Gonger Reviews: Glass

Glass (2019)

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samual Jackson, James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard.

Synopsis: it’s a twist! Shymalan crafts a superhero flick that doesn’t suck. Oh yeah, the flick is about the characters from Unbreakable (2000) meeting the characters from Split (2016). I didn’t see Split but let’s pretend I did so we’re all on the same page.

Cinematography: I a big fan of tight in face shots and this flick does it well. In fact, for a superduper flick the camera work is very conservative. It’s a budget thing for sure but its a refreshing take for sure. Mike Gioulakis delivers a brooding atmosphere using light and shadow to his advantage. It’s not super complex by any means but it goes to show that you can create a comic book movie with out the glitz and glam! 1.5/2

Costumes/Make-Up: So the costumes are grounded and represent a believable world... all except Mr. Glass’s get up. I know the guy thinks life is a comic book and its believable that he would have such a get up but it was slightly distracting. Dunn’s rain poncho thing kinda screams “I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)” and again is distracting but believable. And how did The Beast get pants? The worst part for me though is Mrs. Price’s old age make up, it looked like old age make up from Star Trek 66’! good gravy! 1/2

Acting: There is this part where McAvoy is cycling through The Hordes many personalities and I was all like “Mose’s Ghost! This guy can act!” Distinct characters for brief seconds conveyed in one shot! That’s level 100 shit son! Jackson is freaking over the top, too, which you just have to love. Willis never forgets a character and after eighteen years (yeah! Eighteen freaking years!) he slides back into the Dunn character with ease. Taylor-Joy has this charisma about her that is infectiously likeable, as is Clark’s Joseph. And old age make-up aside Woodards Mrs. Price is top notch. Paulson probably had the most work fleshing out a character but again fantastically put together! Top grade actors doing top grade acting for a goofy superduper! Cant ask for much more. 2/2

Writing: Lets call a spade a spade, M. Night can be very hit or miss. The guy pens some real groaners but he also wrote two of the best modern thrillers of our time The Sixth Sense (1999) and Unbreakable (2000). But he also manages to screw up a perfectly good script with a bad twist, The Village (2004) which is actually the last flick I’ve seen of his other than this one. You know what though, I think I got to go back and give those flicks a try. He’s not a bad writer, just a little sloppy and there is nothing wrong with that! So is this a worthy sequel? Yeah. Is it a well crafted super hero film? Heck yeah! It’s one of the best! And (spoilers!) four twists for the price of one! 1.5/2

Directing: Shaymalan is true to form here and expertly grounds the comic book genre to a level that is believable and graspable. This is the arthouse of super hero flicks. Is it Dark Knight? No. But it is Glass. Very much so a original concept that is logical and worth while. I didn’t want it to end actually! It’s what I’ve wanted out of the genre for some time now and I didn’t even know it! Give this guy the reigns to do something great but limit his budget and you’ll get something very special, I think. Shymalan Returns! 2/2   

8/10 oh boy starting off 2019 on a high note! Can only go down hill from here...