Glass (2019) review

One year after making it big with The Sixth Sense, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan released his next directorial effort, Unbreakable. Serving as a deconstruction of the superhero genre, the film followed a seemingly average man who ponders if he’s a superhero himself after miraculously surviving a devastating tragedy. Upon its release, the film didn’t quite do as good with critics and audiences as The Sixth Sense, but it has gone on to arguably surpass it as Shyamalan’s most popular film. And yet, because it wasn’t that big of a hit, plans for a sequel were put on hold for the next decade and a half. It wasn’t until 2017 when the idea of continuing the series was put into play thanks to Shyamalan’s then-latest effort, Split, which had continued his recent career resurgence after a string of critical flops in the 2000s. But while the film may have seemed like a simple small-scale thriller about a group of girls who found themselves kidnapped by a man with multiple identities, audiences were surprised to discover that the film was the long-awaited Unbreakable sequel thanks to a cameo by the previous film’s protagonist. And thus, the plans were set for a third film that would bring together the main characters of both films and provide a conclusive finale to what is now being referred to by fans as the Eastrail 177 trilogy, named after the train that started this whole ordeal. Taking its name from the first film’s main antagonist, Glass once again brings audiences into a world of real-life super-heroes and real-life super-villains. And while some may be put off by the ways in which it continues the story of Unbreakable, it’s still a highly engaging thriller with captivating performances.  

19 years ago, security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) was the sole survivor of a devastating train crash in the city of Philadelphia. After learning that he somehow managed to survive the crash without any injuries, David proceeds to undergo a journey where he starts to test himself to see if he’s a real-life superhero, a notion that’s encouraged by comic enthusiast Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a man who suffers from brittle bone disease. However, David eventually learns that Price was the one responsible for the train crash, having decided that his purpose in life was to be David’s arch-enemy, Mr. Glass, resulting in David alerting the authorities and Price being placed in a mental institution. Since then, David has continued to operate as the vigilante known as ‘The Overseer’, which leads him to a confrontation with Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), an infamous kidnapper/murderer who has dissociative identity disorder and 24 distinct identities fighting for control of his mind, thus earning him the nickname ‘The Horde’. Their ensuing clash ends up with them both being arrested and sent to the Raven Hill Psychiatric Hospital where, as fate would have it, Price is being held as well. Whilst there, the three become the subjects of Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), who specializes in dealing with patients who have delusions of grandeur, specifically the idea that they possess super-powers. But as the three men find themselves subjected to intense psychological evaluations that put their abilities into question, the ever-devious Elijah begins planning his next criminal scheme that he promises will prove to the world once and for all that super-powered beings truly exist.

When it comes to this unexpected trilogy of films, Glass is a combination of the best elements of its two predecessors. Since Split wasn’t technically revealed as a sequel to Unbreakable until its ending, Glass is ultimately more in line with the first film when it comes to its structure and purpose as a commentary on the concept of comic-book superheroes. At the same time, though, Glass also carries over the psychological ideologies of Split’s plot to further strengthen its commentary. With that in mind, it should be noted that this isn’t meant to be a big-budget superhero flick with large-scale action sequences a la something out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, Glass’ big action sequences are reserved for its first act and finale, with the rest of the film focusing on its main characters’ time spent in the mental institution. And overall, the film manages to maintain an engaging narrative throughout because of its layered characters and effective moments of emotional poignancy that come from taking the idea of super-powered beings and grounding it in realism. But just like any Shyamalan film, this story ends up leading to some major twists that, in this instance, seem to be a major source of contention amongst this film’s critics, and to be perfectly frank, in some ways it’s easy to see why this is. Without spoiling any of these twists, the biggest of the bunch could’ve benefitted from being built up a bit more because as is, it sort of feels like it came out of nowhere. And yet, despite this, the film then immediately course corrects itself with another twist that works a lot better because it manages to provide a thorough conclusion to the arcs of its main characters.

On that note, one of the biggest draws to this film is getting to see the three main leads of the franchise together in one big ‘crossover’. Starting with the cast from Unbreakable, Bruce Willis is excellent once again as main protagonist David Dunn. Instead of being one of Willis’ more recent outings where many have felt that he’s just ‘phoning it in’, he provides the film with several of its best emotional moments in his second go-around as the reluctant hero who’s been put through the emotional wringer more often than most. But, of course, you can’t have a hero without a villain, and that’s where Samuel L. Jackson comes in as Elijah Price AKA Mr. Glass. Now fully embracing his role as ‘the mastermind’, Jackson commands the screen as this series’ fascinating antagonist with the tragic backstory of a life that’s been considerably hindered by his condition. And yet, arguably the biggest standout of them all is James McAvoy reprising his role from Split as Kevin Wendell Crumb and his 24 unique identities. Just like in the previous film, the ways in which McAvoy slips in and out of each identity, whether it’s the innocent 9-year old Hedwig or a Southerner named Luke who has the tendency to spoil films, is a sight to behold in terms of all the physical and mental transformations that he undergoes. The three are then joined by a variety of returning players from the other films, including Spencer Treat Clark as David’s son Joseph and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey, the sole survivor of Kevin’s rampage in Split, and they’re all good as well despite not having as much to do as Willis, Jackson, and McAvoy. Sarah Paulson then closes out the ensemble as this film’s primary new addition, Dr. Staple, and she shines as well as the film’s most mysterious character with an unclear agenda.  

