The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic:
on GLASS (2019, 129 minutes, R)
The Quick of It -
Yeah, so… a trilogy has been completed. Just maybe not so ‘complete’.
We have UNBREAKABLE, SPLIT, and now GLASS coming from the
mind of director M. Night Shyamalan. This
is a visualization of a timeline where superheroes are a part of today’s world…
a plausible spin of what could be. This trio
of films has a great buildup to ultimately fail me in the end. Mamma always said to finish what you
started. Maybe finishing just a strong
is also just as important.
SPOILERS are ahead, to some degree - cannot be helped.
Director M. Night Shyamalan created a buzz with his past outing,
SPLIT. Not until the final scene do we
learn that it is a standalone sequel to UNBREAKABLE, thus launching the trilogy. Of course, this is totally in line with his
need to add twists to his films. Of
note, James McAvoy’s performance in the film deserved an Oscar, a Globe, and
whatever piece of twisted metal you want to throw at him. As hard as it is to believe, the second film
was just as good, if not better than the first, unlike so many other trilogies
out there.
GLASS is the final piece and filled the fans with hope and
wonder on what is next. I will first
say, GLASS is supposed to star James McAvoy (the Horde), Bruce Willis (The
Overseer) and Samuel L Jackson (Mr. Glass), but after thirty minutes, you
realize that Sarah Paulson seems the center of attention. And not in a good way. Through circumstances, the three gifted
people end up in a mental institution under Dr. Ellie Staple’s (Paulson) care. This is my main gripe, but the others are not
lesser in impact. Her screen time diminishes
the other’s roles. The three core
characters are only given passing glances to build their character progression,
mixed with their supporting cast members to bolster… something that gets lost
in the minimal time to weave the tale.
And this is only exacerbated by Shyamalan’s need to tell the
story with piacular camera shots. His style
and choices in storytelling has been questionable to most critics and for the
larger audience. I have not found his
work so bad, even enjoyed his weaker films.
THE VILLAGE and LADY IN THE WATER were great in my eyes. But, whether to purposely create shots that
give a comic book framing feel, or just his way of leaving his mark, it was
more distracting than helpful. It can be
done, as proven in FENCES by Denzel Washington, who created a collection of
shots that gave the sense of a live stage performance on celluloid.
And then we have problems with the writing. There was so much exposition blocked in trying
to explain in comic book terms on how the story is progressing that you choke
on it. Mamma Shyamalan was there
spoon-feeding us to be sure we understood what he was doing. Even Mr. Glass’s mother was explaining why things
are happening in comic book terms at one point!!! And the kicker is when Paulson blasts off on
a tirade of why Glass did such-and-such, to explain everything, almost directly
to the camera… you gag on the lack of creative writing. If you were paying attention, which was also
shown on film just minutes before, you know why Glass did what he did. Duh.
In the end, I really wanted to love the film. I did.
Even struggled with how I wanted to write this review. But I had to vomit this out, so I didn’t get
any sicker holding in these feeling of contempt. Always listen to Mamma Shyamalan, cause he
vomited all over this one. As a fan, I
say to you, “Good luck. I hope your
experience is better.”
Grade: C-
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