Is ‘Glass’ the New Marvel?

Blumhouse+Productions

Blumhouse Productions

Hua Chen, Staff Writer

Superhero movies have always been a popular genre for audiences of all ages. The newly released movie “Glass” is classified as one of them, with some atypical aspects in comparison to the norm.

The movie “Glass” follows back to two of Manoj Nelliyattu “M. Night” Shyamalan’s famous movies, “Unbreakable” (2000 from Touchstone) and “Split” (2016 from Universal). Produced with a budget of 22 billion dollars by Blumhouse Productions, this movie may not have had the best of reviews, but it should definitely deserve more attention in the drama/fantasy genre.

“Glass” focuses the audience on three particular individuals, David Dunn (played by Bruce Willis), Kevin Wendell Crumb (played by James McAvoy), and Elijah Price (played by Samuel L. Jackson), who claim they have superpowers, and because of their delusional claims, a “doctor” by the name of Dr. Ellie Staple (played by Sarah Paulson) decides to confine and convince them that their obscure claims are made-up fantasies.

What sparked my interest in watching “Glass” was actor James McAvoy, who also played in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” starring as Charles Xavier.

Upon watching this, I would not consider “Glass” as bad in the slightest, but rather the opposite. It possibly even trumps the recent Marvels movies like “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Black Panther,” and the list goes on. Unlike Marvel’s desperate and constant use of cliffhangers and loose-endings, “Glass” pretty much wraps every detail up neat and tidy.

Shyamalan starts approximately the first 20% of the movie slow and calm; then, he quickly transitions to a thriller action feel. Dunn was on his duty in saving the public under the shadows when he encounters Kevin who had kidnapped four cheerleaders. From there, both were caught and sent to a mental hospital. The excitement starts when the two meets Elijah, also known as “the mastermind.”

The plot was enthralling, and the way the cameramen took the shots were skillfully artistic. One example of this is when the shot was taken inside the van as Dunn and Kevin were fighting; this made it almost feel like the audience were the ones inside the van. They were able to accurately capture scenes in unthinkable camera angles and color schemes.

Based on “Glass” and other movies, it is no surprise that McAvoy would get an Oscar. His acting was flawless throughout the movie, even the action scenes, where Shyamalan says in one of his interviews that it was not McAvoy’s strong suit. The movie itself also built a lot of character into McAvoy, Willis and Jackson’s characters, allowing the audience to learn about the past of each one of them.

Unlike Marvel’s movies, this “superhero” movie did not contain shot after shot of action scenes; “Glass” had variety and an unpredictable ending. One part that stood out was how Shyamalan used small details from the beginning to paint the bigger picture towards the end, like what he did with the security camera information.

I would say this is the most thrilling movie I have watched, and also one that had me the most “shook.” It was a movie picked out for lack of options, but quickly became one I do not regret seeing. “Glass” exceeded my expectations in its unbeatable acting, filming and plot. For those Marvel fans out there, this may change your opinions on action/superhero movies. Overall, I think everyone should at least watch the first half of it, and then decide whether or not it’s unbelievably mind-blowing, or just good.