Is GLASS a form of self-therapy by its infamous director? (full review)

It should go without saying that an M. Night Shyamalan movie discussion has spoilers.

You’ve been warned.

A REFRESHER ON HIS CAREER

What more can be said about M. Night Shyamalan. His career is one of the most scrutinized and fascinating in modern history.

Here’s a guy who blew everyone away with The Sixth Sense. The movie, and its now-legendary twist-ending has become a victim of its own fame, but in the moment it was hailed as a revelation for the horror/suspense genre. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. The good ones, too: Best Picture, Director, original screenplay, supporting actor/actress. It wasn’t the first ghost story with a twist ending, nor the first horror movie with a child in the lead. What set the movie apart was how perfectly the entire production was crafted. Acting, cinematography, the tightness of the script and the perfect balance between terror and tenderness all worked together to allow the movie to rise above the myriad of horror films that pop up every Autumn.

From there he made Unbreakable. The movie was probably a little too out there for a very creative director who had suddenly become a mainstream name. And make no mistake, Shyamalan’s distinctive name was the real top-billing for the movie. As with Sixth Sense, the film was beautifully shot, had another great script and some good acting. M. Night looked like he would be a major player in Hollywood for years to come, even though Unbreakable wasn’t hit (initially) the way Sixth Sense was.

Signs was a much more “commercial” movie than Unbreakable. By that I mean its plot was easier to condense into a 30 second TV commercial. It made more money than Unbreakable and was initially better-received, but over time the perception of it has suffered, while Unbreakable has been hailed as perhaps his best movie. Either way, Signs was a hit and gave M Night the cache to work without too much micro-managing by Touchstone Pictures or Hollywood Studios (the Disney-owned companies that produced his first three hit films).

The result of his creative blank cheque was The Village, the movie with which M. Night solidified himself (intentionally or not) as “that director with the twist-endings to his movie). What’s interesting about that label is, Unbreakable really didn’t have a “twist” ending. It had a grand reveal. It had a plot-turning moment (which makes sense, considering it was originally conceived as the first part of a trilogy, with the director intending to follow it up much sooner than he ended up doing).

The Sixth Sense had a real, The Usual Suspects sort of twist ending. Signs had a very distinctive ending too, but I wouldn’t call it a “twist” so much as “the climax of long-running Rube-Goldberg-like plot machinations). The ending to Signs wasn’t a twist, it was a contrived pay off to several smaller and seemingly irrelevant plot contrivances. Signs’ ending was brilliantly shot but made no sense (unless you subscribe to the theory that the “aliens” were actually demons, and the water was “holy water” which is why the water in the priest’s house killed them but not all the other water that’s all over the planet…if that’s your theory then forget what I said, the ending is great).

Naturally, the casual audience ate it up while over time it became a drag on the picture. By the time hype was being built up for The Village everyone assumed there would be some kind of a “weird” ending, be it a twist or something unorthodox. Rather than go against the grain and make the actual twist be that there is no twist, Shyamalan gave the people what they expected. And it sucked. I remember people laughing derisively at it, during the finale and walking to their cars. His movie was already not great, but the ending turned it—and his career—into a joke.

And things only went further downhill.

One dud after another followed The Village. Lady in the Water turned him from controversial and divisive to mocked by everyone but his diehard fans. The Happening cost him the diehard fans. The Last Airbender ruined any goodwill he might’ve achieved from the next generation of moviegoers. By the time he made After Earth, his name had to be stripped from all advertising, in an attempt to avoid scaring ticket-buyers away (it didn’t work; no one went to see After Earth…you probably forget there even is a movie called After Earth).

The Visit gave him a modest hit, however, then Split made everyone look around and say “Maybe he doesn’t suck anymore?”

The ending to Split revealed the film took place in the same universe as Unbreakable and that the follow-up would bring back Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass and Bruce Willis’ David Dunn for a surprise third film in the suddenly-a-trilogy trilogy.

For the first time since The Village people were actively anticipating an MNS movie. For the first time in fifteen years, one of his movies had buzz, momentum, and—most terrifyingly—expectations. Now that it’s out does GLASS live up to the hype? Does it bring a satisfactory conclusion to the two movies that came before it? Does it handle the unusual circumstances that come with being a sequel to a film that released almost twenty years ago?

I have no idea; the movie doesn’t even try.

ON GLASS

I’m not entirely convinced this movie is the actual sequel to Unbreakable and Split. I actually kind of think this movie is just a cinematic expression of a cathartic therapy session and maybe the real sequel is still coming.

I think…bear with me…that GLASS is really about how M Night started hot, stumbled, and then had to listen to everyone tell him “your first few movies were flukes, easily explained-away by ‘this’ or ‘that’ bit of outside circumstances” and that “your career is really more The Happening than The Sixth Sense.” He didn’t believe that, of course. He persisted and “proved them wrong” with The Visit, Split, and now GLASS.

