied up in an abandoned warehouse. The now YouTube star Overseer shows up and is able to save the girls during a slow motion rain battle. Unfortunately, both are captured and sent to a psychiatric institution. Which psychiatric institution you ask? Well the same one that Elijah Price (Samuel l. Jackson) aka Mr. Glass is at of course.
The three extraordinary human beings are evaluated and put through a series of tests headed by the psych ward facilities head doctor Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson). Apparently the Horde can change on cue between his twenty different personalities while in a room that has flash photography, the Overseer who cannot be hurt is unable to break out of hand cuffs, and Mr. Glass is not intelligent as long as he’s doped up.
Obviously all three characters get their outfits back, a nonsensical punch fest ensues, and a twist ending happens. Then the film continues for another fifteen minutes and two more twist endings.
First off, I would like to give my condolences to James McAvoy. In a movie where all the other actors are phoning it in as though they were on “Days of Our Lives” you really do give it you’re all and you’re performance is good in spirts. Hopefully they paid you well.
Now to the film itself. I will bring up three things, spoilers ahead;
1. Why is the psych room completely pink and why are only three patients there in this giant building that could clearly hold hundreds? (Oh wait, did I just give away one of the twists? My bad).
2. This is a “special” facility for “special” people you’ve built. Yet you’re best defense when they break out is to call the local police when things go wrong? Nobody had a FBI number?
3. All the seedy bad guys turn out to have three leaf clover tattoos on their wrists. Did ya’ll get plastered one night and say lets get matching tattoos in a place that is easily visible? After all, we aren’t some secret organization trying to control and contain the existence of real life super humans. Opa!
You can call this nit-picking and you are right. But when M. Night Shyamalan parades a film such as “Glass” around like a five star chef while serving people big macs you gotta call a spade a spade. There is no fun to be had, and the seriousness is difficult to swallow when you go so far into the ridiculous. This could have been an interesting deep chamber piece or a real world romp. It is neither. I have never seen a filmmaker get so many passes as Shyamalan. “Glass” is not the ending to the anti-comic book trilogy story he began 19 years ago. It quite simply sucks.
Suck Factor: 6out of 7 (7 means your movie really SUCKS!)
Written by Byrd
The SUCK FACTOR, how it works. We have flipped the rating system upside down. If a film is classic, it gets a 0. Meaning that movie has 0 SUCKS. If a film is complete trash you must avoid at all costs, it gets a 7, meaning this movie really SUCKS!
Greg Squared Films 