(May contain mild spoilers for Glass. Definitely contains spoilers for Split (2017)).
We thought we had M. Night Shyamalan’s number. Then, the man synonymous with the movie twist managed to pull the rug out yet again during the final moments of 2017’s Split. The revelation that the events had been taking place in the same ‘universe’ as 2000’s Unbreakable elevated what was a pretty average kidnap thriller to something altogether more exciting: a superhero origin film with much wider repercussions.
Unbreakable was somewhat ahead of its time. Before Nolan’s Gotham posed the question of how superheroes might exist in a world closer to our own, Night had already done it. The reception was cool on release – following The Sixth Sense, the expectation of a head-spinning twist overshadowed what is a perfect, slow-burn, cerebral thriller. Willis’ low-energy, deadpan persona fitted the reluctant hero like a glove.
Split was hailed as a return to form for Shyamalan after a run varying from patchy to turgid. We know now that this had more in common with one of his early films than it was letting on. James McAvoy’s performance was as impressive as it was grating. Occasionally coming off as a little showboat-y. There’s no doubting McAvoy’s talent, but the gimmick wore a little thin, and the film was eventually salvaged by Willis’ unexpected glower, come the credits.
So with Split’s success, Night was obviously keen to announce the sequel while the excitement was fresh. He promised that it wouldn’t be your average superhero sequel – like we needed telling.
Glass is full of moments spent second-guessing the director’s intent, and where he eventually wanted to leave the story and characters. A CG-fuelled showdown seemed unlikely, but he has fun teasing such possibilities. The meta nature of the superhero and comic books – the key hook in Unbreakable – returns as the thrust of developments. It is here where the Willis/Jackson section of the endeavour outscores McAvoy’s, but is ultimately also it’s biggest frustration.
As the interest and action crescendo, Night doesn’t seem to have much more to say about Willis’ David Dunn, or Jackson’s Elijah Price. The plights of the immortal everyman, or the tortuous existence of the twisted genius, seem to have a ceiling. There’s not too much more within Willis’ stoic, conflicted hero, that we’ve not already seen, apparently. Instead, the focus defaults back to McAvoy’s gurning, when really our interests lie elsewhere.
Those who loved Shyamalan’s first great few films, who had long given up on (or who were determined that we should never get) an extension of the Unbreakable story, will find a lot to like. Mr Glass – as the title would suggest – isn’t even really the focus. We wish there were just a few more kernels that the filmmaker had left to explore. Maybe we didn’t need the sequel after all …
A Room With No View 