Glass

Story: Glass, M Night Shyamalan’s third instalment in his Eastrail 177 trilogy, a sequel to Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016), is a riveting psychological thriller that works as an intriguing spin-off to Hollywood’s conventional superhero movies.

Review: Not all superheroes wear capes and not all want to save the world. Some — Samuel L. Jackson as Mr Glass, hope to believe in themselves even as the world perceives them as freaks, while the others — James McAvoy as ‘the beast’ and 23 other personalities, may just want to protect themselves.

Security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with an extreme case of Dissociative Identity Disorder. He has 24 separate personalities residing in his mind. However, things spiral out of control and the two land up in a psychiatric research center, where they encounter Mr Glass.

Revolving around its three anti-heroes (Glass, the beast and Bruce Willis as the ‘unbreakable’ David Dunn), M Night Shyamalan’s cleverly crafted thriller shatters the glass ceiling in its respective genre. As a matter of fact, Glass isn’t a superhero movie per se. It’s an intense psychological thriller that uses the superhero elements to study the psyche of the extraordinary characters it examines.

Those well aware of Shyamalan’s penchant for tension-driven build-up leading to an unexpected twist in the climax can rejoice here as the filmmaker lives up to your expectations from him. While the climax is rather divisive and bound to evoke polarising views, it is unpredictable and retains that sense of wonder nonetheless. A constant sense of paranoia and suspense coupled by James McAvoy and Sarah Paulson’s incredible performances, make this thriller worth watching. The mysterious equation between its central characters is the heart of the story.

However, Glass has its share of hairline cracks and chips, which over the years are pretty much synonymous to Shyamalan’s movie-making style. He has this fascinating way of engaging you in his story, drawing your unflinching attention and then untimely releasing you from his spell with a thud. What begins as a superb covert character study leads to a seemingly futile emotional roller coaster.

To cut to the chase, Glass is terrific but has its share of underwhelming moments. However, if you are the type who likes the journey regardless of the destination, Glass is your film. It convinces you to decode its relevant theory — faith vs logic, who wins?