© FAKESHEMP.NET
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About

GLASS

10/1/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
2019 | DIR: M NIGHT SHYAMALAN | STARS: BRUCE WILLIS, SAMUEL L JACKSON, JAMES MCAVOY | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

Picture
GLASS concludes M Night Shyamalan's East 177 trilogy, which is his neo-superhero series that began with Unbreakable and was bridged by Split. It marks the end of a 19-year odyssey and comes to us beneath the weight of nerdy expectation.

Few people would disagree that Unbreakable is Shyamalan's best film (I would declare it to be his masterpiece) and it holds up perfectly fine without further exploration. Nevertheless he used Split to rejuvenate his career, and by attaching that film to one of his most critically acclaimed titles he successfully navigated his way out of Hollywood's wastelands.
As GLASS fades to black it becomes obvious that Unbreakable was conceived as a stand-alone story, and that any notion of creating a franchise from it came to Shyamalan as an after-thought. In fact I will extend that sentiment to Split, because that too strikes me as an isolated film with its reveal ending tacked on after it was decided to explore a shared universe. And so be it. Split was an impressive psychological thriller, which showcased a tour-de-force performance from James McAvoy, and giving him more screen time in a third instalment suited me just fine.

And so here it is; GLASS... the long-awaited conclusion to a painfully long and drawn out narrative. It's taken almost 20-years to reach this point and the geeky barrens of the internet have been salivating at the thought of an epic showdown. The film begins with McAvoy's character(s) making headlines for kidnapping 4 more girls, and Bruce Willis' character trawling the streets in search of them. When their paths finally cross they are both captured and institutionalised, and subjected to an incredibly specific superhero-dilusion therapy (apparently that's a thing). Joining them is Elijah (Samuel L Jackson) who was already residing in the asylum - highly sedated and immobile. Their therapist (Sarah Paulson) is specially trained in the area of superhero syndrome and is intent on proving that all three men are suffering from mental disorders, as opposed to having superhuman attribute.
Picture
Picture

​GLASS makes brilliant use of the flashback trope, as it revisits Unbreakable and Split using a combination of excised footage from those films and clever augmentation. When the plot requires backstory it never feels contrived and we are taken back to those familiar stories in a seamless and well-crafted manner. The actors are never aged backwards and the audience benefits from a renewed effort to finesse and bridge the gaps between each instalment. Furthermore there is an added surprise and delight with the return of Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard who played David's son and Elijah's mother from the original, as well as Anya Taylor-Joy from Split. Their return reenforces Shyamalan's efforts to stitch the series together, saving him the exhausting task of recasting without disjointness.

And that is where my praise ends, because GLASS is an otherwise laborious and heavy-handed final act, which relies on pop-cultural references and self-awareness. It is riddled with implausibilities and ridiculous situations. Never mind that two men are captured and institutionalised without due process, and ignore the fact that the enormous asylum is mostly unpopulated, with a staff of only three. The film is rife with such absurdities that “Disregard” and “Overlook” become habitual recommendations to Shyamalan's convoluted ego-trip and the overall proceedings feel as though he's making it up as he goes.

The cast are mostly good and their contributions cannot be faulted. Willis, Jackson and McAvoy resume their roles comfortably and do their best with what little they have to go on. McAvoy gives a stand-out performance, exploring many more of his 24 split-personalities with absolute ease. Where some critics note the irresponsible depiction of mental illness, I would argue that there are no limits to fiction and McAvoy's performance is outstanding. The other return players also impress and give strong support, with Spencer Treat Clark being the standout. Sarah Paulson, on the other hand, offers a tedious turn as the idiotic shrink with zero charm and fuck-all appeal. Her performance is boring and her delivery is arduous, and regardless of my pre-conceived disliking for her as an actress, I can't help but feel that the film would have resonated more with someone more charismatic on screen.

The bulk of GLASS takes place within the confines of the asylum, with only the first act and the various flashbacks giving us a broader picture of the world these characters occupy. In doing so Shyamalan has forced himself to rely on character interactions and ostentatious dialogue without actually showing his audience the greater picture that he's so intent on describing. His attempt to subvert the superhero genre is a noble one, and the inclusion of Mr Marvel himself (Jackson) is a fortuitous convenience. And yet despite Jackson rambling on about an epic final showdown, the audience isn't given the pleasure. The conclusion is both underwhelming and vapid and only serves to remind us how absolutely brilliant Unbreakable is, and how it's best served without seconds.

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    OUR WRITERS
    GLENN COCHRANE
    ALYSSA DE LEO
    ALEX MAYNARD
    CHRIS THOMPSON
    SAMANTHA HOWSON​
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    April 2010

    RSS Feed

© 2018 FakeShemp.Net    All rights reserved.  FakeShemp.Net Illustrations by MJ Barros. 
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About