A simple plot with a twisted climax. If you haven't watched "Unbreakable" or "Split", you will not understand the premise. Plot:
The movie is set around 2 weeks after "Beast" emerges (in Split movie). David (Bruce Wills), "Unbreakable" super hero who doesn't get hurt except through water, sets out to find him. He meets "Beast" but before he could finish him, they both are captured by a psychiatrist Dr. who puts them in a locked facility along with Elijah aka Mr Glass (Unbreakable villain) and tries to prove that they three are just normal humans with brain disorders. Why does she do that? Do they accept they are normal humans? What happens next is all the movie is about
What worked well?
James McAvoy: He charmed and terrorized through his performance in movie "Split" with his multiple personalities (24 personalities), the most dangerous being "Beast". He excels in these personalities namely as a 9 year old child (Hedwig), a sophisticated English woman(Patricia), professor, soft nature person (Kevin), tough young lad (Dennis) and of course "Beast" - with his body language, acting and just his eyes. You will be blown in a sequence where he changes to all these personalities in seconds!!! Mind blowing!!!! He shines amongst Bruce Willis or Samuel Jackson in this movie
Theme of the movie: The movie is about Superheroes - Hold on!!! It's not about people wearing spandex costumes, flying all over the universe destroying half the world (especially America) in the name of saving the world, with mind blowing & rhetoric VFX and having melodramatic sacrificial theme at the end. NO!!! This movie is about people with superhuman abilities living among the general population. It touches humanity in a different angle - Yeah I liked it!!! (I was anyway fed up of weekly Marvel and DC releases with VFX like video games). I could find a sensibility in the approach. The whole movie revolves around a locked up mental facility trying to address the inner sensibilities
Technically, the film is mind-blowing - what I mean is the camera work, BGM, dialogues etc.
Twist: When you wonder what the director can offer, you will be startled with multiple twists at the end but have to agree that climax twist is a dud!!! Moreover, it keeps you guessing till the end though at times it tests the patience
What didn't work well?
The movie starts off with a fantastic encounter between David and Beast - truly remarkable but suddenly gets a pause with a locked up facility. While the climax reveals it, we wonder till such time why the hell they have been locked up and what's the point in proving they are normal humans.
James McAvoy shines - Others have lesser role or they get overshadowed in his presence. Wish I could see more of David (my favourite movie is "Unbreakable")
Climax: I should admit it's slightly messed up (No spoilers) but then it ends with a possibility of a new genre of movies with a different super human capabilities!!!
My favourites among M Night Shyamalan are "Unbreakable" and "Split". I couldn't resist watching when these two main characters reprise in a single plot. M Night Shyamalan also gave some of the most stupid movies after Unbreakable till Split. So, there's very few audience who would like to see the movie. Additionally, "Unbreakable" is a cult movie which wasn't appreciated in it's time.
"Glass" revolves around Comic books and how it has framed the world - with the current generation who doesn't read comic books and have only witnessed it through Marvel/DC movies, they may not be able to appreciate a different superhero theme!!!
In my view, if you haven't watched "Unbreakable" and "Split", don't go without watching those!!! If you haven't liked the earlier ones, you will certainly not like this one. In my view, this movie will also become a cult movie in the later years though it's being critically panned by most!!!
If you are tired of VFX and want some sensible movie (ofcourse barring the climax), go for it!! Though my views are also mixed, I would suggest watching it once!!!