With Glass, M. Night Shyamalan has been granted something that he hasn’t had in years, hype. While it may not have been as big of a hit as The Sixth Sense was upon its initial release, Unbreakable has since gone on to be regarded by many as his best film. As such, when it was revealed that his 2017 outing Split was the unexpected follow-up to Unbreakable, the anticipation began to mount for the concluding installment of the Eastrail 177 trilogy. Despite this, however, Glass is proving to be quite the polarizing affair amongst critics and audiences, with several feeling that it just didn’t live up to the hype and was a lackluster conclusion to this promising trilogy. And to be perfectly fair, there are certain aspects of this film that won’t exactly go over well with everyone when it comes to the ways in which it concludes the trilogy and, more importantly, the overall arcs of its main characters. Ultimately, though, I did find Glass to be a genuinely satisfying finale to this trilogy, as it combines the best elements of Unbreakable and Split to produce yet another highly engaging thriller. It may not boast the usual structure of a ‘superhero flick’ but the story is solidly written and the film benefits from an excellent collection of layered characters headlined by the phenomenal lead trio of James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, and Samuel L. Jackson. In short, it’s nice to see that after all these years, M. Night Shyamalan was finally able to return to the world of heroes and villains that he had initially created with Unbreakable to spawn a truly unique trilogy of superhero films.     

Rating: 4.5/5

The Upside (2019) review

(Howdy, folks! This one’s going to be a little shorter than the usual review only because I’m currently working on my End of the Year lists.)

Today’s film, The Upside, is an interesting one to talk about mainly because of its source material. In 2011, French filmmakers Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano released their latest project, The Intouchables. The film starred Omar Sy as a man who, after being released from prison, ends up getting hired to be the caretaker for a quadriplegic millionaire, played by François Cluzet. Inspired by the real-life story of businessman Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his caretaker Abdel Sellou, the film did quite well with critics upon its release and Sy ended up winning the Cesar Award (AKA the French Oscars) for Best Actor. However, it was an even bigger hit from a financial perspective, grossing the equivalent of $412.9 million at the worldwide box-office and becoming the second highest-grossing French film of all-time behind 2008’s Welcome to the Sticks. Since its release, a few remakes have been produced by other countries, including a 2015 Indian remake, Oopiri, a 2016 Argentinian remake, Inseparables, and an impending Bollywood adaptation. As for an American adaptation, directorial duties ultimately went to Neil Burger, whose filmography includes the 2006 romantic period piece The Illusionist, 2011’s sci-fi thriller Limitless, and the first installment of the Divergent series, with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston taking on the lead roles. And although the film spent a few years in limbo due to a shift in distributors, it’s now seen the light of day as one of the first releases of 2019 and an enjoyable little crowd-pleaser that benefits heavily from its excellent lead duo.

At the time that I’m writing this, I have not seen the original Intouchables, though I was at least made aware of it back when it was released because of its financial success. Even with this in mind, however, it’s clear that this new film isn’t that different from the original, as it still follows the same plot of a recently paroled man (Kevin Hart) who inadvertently becomes the caretaker of a recently paralyzed millionaire (Bryan Cranston). As such, the film’s plot is admittedly very predictable. It’s your standard buddy comedy about two mismatched characters who gradually learn to get along and help each other better themselves in life in the process, and thus, it’s quite easy to tell where it’s going to go narratively. Still, for what it’s worth, the film does a nice job when it comes to balancing its comedy with its drama. The humor in this is solid, for the most part, and there are also some very effective emotional moments peppered in as well. Ultimately, though, this film mainly succeeds because of the excellent camaraderie of Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. While the film does give him the chance to do some solid dramatic work, Hart is his usual animated self here and this is matched nicely with Cranston’s dry wit. And while most of her role in the film consists of her reacting to Hart’s shenanigans, Nicole Kidman makes the most out of her supporting role as Yvonne, the loyal assistant of Cranston’s character Phillip. In conclusion, The Upside certainly fits the bill when it comes to a January release. It’s not going to win any major awards, but if you’re just looking for a decent little dramedy, then the dynamic lead duo of Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston does make this one worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Aquaman (2018) review

