Guess Who’s Back

Glass and Companions

“Guess Who’s Back”

A Review of Glass by Nick Olszyk

MPAA Rating, PG-13

USCCB Rating,  A-III

Reel Rating, Three Reels            

Glass represents the culmination of a remarkable comeback for M. Nigh Shyamalan, a filmmaker once thought finished. He started with great promise as the writer/director of 1999’s hit The Sixth Sense and followed with a series of fantastic thrillers. Beginning with 2006’s Lady in the Water, he created a series of colossal failures – critically, popularly, and financially – but by some miracle still managed to stay employable. In 2015, he surprised everyone with the The Visit which was not a catastrophe before debuting the suburb Spilt in 2016, the first secret sequel ever made. Glass is a direct follow-up to that film and the final picture in Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy. While it suffers some of the expected Shyamalan quirks, it is his most thematically potent film to date and gives hope to any artist, including myself, who has gone through a rough patch.

David Dunn (Bruce Willis) has accepted the mantle of vigilante hero and even earned the nickname “The Overseer” from the media. He is hot on trial of supervillain “The Horde,” twenty-four personalities that inhabit the body of Kevin Crumb, including a supernatural cannibal called the Beast, and all played magnificently by James McAvoy. Before he can stop this maniac’s reign of terror, both of them are discovered, kidnapped, and placed in psychiatric prison along with Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), a criminal mastermind. The facility is run by a younger, more attractive Nurse Ratchet type, Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who – completely ignoring their constitutional rights – has sequestered these metahumans in an attempt to convince them they are delusional. She claims to have only three days to prove this to them, before…she doesn’t say. Meanwhile, there is a set of supporting characters, all of whom have some kind of connection to these three, who take it upon themselves to free their comrades and prove to the world their incredible abilities. This only describes the film up until the mid-point. Being a Shyamalan movie, you’ll just have to discover the rest for yourself.

One reason I’ve always enjoyed Shyamalan is he imbues his films with a kind of spiritual energy, no doubt influenced by his Hindu beliefs. The “twists” that define his style come from an underlining belief in a secret reality hidden just beneath the surface. Signs was marketed as an alien invasion story but really was about a minister’s lost faith. Split was portrayed as a kidnapping film but really dealt with the trauma of abuse. In Glass, Dr. Staple continues to insist – despite obvious evidence – that these people are mentally ill. “There cannot be gods among men,” she insists. Yet there are not only gods but demons, events and beings of extraordinary nature. The world wants to rid the human imagination of both. The real revolution of the Universe is not of governments or social structures but the reality of the miraculous. As Christians, we understand that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” One way he demonstrated this was through miraculous signs and supernatural abilities. Despite Dr. Staple and the Devil’s best efforts, the truth will come out.

This is a wonderful message that is unfortunately hindered by Shyamalan’s most egregious faults. Glass contains endless sequences of talking, especially from Dr. Staple, bringing “monologuing” to new heights. There are also scenes that drift on and on seemingly without purpose. Most of all, every actor is intense and somber all the time, uttering every word like its Shakespeare or the Bible. This gives the atmosphere a stale taste despite intriguing characters and plot developments. At the same time, I’ve seen so many of these films, I’ve grown mostly immune.

There’s one last element about Glass that is noteworthy, but it does require a slight spoiler, so you have been warned. One of the key relationships involves Kevin and Casey, the sole teenage survivor of the Beast from Split. She was spared being eaten alive after it was discovered she was a victim of abuse, like Kevin himself. Despite her horrific experience of being held prisoner by the Horde, she develops an emotional attachment and even romantic feelings for Kevin. It would be easy to dismiss this relationship as a perverted form of Stockholm Syndrome and patriarchal fantasy, but Shyamalan handles it with incredible debt and sensitivity. She recognizes that Kevin’s illness was born from similar suffering to hers and forgives him for his admittedly terrible sins. It was not really his will anyway. At a time when society is justly beginning to confront sexual abuse and assault in both Hollywood and the Church, it’s important to remember that the heart of the Lord is mercy, especially for someone who expresses true repentance.

            The end of the film is a bit unnerving and frustrating but concludes in a morally hopeful manner. Shyamalan has demonstrated that is possible to make a good superhero film on a shoestring budget and without any CGI based on pure directing skill and acting ability, which is something to celebrate. I’m excited to see where this franchise leads, which is something I’d never thought I’d say about this artist again.