Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
Reviewed by Matt (@Cleric20) Adcock
“This was an origin story the whole time...”
Everything has led up to this. From the moment back in 2000 when we got to know the ‘Unbreakable’ security guard, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and his brittle nemesis Elijah Price ‘Mr Glass’ (Samuel L. Jackson), the Eastrail 177 trilogy has been in motion.
In 2016 the game changed when the multiple personality freak-em-up movie Split introduced The Horde – 24 different identities in one body (James McAvoy) into the same universe. And now we have the concluding chapter where Dunn, Price and The Horde’s paths cross one last time – for a super-hero showdown very different to most comic book flicks.
"Let battle commence"
As a huge fan of Unbreakable, (which was the second film I reviewed back when I first started this gig 19 years ago), I’m delighted that director M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass turns out to be a cinematic masterpiece. Not an all-out action-packed romp - although there are some seriously great fights - but rather a compellingly thoughtful and complex analysis of the very nature of what it means to be super-human.
The homage to comic book mythology that tone of the first film is writ large here it begins showing how Dunn (now known as The Overseer by the public) has been protecting the people of Philadelphia. At the same time The Horde has been terrorising young women and so the collision course of good and evil is set. Mr Glass, however, has been incarcerated in a mental asylum and is being treated by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah ‘Bird Box’ Paulson) who specialises in those who she believes have delusions of having superpowers.
"The Overseer will protect you"
When the actions of Dunn and The Horde lead to their getting locked up with Mr Glass for therapy - the film becomes a time bomb waiting for these three unique individuals to violently interact.
McAvoy steals the show – his multiple personality acting is just jaw-dropping to behold – but Jackson brings a cool sinister gravitas to his evil mastermind role and Willis is on good form reprising one of his most iconic roles.
"Are they mad?"
Glass feels like a spiritual odyssey that tackles the mystery of what it is to be human as much as it is a thinking person’s comic book tale. It is gorgeously shot and cleverly ties in the previous films to leave audiences broken and challenged.
A cracking cinematic achievement, Glass is the antidote for anyone who is suffering from super-hero burnout.
Highly recommended!
Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:
ööööö
(5 - A superb conclusion - not for thrill junkies but for true comic book believers)
Awesomeness ööööö – Both the action and the thought processing are great
Laughs öö – Some dark humour
Horror ööö – Gets a little grim in places
Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - Search for the hero inside yourself
No comments:
Post a Comment