In 1941, writer Mort Weisinger and artist Paul Norris created the character of Aquaman, the king of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis with the ability to communicate with the various creatures of the sea. Over the next few decades, Aquaman’s role in the DC Comics universe began to grow significantly to the point where he became one of the seven founding members of the Justice League, and he has continued to be one of DC’s most prominent superheroes ever since. But as for his overall reception amongst audiences… well, that one’s a bit more complicated because, despite his long history in the world of comics, Aquaman has been deemed ‘a joke’ in the pop cultural zeitgeist for supposedly being nothing more than ‘the guy who talks to fish’. This was mainly brought on by the character’s roles in his titular animated series from 1967 and the Hanna-Barbera produced Super Friends series that ran from 1973 to 1986. And despite DC’s efforts to work around this image through various reboots and such, shows like Robot Chicken and The Big Bang Theory continue to enforce this long-standing view on DC’s aquatic superhero. As for getting the King of Atlantis on the big-screen, that journey has been just as bumpy. Simply put, it’s truly saying something when the most prominent on-screen appearance of Aquaman prior to 2016… was the in-universe feature film directed by James Cameron in HBO’s hit series Entourage where he was played by the series’ main protagonist Vincent Chase.

But things finally changed when DC began to develop its own cinematic universe a la Marvel. Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa was cast in the role of Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman and made his first appearance in the DC Extended Universe via a cameo in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There, he first appeared alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg in a series of videos that Batman had uncovered (and were then subsequently viewed by Wonder Woman) from the files of Lex Luthor’s company LexCorp on their investigations into the presence of ‘metahumans’ AKA the franchise’s term for super-heroes. Momoa was then promoted to one of the lead roles in the 2017 follow-up Justice League, and while neither film fared very well with critics, Momoa did manage to work well alongside his co-stars. But now The King of the Seven Seas finally gets the chance to grace his own solo film with the sixth installment of the DC Extended Universe, Aquaman. Horror veteran James Wan steps in to direct a film that certainly has quite a lot of baggage behind it going in. For starters, like Wonder Woman, it finds itself tasked with getting the franchise back on track after the considerably disappointing critical and financial performance of Justice League. But, of course, as it’s been made clear in this intro, possibly its biggest hurdle is proving that one of the most widely-mocked superheroes of all-time can be taken seriously. And with strong visuals and a well-balanced tone and atmosphere, it can be argued that Wan did succeed in that regard.

Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) was born as a child of two worlds. This became the case when his father Thomas (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse keeper from Maine, rescued a woman from a violent storm in 1985. Little did he know that the woman, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), is the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. And as she later tells their son Arthur, he’ll eventually grow up to become the one who will unite their two worlds. However, after she ends up leaving both him and his father to return to Atlantis, Arthur ends up ignoring his Atlantean heritage over the years as he becomes the legendary warrior of the sea, Aquaman. Eventually, though, Arthur finds himself having to finally face his destiny when Mera (Amber Heard), princess of the Atlantean kingdom of Xebel, comes to him and warns about his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), the current ruler of Atlantis who plans on initiating a war against the surface world. Specifically, Orm seeks to gain the support of at least four of the other kingdoms of Atlantis so that he can have a grand army and be granted the title of ‘Ocean Master’. And when it becomes clear that Arthur isn’t exactly prepared to take down Orm with his mother’s trident as his only weapon, he and Mera end up on an adventure around the world to find the trident that belonged to King Atlan (Graham McTavish), the original king of Atlantis. Because as it’s established by Arthur’s mentor Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Atlantis’ royal advisor, Atlan’s trident is Arthur’s only hope of reclaiming his birthright as the true king of Atlantis.

Aquaman is truly an ambitious entry in the superhero genre as far as its action set-pieces are concerned. This film is full of incredibly elaborate action sequences that feature everything from sweeping camera movements to some very impressive long-takes. And while quite a lot of these action sequences are filled to the brim with CGI creatures in what is usually an equally CG-based environment, the visual effects team clearly brought their A-game to this project. When these effects are combined with Don Burgess’ solid cinematography, it results in some of the most incredibly striking visuals to ever grace a superhero film. Plus, as was the case when the Russo brothers first started to direct MCU films or when Christopher Nolan went from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight, this film’s action sequences show the growth that James Wan has clearly made as an action director after his previous foray into the genre, 2015’s Furious 7. And as far as this film’s tone is concerned, those who were put off by the dour proceedings of Zack Snyder’s DCEU films will be pleased to know that this film is ultimately more in line with the much more successful Wonder Woman in that department. While it does treat the storyline of Aquaman uniting the kingdoms of Atlantis as seriously as possible, the film maintains a fun, light-hearted atmosphere throughout that harkens back to classics like the Indiana Jones films, especially during Arthur and Mera’s journey around the world to find King Atlan’s trident.  

