Glass Review - Dynamic, Entertaining, Thrilling

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Category: Film

Published on Friday, 18 January 2019 00:25

Written by Janet Walker

Glass, from Universal Pictures, presents the sequel to 2017 instant hit Split, bringing together a trio of uncontrollable individuals who possess unnatural physical strength and mental power in what becomes an epic cataclysmic battle for ultimate superiority.

Directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan, Glass stars James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Spencer Treat Clark, and Charlayne Woodard.

Glass begins with a violent punk criminal walking down the street and for no apparent reason "superman" punches the man dropping him and then we find the motive, as his videographer laughs as he films the scene remarking on the amount of hits they'll get on the video.

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While they are home editing the film, the sound of a door opening draws them from marveling at their violence. Investigating the noise the "man"  heads to the kitchen first. In seconds he is rendered incapacitated. The videographer waits and we see a poncho clad figure.

The scene cuts to an older man opening the gate to his store which is when we meet David Dunn, played by Bruce Willis. Walking toward the back of the store, we also meet his son, Joseph Dunn, played by Spencer Treat Clark.

The two are talking about the vigilante justice spree he has been on and while public opinion is split on his effectiveness. Vigilantism is a crime and criminals, even those who make the streets safer for the law abiding population, face the judicial process.

The next scene we see an old abandoned warehouse, splitting paint, dark, and out of the shadow, a woman, very conservatively dressed, who walks across the floor and begins to speak and then we see the four cheerleaders abducted and chained to the table.

The woman, Patricia, is one of Kevin Wendell Crumb's 24 personalities, all played by James McAvoy, she is the headmaster of "The Hoard" which the group is called. We also see fan favorite Hedwig, always nine, just discovering emotions and now we find his music tastes have changed to Drake and he is learning to dance.

David and his son have been working, as amateur security specialists, on finding the latest group of women who have been abducted. Figuring they may be near the factories, he heads down that way, making his way through the crowds. The camera catches his causal touches of the men he walks between. Whatever he is expecting is not here. Then a man bumps him and a pause in time hits David, and he knows innately this is the killer.

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Not wanting a fight with the killer, only looking to free the girls, the hooded man in the poncho, David's vigilante alter ego appears just as Kevin's The Beast appears.

The two superhumans, one attempting to stop crime and the other unable to control the enemies within that cause him to commit heinous violence, pit their strengths against the other. The fight is an epic battle with the two finally falling out the window. Which is where we meet Dr. Ellie Staple, played by Sarah Paulson.

I was sold on Glass from the moment I heard a sequel to Split would be made. My expectations were met and surpassed. Glass reunites the hunter, Crumb and the hunted, Casey, played by Anya Taylor Joy who developed a Stockholm Syndrome type of affection for her captor.

After the fight the two are transported to a psychiatric hospital which is where we meet Elijah played by Samuel L. Jackson.

The acting is electrifying led by James McAvoy and the strong ten different personalities that show themselves each vibrant and playing them with shocking realism. 

He stays in the character of the character, returning with the same physicality, the mannerism, each different, each alive. The attention to detail in the personalities, even down to the imprints on the wall as The Beast would crawl up the wall and over the ceiling.

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Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis' characters are equally uniquely played. While these two don't have fight or flight designated split personalities as they tackle the complexities of the character, layers in the personalities are presented.

The script is also complex and well written, especially as while the cast is essentially small the split personalities each have their own development. It was genuinely entertaining with the right amount of suspense. For those who remember Split, there is an immunity to the shock of the unique personalities exhibited. 

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Glass is an exciting, dynamic, well done film. The film focuses on the intrigues of the limits of the mind and mental abilities or abnormalities that are possessed or are a possession depending on the school of thought.

Glass opens in theaters everywhere January 18, 2019. See it.