Review of Glass (2019) by Thequietgamer — 27 Apr 2019

One of the biggest underlying themes in the previous two entries of Shyamalan's surprise trilogy is that the potential for extraordinary powers rests inside all of us and that our minds are the key to unlocking them. This message is brought to the forefront for this closing chapter acting as the heart of the story. The real villain in Glass isn't the beast inside McAvoy or even the returning titular anti-hero. It's the people who try to explain away the incredible in order to keep us locked away in a prison of the mundane.

In a time where we have been trained to want/expect big flash and spectacle from our superhero movies, Shyamalan stays true to the world he created some 19 years ago. This is means that even when it looks like things are about to take a turn for the grandiose, Glass sticks to its guns by remaining grounded and small-scale throughout. It's a nice change of pace from the standard blockbuster formula that's become the norm for our superpowered adventures.

The performances are incredible. Bruce Willis is genuinely acting again for the first time in years and McAvoy once again stuns with his ability to embody so many different characters in what is essentially one role. There's a scene where he is forced to cycle through all of the different personalities he portrays rapid-fire and it is absolutely incredible. The real star of the show for me though was Samuel Jackson, although I'll admit I'm a little biased as this has easily become my favorite role of his due to how easy Shyamalan made Mr. Glass to empathize with.

The ending is the only real downside. It's sad to see these characters suffer such tragic fates. The disappointment is somewhat alleviated though by the third plot twist that allows the film to conclude on a more positive note, but ultimately it's still just bitter-sweet at best.

Glass is thrilling in it's smallness. There's a fascinating plot here that's backed by some great subject matter. It's definitely an atypical superhero movie for this day and age, but it's no less exhilarating in its own way than the more traditionally exciting works of Marvel, DC, or any of their imitators. Shyamalan created an original work when he could have just used the modern cinematic universe mold, and it's hard to not respect that.