Concluding the Eastrail 177 trilogy, "Glass" was a film no one was expecting they wanted to begin with, as an "Unbreakable" sequel seemed far-fetched after many years. However, with "Split" revealing the stealth sequel nature and providing a new enemy for David Dunn to fight, fan anticipated for the conclusion to the surprise trilogy. The film picks up weeks after the previous film as David Dunn, now known as the Overseer, is pursuing the Beast, only for the two to get captured and sent to a mental institution where Elijah is currently being held. Dr. Ellie Staple attempts to convince that their superhuman abilities are in fact nothing special and that they are simply crazy people who believe that they are more than man. As the doctor tries to break their spirt, Elijah plans to escape as well as constructing a confrontation between good and evil. I personally love the decision to have the film be about the characters stuck inside a mental institution as it helps bring the theme of faith and belief into the foreground more than ever before, which itself was a theme seen in the previous films. I hear complaints that the film wastes the viewer's time in trying to convince the characters that they aren't special, despite our knowledge that they are. I see this plot point not for the audience, but as a challenge for these specific characters. This is not the classic superhero showdown flick people were expecting, it's slow and thought-provoking much like Shyamalan's previous works. There's still fighting and long-awaited interactions, but that's not the real focus of the film. The first and third act are excellent, but the second act does tend to drag on if you were expecting more action or story to occur, as it's very much character dissection. The tone is more akin to "Unbreakable" for the thriller approach, but sprinkles in the humour that was more present in "Split". It's a perfect mix and works to bring characters from two very different type of movies into the same reality.
Bruce Willis as David Dunn takes a bit of a backseat in this film as he goes through a similar arc that he has encountered, which is the true nature of his abilities. Although people have complained about this segment, I don't mind it as it makes sense for the character of David to always be open-minded and not aggressive with his authorities. Willis still delivers a great, albeit subdued, performance regardless. James McAvoy is brilliant as ever as Kevin Wendall Crumb, with more personalities showing up to show off the underrated talent McAvoy has achieved over the years. Kevin gets a lot of focus in this film as he's not only the character to give off the comic relief, but is also the one that goes through a lot of on-screen development with the beliefs of the Beast and the personalities losing faith. Samuel L. Jackson as Mr. Glass steals the show by the second half of the film, but is excellent as ever with his charismatic, albeit loony, personality and his ultimate plan to show the world that superheroes do exist. Spencer Treat Clark reprises his role as Joseph, David's son who helps him on his vigilante duties and tries to find a way to get his father back. Clark is surprisingly really good as an actor and should be in more films in the future. Anna Taylor Joy as Casey returns to act as the voice of reason and compassion for Kevin, as she knows the tragedy of his situation and wants to help him, despite the bad things he's done. Charlayne Woodard as Elijah's mother doesn't do too much, but really does a good job as the parent who loves and motivates her son, despite the sins he has done. Lastly, there's Sarah Paulson as Dr. Ellie Staple, a psychiatrist who is attempting to show David and Kevin that they don't have superhuman abilities as they are just mentally sick. Although Paulson does a good job, Staple is perhaps the worst character in the franchise mainly due to how unlikeable and uncharismatic she is. Unlike Elijah or Kevin who show the reasons for why they do evil crimes and their beliefs, Staple shows no signs of humanity and her allegiance with the secret society only makes her character even more unlikeable. I understand that this was by design, but many villains need an ounce of sympathy in order to prevail as great characters, which is why Elijah and Kevin work as antagonists compared to Staple. Outside of that, the entire cast does a fantastic job as always with everyone having a chance to shine to demonstrate amazing moments with these great characters.
Yet again, Shyamalan knocks it out of the park for his directing skills and artistry. Although the film doesn't use the ambitious long takes like "Unbreakable" or the claustrophobic close-ups in "Split", the director mainly spends his time establishing the mental institution as the centrepiece along with some great wide shots and camera POV's to make the location stand out. The institution is both modern and visually pleasing, but also carries a cold and ominous feel to it. There's a lot more bright lighting than the previous films, but yet it's still limited due to the controlled setting and the hidden nature of Staple, giving the institution much more character than one would expect. All of this is helped once again by cinematographer, Mike Gioulakis, who does an outstanding job with the camerawork. West Dylan Thompson once again returns to compose and it actually improves over his previous work. While there are still tracks that are more in relation to "Split" with the creepy thriller-esque sound, there's also tracks that are more in nature to that of "Unbreakable". While the recognizable theme is barely used, there's some fantastic tracks such as the uplifting, beautiful score that plays in the end when David gets his costume back and the final scene of the film. James Newton Howard may still hold the best soundtrack in the franchise, but Thompson can almost rival his efforts. The action scenes are unique to say the least. Considering that it's mainly a brawl that consists of two men bear-hugging each other, the cinematography offers multiple unique angles during the battles ranging from the close-ups of the faces, the view of the battle inside a van, the camera located on the outside of the institution, etc. Giving all of these different ways to view what can be seen as an underwhelming battle allows it to be both captivating and creative to say the least. The last thing that must be discussed is the ending and twist to say the least. The choice to kill off the leads, the reveal of the secret society that hasn't been mentioned, and Glass's actions making him more heroic than he really is has angered and confused fans since the release, making this the least favoured entry in the trilogy. I can see why people can't get into the ending as on the one hand, it appears to be somewhat insulting and ridiculous to conclude the series on. However, I can overlook the decisions and appreciate what Shyamalan was trying to do. It sucks that David gets drowned and all, but the secret society makes sense as an antagonistic group and one that would have existed all of this time, and Glass's master plan revealing superheroes to the world isn't made to primarily redeem himself, but to expose the truth and allows others to finally awake. The ending works really well as a proper conclusion for the characters and theme, but it's one that I understand is not going to be loved.
"Glass" is considered to be the weakest entry of the trilogy, despite it not being far off from the same quality as the previous films. The only issue I have with the film is the character of Dr. Staple, but the controversial ending and story decisions from the character deaths to the reveal of the secret society is widely known to cause some friction that I for one can understand. However, that doesn't mean this is a bad movie. In fact, it's pretty damn close in quality and being on par with the other films. From the unique approach to the story and exploration of the trilogy's overarching theme of faith and belief, the setting of the mental institution having a cosmetic character and creative set-piece for a superhero genre, great performances and character development from all throughout the cast with McAvoy once again stealing the spotlight, Gioulakis's crisp and theatrical cinematography, Thompson's great soundtrack, Shyamalan's phenomenal directing and passion for his product, and the film wrapping up the trilogy with a bittersweet conclusion that feels somewhat fitting and proper for the world the filmmaker has created, despite the sudden nature of it. If Dr. Staple's character was written to be more engaging, I feel that this film would have been practically perfect and be on the same level as "Unbreakable", since people wouldn't mind the reveal of her antagonistic nature if she was more developed or likeable. I love all three films and while I can get the reasons for why people wouldn't like the final installment, I enjoy it for all of the overwhelming positives it carries.
Verdict: 9/10. Outside of rewriting Dr. Staple, the rest of the film is practically as perfect as it can be. I might not be able to fully defend the ending, but perhaps you should try to understand what I see and give it a watch.
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