I was supposed to love Glass.
Why don't I love Glass?
The critics hate Glass. I rarely agree with them, but for once, they were right.
I loved Unbreakable--one of the most underappreciated movies of 2000. "Split" was groundbreaking -- a film that floored me from start to finish and ended with one of the best plot twists ever! So I was frothing at the mouth when Glass was finally complete. This movie would erase the stain of The Last Airbender and restore M. Knight Shyamalan to greatness. Chances are at the time of this post, he's probably raking in a fortune from the hype, but I like so many critics, found myself sitting in the theater with furled eyebrows and stupified look that clearly read: Is he serious?
Glass picks up 19 years after Unbreakable. A weathered David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is still hunting down bad guys as a raincoat wearing vigilante. Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Sam Jackson) is in a psych ward, and Kevin Crumb (James McAvoy) continues to terrorize young girls with one of his other 19 personalities. The movie opens with a splendid ode to vigilante justice in the vein of the Dark Knight and immediately re-establishes McAvoy's Kevin (aka the Beast) as one of the greatest on-screen villains ever.
The bar for success had been set and all M. Knight Shyamalan needed to do was hop right over it.
Well, not so fast, Flash.
This movie first starts to go off the rails when the titular character is left offscreen for the first hour. It might as well have been called Dunn vs. Kevin. Then, when all three characters are finally on-screen together, it sets up one of the most feeble-minded plot twists in the movie. I won't spoil it, but I will say, the entire concept of superhero therapy is as hokey as it sounded in the trailer. When you finally learn Sarah Paulson's role in the film as Dr. Ellie Staple, you'll wonder why her original plan was implemented at all.
But I tried to let it go because there are so many good things happening in this film. Shyamalan's POV style of action and off-screen terror--while a cliche of his cinematic style--is still useful in creating some pretty cool visuals. He keeps the camera tight on people, so sometimes it's uncomfortable, forcing you to deal with our primal issues with space, but it also builds tension in the best kind of way. So there's things here to be applauded. Visually, he is masterful in this film. It's the story that weakens this film.
It's no secret that Mr. Glass teams up with The Beast/Kevin to fight Dunn. That's what we're waiting on. But the epic battle is relatively weak. Where there should be action, there's monologuing. Where there should be tension, there's a distance between the hero and villain. And where there should be logic, there is none.
In the end, out of nowhere, Paulson's role is revealed, and it opens the door for a million questions about plausibility. Everything Mr. Glass has orchestrated comes into question. How did he know to plan for this? Sure, his superpower is intellilect but is he a prophet too. The Beast and Dunn are given a resolution the feels confusing considering everything they were put through. And Paulson's character presents earth-shattering plot twists that upend the credibility of the entire film as a cohesive narrative.
"Glass" is not a bad film. It's just not a great one. And it should have been. It's bound to be as polarizing as Bird Box. You'll either love it or hate it. I don't hate it. I'm just mad I couldn't walk away loving it.
Why don't I love Glass?
The critics hate Glass. I rarely agree with them, but for once, they were right.
I loved Unbreakable--one of the most underappreciated movies of 2000. "Split" was groundbreaking -- a film that floored me from start to finish and ended with one of the best plot twists ever! So I was frothing at the mouth when Glass was finally complete. This movie would erase the stain of The Last Airbender and restore M. Knight Shyamalan to greatness. Chances are at the time of this post, he's probably raking in a fortune from the hype, but I like so many critics, found myself sitting in the theater with furled eyebrows and stupified look that clearly read: Is he serious?
Glass picks up 19 years after Unbreakable. A weathered David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is still hunting down bad guys as a raincoat wearing vigilante. Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Sam Jackson) is in a psych ward, and Kevin Crumb (James McAvoy) continues to terrorize young girls with one of his other 19 personalities. The movie opens with a splendid ode to vigilante justice in the vein of the Dark Knight and immediately re-establishes McAvoy's Kevin (aka the Beast) as one of the greatest on-screen villains ever.
The bar for success had been set and all M. Knight Shyamalan needed to do was hop right over it.
Well, not so fast, Flash.
This movie first starts to go off the rails when the titular character is left offscreen for the first hour. It might as well have been called Dunn vs. Kevin. Then, when all three characters are finally on-screen together, it sets up one of the most feeble-minded plot twists in the movie. I won't spoil it, but I will say, the entire concept of superhero therapy is as hokey as it sounded in the trailer. When you finally learn Sarah Paulson's role in the film as Dr. Ellie Staple, you'll wonder why her original plan was implemented at all.
But I tried to let it go because there are so many good things happening in this film. Shyamalan's POV style of action and off-screen terror--while a cliche of his cinematic style--is still useful in creating some pretty cool visuals. He keeps the camera tight on people, so sometimes it's uncomfortable, forcing you to deal with our primal issues with space, but it also builds tension in the best kind of way. So there's things here to be applauded. Visually, he is masterful in this film. It's the story that weakens this film.
It's no secret that Mr. Glass teams up with The Beast/Kevin to fight Dunn. That's what we're waiting on. But the epic battle is relatively weak. Where there should be action, there's monologuing. Where there should be tension, there's a distance between the hero and villain. And where there should be logic, there is none.
In the end, out of nowhere, Paulson's role is revealed, and it opens the door for a million questions about plausibility. Everything Mr. Glass has orchestrated comes into question. How did he know to plan for this? Sure, his superpower is intellilect but is he a prophet too. The Beast and Dunn are given a resolution the feels confusing considering everything they were put through. And Paulson's character presents earth-shattering plot twists that upend the credibility of the entire film as a cohesive narrative.
"Glass" is not a bad film. It's just not a great one. And it should have been. It's bound to be as polarizing as Bird Box. You'll either love it or hate it. I don't hate it. I'm just mad I couldn't walk away loving it.