Glass concludes the Unbreakable superhero trilogy of M. Night Shyamalan with the anticipated showdown between the lead characters of Split(2016) and Unbreakable(2000) providing mixed results with a lead in to a spectacular battle that never arrives fully.
Released: 18 Jan 2019
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 129 min
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy
Writer(s): M. Night Shyamalan
Plot: Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.
IMDB rating: 7.0
MetaScore: 42
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution: 2160p HEVC w/HDR
Aspect Ratio: 2.39.1
Audio: Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 2 Hrs. 9 Min.
Package Includes: UHD, Blu-ray, Digital Copy
Disc Type: UHD
Region: ABC
Release Date: 04/16/2019
MSRP: $44.98
The Production: 3.5/5
Glass features the title character(“Full name Mister. Last name Glass.”) played by Samuel Jackson locked up in a sanitarium run by Dr. Ellie Staple(Sarah Paulson). Vigilante David Dunn(Bruce Willis) is collaborating with his son Joseph(Spencer Treat Clark) to fight crime and hunt down Kevin Wendell Crumb(James McAvoy), aka “the Horde.”
Before long, David and Crumb find themselves imprisoned in the same sanitarium as Mister Glass. Dr. Staple is dedicated to persuading each of them that they are delusional and possessing of nothing exceptional or different from regular people. Anya Taylor-Joy returns to her Split role of Casey Cooke, a surviving victim of Crumb, whose visit to her former tormentor coincides with the escape planned by Mr. Glass.
The nature of belief and reality is an underlying theme running throughout the film, although the difference between delusion and reality is never really left in doubt as the story plays out to its conclusion. McAvoy, Jackson, Willis, and Paulson have great performances in Glass with material that lends itself to their respective strengths.
Unfortunately, Glass is the victim of its own buildup of audience expectations as it teases a grand destruction engineered by a criminal mastermind that never comes to fruition. The ultimate showdown between David Dunn, Mr. Glass, and the Horde plays out on a dramatically lower scale than is promised in its buildup. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan mentions in one of the commentaries that the original cut clocked in at 3 hours and 20 minutes. Some of the extra footage is included in the special features, but it would be interesting to see the director’s cut, even if it does not change the denouement substantially.
Glass ties in nicely with the earlier films in a way that should please fans of Unbreakable and Split, even if this final entry does not break any new ground in its meta conceit of a world filled with superhero comics that are inspired by a hidden reality of real-life superheroes existing on its fringes.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Glass appears on 4K UHD in its original 2.39:1 screen aspect ratio. Fine detail and shadow detail in 4K are excellent on this disc. The director uses shadows and light to great effect in screen compositions, and this transfer is well up to the task of displaying the hues and detail that 4K disc can provide to perfection.
Audio: 5/5
Glass is presented by default in an English Dolby Atmos mix that makes full use of the sound stage. Directional audio is extremely well used early in the film and never lets up, from the cracks of thunder, ambient noises, and music composed by West Dylan Thordson and James Newton Howard. (Thordson’s score seems to be inspired by the work of Bernard Hermann, which enhances the mood of the film.) The Dolby Atmos audio on Glass takes full advantage of its opportunity to present a sublime sound presentation.
Special Features: 4/5
Special features on the 4K UHD disc include the following:
Alternate opening: Plays with an introduction by writer/director Shyamalan(2:57) or without intro(2:12).
Deleted scenes(24:53): Deleted scenes come with optional introduction by writer/director Shyamalan. Scenes are David Alone At Bar, Patricia Talks to Cheerleaders, David Encounters Pierce, Casey In Art Class, Dr. Staple Explains Machine, Mrs. Price in Waiting Room, Mrs. Price Talks To Elijah, Dr. Staple Drinks Tea, Pierce Checks Elijah’s Room, Mrs. Price Tells Elijah About Surgery, David Submits To Dr. Staple, and Patients Worship The Beast.
The Collection of Main Characters(8:42): David Dunn, Elijah Price, Kevin Wendell Crumb, and The Rest of the Family are the selections playable individually or with a “play all” selection which has the director and actors discussing the characters in behind the scenes footage.
A Conversation With James McAvoy and M. Night Shyamalan(5:10): McAvoy interviews Shyamalan in this brief featurette.
Bringing The Team Back Together(2:54): Director Shyamalan and lead actors talk about returning to this meta superhero universe in Glass.
David Dunn vs. the Beast(2:11): Behind the scenes footage with discussion about the climactic showdown between the Overseer and the Beast.
Glass Decoded(2:52): Director Shyamalan discusses his use of colors in decorating the scene and setting the mood.
Breaking Glass: The Stunts(1:28): Stunt coordinator Manny Silverio and joins the actors and director in a brief discussion of stunts in the film.
Connecting the Glass Universe(2:54): Director and actors discuss the varying approaches among the 3 films
in the trilogy.
M. Night Shyamalan: Behind The Lens(2:46): Performers discuss their work with director Shyamalan.
The Sound of Glass(1:50): Composer West Dylan Thordson discusses his music compositions in the film.
Enhancing The Spectacle(2:53): Discussion of the extensive visual effects in the film.
Raven Hill Memorial(2:16): The location-shot mental hospital located in Allentown, Pennsylvania is highlighted in this featurette.
Night Vision(get it?)(1:56): Storyboard artist Brick Mason, producer Jason Blum, and others discuss bringing the script to screen.
Also included is a Blu-ray disc and a paper insert with a validation code for digital download of the film via the “Movies Anywhere” app.
Overall: 4/5
Glass is an entertaining if somewhat unfulfilling conclusion to the Unbreakable trilogy that benefits from some strong performances by its leads. The 4K video presentation is flawless, and the English Dolby Atmos audio uses its sound stage to full effect. There is a multitude of special features on the 4K and Blu-ray discs. Glass is a worthwhile sequel to Unbreakable and Split even as it fails to live up to the grand conclusion that it teases is coming.
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Timothy has worked background in theatrical features and television, just for the fun of it, in films directed by Peter Segal and Christopher Nolan. His favorite film star is Bugs Bunny, and Timothy has discovered that most of the problems in life can be solved successfully (strangely enough) by asking “What would Bugs Bunny do?” Timothy has been involved with the Home Theater Forum since 2007 and has reported from Comic Con, interviewed Bruce Campbell and Danny Trejo, and reviewed classic animation and new theatrical releases on disc.
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