From what I’ve gathered, it seems like Jason Momoa’s first major DCEU appearance in Justice League was decently well-received. Some may have been a bit turned off by Momoa giving the character a ‘surfer bro’ personality, but he managed to do his best with the limited material that he was given. Thankfully, though, as was the case with Gal Gadot when she got her own solo film as Wonder Woman, Momoa fares a lot better in his own solo film, as the character development that he didn’t get in Justice League is finally put in here with the conflict of him being a child of two worlds and how he ends up becoming the reluctant hero of Atlantis. All of this is handled very well and it’s clear that Momoa is having a lot more fun this time around as his comedic banter is much stronger here than it was in Justice League. In fact, it even gets to the point where the character’s controversial ‘surfer bro’ persona feels much more natural when compared to his previous appearances in the franchise. Amber Heard also thankfully gets a much more fruitful role here than she did in Justice League as Mera. In that film, she was a blank slate in what was literally her only scene in the damn film when Steppenwolf attacked Atlantis to collect one of the Mother Boxes. Here, she’s a confident, no-nonsense badass who is repeatedly shown to be much more adept than Arthur at practically everything while also getting a nice little arc in which their adventure allows her to gain a greater appreciation for the human world. And thanks to their characters’ strong back-and-forth dynamic, Heard and Momoa have excellent chemistry. They’re then backed by a solid supporting cast that includes Willem Dafoe as Arthur’s loyal mentor Nuidis Vulko, Nicole Kidman as Arthur’s mother Atlanna, whose role in the film is thankfully not just a brief cameo limited to flashbacks to Arthur’s youth, and Dolph Lundgren in another solid turn this year after Creed II as Mera’s father, King Nereus of Xebel.  

And then you have the film’s two main villains… who, sadly, are the weakest links in the film despite good performances from their respective actors. First, there’s Aquaman’s most famous enemy from the comics, mercenary David Kane AKA Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). And to the character’s credit, the film does set up Kane incredibly well, with his conflict with Aquaman ultimately defined by one gutsy move that Arthur makes during their first encounter that heavily affects Kane on an emotional level. After that, once Kane puts on his signature suit, it leads to one heck of a confrontation with Aquaman and Mera in what is easily one of the film’s best action sequences… a shame, then, that this is the only key scene in the film with him in the suit. In other words, if you’ve seen any of the trailers for this film, then you’ve seen the bulk of Black Manta’s role in it. Thus, the honor of being the film’s main antagonist instead goes to Aquaman’s half-brother Orm AKA the ‘Ocean Master’. Overall, James Wan regular Patrick Wilson is solid in the role even if it is just him spending most of the time unabashedly hamming it up. Plus, the rivalry that the two Atlantean siblings have due to their shared heritage does provide Orm with some decent character development. The issue with him, however, is that while he does have a more substantial role in the plot than Black Manta, said role still feels very limited due to the film focusing more on Aquaman and Mera. And because of this, Orm ends up being the kind of villain who talks a big game instead of legitimately having one.

Well, with a decent RT score and a box-office total that’s undoubtedly going to go past $1 billion soon, it’s clear that Aquaman has been one of the better-received installments of the DC Extended Universe. And while I wouldn’t necessarily call it the ‘best’ DCEU film to date, it’s still a very welcome breath of fresh air after the highly disappointing affair that was Justice League. Simply put, director James Wan does manage to succeed, for the most part, when it comes to taking one of the most widely mocked characters in pop culture history and giving him a film adaptation that treats him respectfully. After all, in a time where the superhero genre has given us films that feature talking raccoons and heroes who can shrink to the size of insects, I think it’s safe to say that the idea of an ocean-based superhero who talks to marine life isn’t such a ridiculous concept anymore. And his first solo film achieves this by being, to be perfectly blunt, the kind of film that Warner Bros. and DC should’ve been making all along instead of just trying to copy what Christopher Nolan did with the Dark Knight trilogy. Instead of an overly dark and dour drama a la Batman v Superman, Aquaman is a bright and colorful superhero epic with impressive visuals and action sequences that are paired nicely with a solid tone that skillfully balances effective drama with genre-friendly humor. And just like Wonder Woman, this film gives its title character (and his leading lady) the proper character development that they didn’t get in previous DCEU films where they were just one part of a larger ensemble. In short, if there’s one thing that films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman prove, it is that the DC Extended Universe is truly at its best when it isn’t trying to take itself so seriously.

Rating: 4.5/5