Aaron Pruett
apruett@lc.edu

Glass, directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, and Samuel L. Jackson, is the third installment in the Unbreakable trilogy. With eighteen years of buildup, is this the movie that fans had dreamt of for the final installment? No, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The themes of identity and the people who will do whatever it takes to take what’s special away from you continues but that is the only predictable aspect of this film. The film opens to what I imaged the climax would be, but instead is followed by a much slower movie than the average moviegoer may be prepared for. Glass doesn’t care about how flashy it is, it would rather take time with each character and explore who they are. James McAvoy, who plays The Horde, is absolutely breathtaking as he switches from character to character! The Horde is what keeps this movie feeling alive and fresh.

The first two acts are very strong with the first act centering around Bruce Willis’ character and the second focusing around James McAvoy, but it’s the third act, which centers around Samuel L. Jackson, that’s going to divide fans. The third act reaches with a big end twist much like other Shyamalan movies, but I personally feel like it does not stick the landing.

At the end of the day, this movie subverts expectations of what a superhero movie should be, it’s trying new and exciting things that don’t always land. The movie is not unbreakable in nature, fans will certainly end up split after walking out, however, if you look at this movie like glass that has your reflection in it you can see the value of the message. That’s why if this movie were my kid, I would applaud it for not trying to fit in with the rest of the genre and shattering expectations.