Glass is a film I was incredibly excited to see because of the way people have responded to it.
I have heard so many different opinions on this film.
Some love it, some hate it, some thought it was good but that the ending ruined it.
With so many varied responses, I was exited to see what my reaction to the film would be.
After viewing Glass, I clearly understand why there are so many opinions on this film.
After a slew of terrible films, M. Night Shyamalan has been making a surprising comeback lately and many hoped Glass would see him return to his former status.
However, I find that unlikely considering how divisive this movie is.
Shyamalan made some bold choices in Glass but these choices lead to be an ultimately bittersweet conclusion to the trilogy he started, all the way back with 2000’s Unbreakable.
Picking up from the huge twist in Split, that the film takes place in Unbreakable‘s universe, Glass sees David Dunn (Bruce Willis), nicknamed “The Overseer”, hunting down Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), nicknamed “The Hoard.”
After being captured, the two are transported to a mental institution where they are treated by Dr Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who believes their superpowers are a part of their own delusion.
However, the criminal mastermind Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is also in this institution and slowly begins to implement his plan to escape and prove their existence to the world.
For starters, the acting of the three main actors of McAvoy, Willis and Jackson are great.
McAvoy again steals the show with his terrific performance of all Kevin’s personalities.
Then there is Willis whose subtle performance as David Dunn in Unbreakable carries on into this film.
Finally, there is Jackson as the titular Mr Glass who is surprisingly not in much of the film, making me wonder why it is named after him, until the final act where he really shines.
The other returning actors all do a great job as well.
Then there is the cinematography, which is also very well done, creating some great shot including a fantastic use of P.O.V shots.
As for the soundtrack, composed by West Dylan Thordson, it is nothing short of phenomenal.
Not everything is though, sadly, since Shyamalan’s notoriously sketchy dialogue does appear in some places, although not enough to derail the film.
However, whether the story of Glass does get derailed depends on the viewer’s perspective on the ending, which is quite divisive.
The ending is incredibly bittersweet, offering an ending that will either satisfy some audiences or leave them disappointed and maybe even angry, again, depending on the viewer.
Personally, I think the ending fits in well with the story Shyamalan was trying to tell but it could have been executed better.
I found the way one one of the characters’ story ends to be bitterly disappointing, due to the way it is executed and I think there should have been reshoots to fix it.
Still, this problem I had did not kill the ending for me, although it certainly will for many others.
Overall, I would say this is the most divisive movie ending I have seen in a long time, with both sides having valid arguments to this being a good and bad ending.
It is subversive, bold and a massive risk on the part of Shyamalan.
Whether this risk pays off is up for each person who watches Glass to decide.
I think it does pay-off but I can certainly understand the other side of the argument.
I would encourage you to watch Glass just to see what your take on it will be.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 