| by Winter Lawrence |
Description: PG-13 | Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Starring: James McAvoy | Bruce Willis | Samuel L. Jackson | Sarah Paulson | Anya Taylor-Joy
Winter’s Forecast: 4 Flurries!
The Story: M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of Unbreakable and Split in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass. From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson returns as Elijah Price, a.k.a Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb and his multiple identities, and Anya Taylor-Joy, as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with “The Beast.”
The story takes place after the conclusion of Split, with David Dunn pursuing “The Beast” in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Dr. Ellie Staple, played by Sarah Paulson, emerges as an enigmatic psychiatrist who holds secrets critical to each man.
Winter’s Review: I’m going to begin with this: I’ve always been a M. Night fan. From his blockbuster hits to his other, highly criticized works, I’ve always supported him. I can safely say that he’s one of my favorite writer/directors, so it physically pains me to admit that I was a bit disappointed with Glass. Let’s be clear: it isn’t because it’s a bad movie—it’s great, in fact, and the acting is superb. James McAvoy did a phenomenal job portraying the Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) suffering Kevin Wendell Crumb. His performance was Oscar worthy, so if you’re reading this James, hats off! You did as astonishingly well as I knew you would! And bravo to all of the other cast members—Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, and notably, Spencer Treat Clark, the actor who portrayed Bruce Willis’s son in Unbreakable and Glass. He’s definitely found his stride as a young adult actor.
So why the glum note, you ask? Well, my primary complaint was that there were pacing issues. I know, I know—it’s a device M. Night usually employs in his films, but in Glass, there were too many unnecessarily slow sections that served no purpose. Yes, there were those classic M. Night twists-and-turns, but none that needed those slow moments, so I had to melt away half a flurry for that.
The other half of the flurry…well…
I don’t ever include spoilers in my reviews, but I will tell you that I was so unhappy with the ending that my broken heart melted away that other half of a flurry all on its own! For what it’s worth, my husband thought it was well done, so I’ll leave you guys to be the final judge. Here’s what I can tell you with absolute certainty though—if you’re a M. Night fan, go and watch Glass! There’s plenty of action and the weaving together of the two storylines is pretty fantastic. If, however, you’ve always been on the fence about M. Night movies or if you weren’t really a fan of the first two films, then I’d say Redbox it—I mean, it’s definitely worth watching, but you’ll undoubtedly enjoy it better from the comfort of your own home.
Okay, that’s a wrap, folks! I hope you enjoyed my review of Glass. Until next time, happy movie-going! I’ll see you at the theater!
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Winter’s Forecast runs on a Five-Flurry Rating System, with five being a perfect storm of fantastic acting, astounding storylines and film components, and an all-around amazing movie-going experience. Here’s the rest of the breakdown:
One Flurry—Near White-Out Conditions: Don’t brave the cold, rent it instead!
Two Flurries—Hail Storm: A few good bits, but mostly worth dodging!
Three Flurries—A Blizzard: Worth the hype, but proceed with caution!
Four Flurries—A Nor’easter: It packs a punch but misses it by that much!
Five Flurries—The Perfect Storm: Stop reading and go watch it already!
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Be sure to check out this review and other cool articles at Our Fantasy Realm.