GLASS    2.2***

This is NOT a “stand alone” movie. It is the 3^rd movie by M Night Shayamalan in his trilogy with the first 2 being “Unbreakable” (2002) and “Split” (2014). So the same lead characters from those 2 movies reappear in “Glass” If you haven’t seen the first 2, you won’t know or understand what’s going on.

As with the first 2 films in the trilogy, “Glass” is not a superhero movie or an action packed sci-fi flick. It is a psychological thriller with people seeming to having supernatural abilities...or do they  which is the main plot line explored in this story. Just like in “Unbreakable” and “Split”, you will have your doubts and theories but in the end it all “twists” off in another direction and then “twists” off on another one.

There's some good and a lot of bad. Great performances from the cast especially James McAvoy who really carries this movie and makes it watchable. Some scenes require him to switch from multiple personalities (23 in all) within seconds of each other. The action is exciting when it is happening which is not that often.  The first half was interesting and engaging  but then you get to the rest of the film. The second half has the movie end with a sense of betrayal as the entire buildup of the last 2 movies and the first half of “Glass” are ruined. The ending wastes a lot of potential that these movies have set up and trades it in for a conventional message to the viewers.  Also the whole premise of imprisoning the 3 main characters for 75% of the movie is ill-advised, particularly because they never spend this time further developing characters or adding interesting elements.

Overall, if you look at this movie as a sequel to Unbreakable, it's definitely not a satisfying conclusion. As a standalone movie, it doesn't work because it relies on the emotional weight of the other movies carrying through. As a sequel to Spit I think it works best because it has a similar pace and setting.

Rated R for violence and bloody images and for strong language.