Glass is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy and Sarah Paulson. It is the final film in Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy, being a sequel to both Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016). The film follows David Dunn (Willis), Elijah Price, also known as Mr. Glass (Jackson) and Kevin Wendell Crumb (McAvoy) in a mental hospital being told by psychiatrist, Dr. Ellie Staple (Paulson), that they are not superheroes. Glass is an intelligently written and directed film that is engaging and ambitious, and a great way to start the year of film in 2019.
Much like Unbreakable and Split, Shyamalan uses color in Glass brilliantly. Each of the three main characters have their own unique color. Dunn’s is green, Price’s is purple, and Crumb’s is yellow. This use of color in embodying characters allows Shyamalan to deepen his characterization and convey meaning visually. The cinematography by Mike Gioulakis who shot Split as well, is exceptional once again here. Shyamalan and Gioulakis work brilliantly together. Every shot is meticullaly composed and beautifully lit with stunning use of color.
What really impressed me about this film is how different of a superhero film Shyamalan made. It is very ambitious in its storytelling and raises many insightful questions, and is a refreshing take on the superhero film genre. Even amidst some of its problems, which will be addressed here soon, I felt Shymalan’s passion in every frame of this film. The way he blocks his actors and moves the camera is done with so much care and precision and is an absolute treat to watch. His passion is felt throughout this film, not only as a director, but also as a writer. He is excellent at characterization and character interaction, and here it is fantastic to see three of his most iconic characters in all the same film together interacting with one another. The dialogue is fantastic, and he also structured the film beautifully.
Glass is also filled with top-notch performances from the entire cast. This is the best Bruce Willis has been in quite some time as David Dunn. Watching the film, I really got a sense that Willis really admires Dunn as a character and the world that Shyamalan has created. His performance is subdued, but hidden with much raw depth. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson is fantastic. “When is he not?” He fully embodies and embraces Elijah Price/Mr. Glass as a character, and it is an exciting performance to watch. It is so enthralling to watch him play a maniacal and destructive man, who by appearance does not come across that way, which is a difficult balance that Jackson nails magnificently. Sarah Paulson is also wonderful in this movie as Dr. Ellie Staple. She is the newcomer in this franchise and becomes just as memorable as the three main characters because her performance is extremely captivating. Through her performance and Shyamalan’s excellent writing, I was intrigued by her character throughout the picture. The real star of the show in Glass though is James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb and his 24-personalites. He was astonishing in Split, and is once again astonishing here. His ability to play multiple characters and switch from one to the other in the same scene is mind-boggling. Every one of Kevin’s personalities is fully realistic and believable because McAvoy apples the same level of commitment to each single one of them to create the most compelling character in this trilogy.
This film really stands out from a production standpoint as well. The production design from Chris Trujillo is exquisite, with the mental hospital being visually interesting and a character in and of itself. One scene that really stood out from a production design stand point was a scene where all three main characters and Ellie Staple are in a large room with pink walls and a pink floor, which is another example of Shyamalan expertly using color for much more effective storytelling. I just thought that scene in particular was simple, but nonetheless effective and visually interesting production design. Props must also be given to Paco Delgado for his amazing costume design, in particular Elijah Price/Mr. Glass’s purple costume that is so unique and detailed, and that perfectly embodies Glass as a character. West Dylan Thordson’s score is outstanding as well, and gives the movie a fantastic atmosphere, as well as emotional depth. Shyamalan is a fantastic filmmaker that collaborates with great talents, so together through his creative and imaginative vision, he can create a one-of-a-kind world with unique and bold characters, as proven by Glass.
This is not a perfect film however. While the film strives because of its ambition, it also at times can be overindulgent and quite bloated. I very much admire what Shyamalan accomplished with Glass, but their is far too much happening where it can feel overwhelming and even a little unfocused. Their were moments in the film that I felt could have been better if Shyamalan had just restrained himself a little bit from a screenwriting perspective.
Overall, Glass is a great conclusion to Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy with exceptional cinematography, excellent performances and brilliantly detailed world building and characterizations. While sometimes its ambition can get the better of itself, it nonetheless is impressive and admirable what Shyamalan did with this film, and was a truly unique cinematic experience.
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