Nevermind the fact his first three movies are far-and-away superior to his most recent three, but whatever; I’m rolling.

So he makes this movie that’s about some superheroes/villains, two-thirds of whom did some amazing things twenty years ago, but now they’re trapped in a padded room, being told by a psychologist that all their so-called powers are just flukes, easily explained-away by ‘this’ or ‘that’ bit of outside circumstances.”

And the Dr. makes some convincing arguments: Mr. Glass actually has no super powers but is only really smart; that one’s easy. David is strong but he’s only deluded himself into thinking he’s super-strong, and his ability to sense people and learn their motives is really just a heightened sense of intuition. As for Kevin (the Beast and his many other alter-egos), he’s really just an ordinary man suffering from split-personality, and the feats of strength by the beast (climbing walls, bending iron bars) are the no crazier than watching mountain climbers or seeing “strong men” bending very old beams of metal.

The movie explores this idea at length, putting all three of our main characters through a period of self-doubt before, in the climax, revealing that they are in fact super. They are special. They have the abilities they always knew they had and the Dr. who doubted them is really part of a shadowy organization bent on keeping special people from embracing their real superpowers.

On that note, I think it’s interesting that Mr. Glass says, in the film’s climax that “this” (the movie, to the audience) isn’t a climax (the third movie of three) but an origin story. That’s strange to me, considering how MNS repeatedly called Unbreakable an origin story, and then revealed that Split was the penultimate chapter, setting up the final conflict in the next film, GLASS. But now GLASS is an origin story? What gives?

So, in keeping with my theory, I think GLASS is a cinematic representation of MNS’ career from The Sixth Sense to, let’s say Lady in the Water (the beginning of his four-film rock bottom phase). Act one features a lot of looking back on past events (representing the highs of his early career), act two introduces the doubts that creep in after the Dr. starts questioning them (just as The Village made everyone stop and reconsider if MNS actually was all that and a bag of chips), and act three features the big showdown where you expect the hero to prevail but instead, though they have actual powers, they are all undone by one random thing or another: The Beast turns on and kills Glass, a sniper takes out the Beast when he’s vulnerable, and David is drowned in the WATER by a LADY (this all represents MNS’ rock-bottom period, where everyone wrote him off, said his career was dead, and moved on without him). The trio are killed by a shadow organization, not because they’re NOT special, but because they ARE special.

But what’s the twist? There’s (almost) always a twist in his movies.

Here the twist is the Shadow Organization that tried to suppress knowledge of superheroes failed to account for Mr. Glass’ intellect. He uploaded and released footage of the trio doing extraordinary things, revealing themselves to the world, and giving them their big comeback. That’s not much of a twist, unless you consider it in the context of MNS’ self-therapy.

GLASS is M. Night’s way of saying “I’m great. I’m special. And the shadowy organization of critics who doubted me and seemingly killed me, failed because I can’t be stopped.”

ALRIGHT…OKAY…BUT HOW WAS THE ACTUAL MOVIE?

6/10 – It was okay, nothing special.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

Name*

Email*

7 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Rob Duggat

1 year ago

I enjoyed the movie for the most part. The ending was a bit less shocking than I’ve come to expect. Overall I think it was well acted and held my interest. I’m not entirely sold on the parallel between the story and the director’s career, but it is an interesting theory none the less.

Gavin the Binge-Watcher

This movie was entertaining enough, but it was nothing remarkable. The ending had the standard twist that we’ve come to expect from the director so there’s nothing new there.

Dave

Reply to Gavin the Binge-Watcher

True, there were a few entertaining sequences but even with all the suspense, certain sections of the movie were predictable. Either way, I think that M. Night Shyamalan still stands out in the superhero genre.

KeeperofUnicorns

I thought this movie was fantastic and I went into it expecting a twist, of course, but I failed to figure it out before it was shown. Shyamalan’s twists always get me.

Snarky-Guru

I love a good Shyamalan twist ending and this was another one I didn’t expect. I don’t believe Glass is meant to mirror the director’s roller-coaster ride of success, but I enjoyed reading this excellent theory. I’ll try to watch it again through that lens to see if my viewpoint changes.

Thatcher

I thought the film had a brilliant plot and an entertaining cast. I absolutely loved it. Then again, I thought The Village was a decent film too.

Stargazer

Unbreakable and Split are two of the best movies that MNS had written. Placing the characters of the two movies into one movie is like trying to have a fruit shake made of leafy vegetables. The vegetables are good to eat by themselves but not when they are blended together.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Is GLASS a form of self-therapy by its infamous director? (full review)

A REFRESHER ON HIS CAREER

ON GLASS

ALRIGHT…OKAY…BUT HOW WAS THE ACTUAL MOVIE?

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you