In my original Glass review, I gave it a not-so-favorable review. Upon a second viewing, my thoughts on the film didn’t really change. It’s my firm belief that M. Night Shyamalan’s films suffer if they go over a certain budget. The lower the budget, the simpler the film is. The bigger the budget then the more complex and convoluted the film is. That’s the biggest problem with Glass.
Much like other Shyamalan films, the enjoyment of the film is solely based on your enjoyment of the film’s ending. If you enjoy it then most likely you’ll enjoy the film. On the other hand, if you hated it then you’ll most likely hate the film. Glass is admittedly a divisive film. For you gamers out there, the Unbreakable series is quite similar to the Mass Effect series. The entire series, as amazing as it is, is utterly ruined by a total letdown of an ending—much like Mass Effect 3‘s ending.
Not to mention, Glass’ setup is strictly confusing. The series spends two films establishing that superheroes exist in the real world, only to have Glass try to disprove all of that. Imagine a film trying to tell you that what you saw in the past two movies is all in your head. It’s a tonal discord that never really fit. These external forces are what ultimately brings the film down. Sadly, they’re a big part of the film.
At least the buildup to the showdown between the Overseer and Mr. Glass and the Beast is engaging. The interactions between the three main characters are highlights of the film. It’s just a shame that Dr. Ellie Staple prevents much of this interaction. Unfortunately, the actual showdown is a bit of a letdown. Again, the interactions between the three are great. It’s the external forces that kill any momentum put forth by the final showdown.
Overall, Glass is a disappointing conclusion to the Unbreakable series. While Unbreakable and Split showcased the best of what Shyamalan can do, Glass, on the other hand, shows you the worst of what Shyamalan can do. The hype behind Glass was huge, but the disappointment is much greater than an overhyped film. It’s commendable that Shyamalan wanted to try something new. Yet sometimes those ideas just become too complex for its own good.
Movie Rating: 2/5 atoms
Video
Glass hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with an HDR transfer and a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. With Glass taking place mostly during the night and in (mostly) windowless areas, the film isn’t necessarily a bright film. There are scenes where bright areas permeate from the screen, but they are few and far between. However, when there are bright white areas, they just pop from the screen. Also, you won’t find any bloom whatsoever in these areas. When it comes to the black levels, they’re a deep black. Now, you would expect a dimly-lit film like this to have a lot of crush in the film. Yet there isn’t any to be found in this transfer. It’s actually shocking that you can see some depth and details in these areas.
The overall color palette for the film consists of a wide array of colors and a warm, Earthy color temperature. So, as a result, the colors never really jump off the screen. Similar to the color palette, the color saturation looks natural and alive. Since the film was shot in 4K, the video is so incredibly clear. The edge details are crisp and clean and the film grain isn’t visible either. Overall, this is a fantastic video transfer.
Video Rating: 5/5 atoms
Audio
Glass hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos and a core 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track. This review will reflect Glass‘ Dolby Atmos track. So as you’ve probably guessed, Glass isn’t necessarily a dynamic or action-packed kind of film. That’s why you find a lot of dynamic movement of sound across the soundstage. Not to mention, there’s a lack of overhead effects in this mix as well. It does tend to show up but it’s not often. That being said, the accurate placement of sounds completely envelopes you in the soundstage. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s really immersive.
The music tends to lend itself to the overall atmospherics of the film. It’s not intrusive or overpowering, but it balances itself quite nicely alongside the dialogue. But the biggest—and best—surprise is hearing the loud bass of the subwoofer in this mix. It adds so much weight to the score and to the small number of action sequences. Overall, this is a great mix.
Audio Rating: 5/5 atoms
Special Features
Glass‘ Ultra HD Blu-ray has the following special features on it:
- Alternate Opening
- Deleted Scenes
- David Alone at Bar
- Patricia Talks to Cheerleaders
- David Encounters Pierce
- Casey in Art Class
- Dr. Staple Explains Machine
- Mrs. Price in Waiting Room
- Mrs. Price Talks to Elijah
- Dr. Staple Drinks Tea
- Pierce Checks Elijah’s Room
- Mrs. Price Tells Elijah About Surgery
- David Submits to Dr. Staple
- Patients Worship The Beast
- The Collection of Main Characters
- David Dunn
- Elijah Price
- Kevin Wendell Crumb
- The Rest of the Family
- A Conversation with James McAvoy and M. Night Shyamalan
- Bringing the Team Back Together
- David Dunn vs. The Beast
- Glass Decoded
- Breaking Glass: The Stunts
- Connecting the Glass Universe
- M. Night Shyamalan: Behind the Lens
- The Sound of Glass
- Enhancing the Spectacle
- Raven Hill Memorial
- Night Vision
Although there are a lot of special features on this list, don’t be fooled by it. Almost every single special feature on this list are promotional behind-the-scenes looks that you could find on YouTube. Be that as it may, the “Alternate Opening” is one of the few non-promotional bonus features in this release. It shows the setup of the hospital prior to the incarceration of David Dunn and Kevin Wendell Crumb in the mental institution. Although the original opening was fine, this alternate opening does add a bit of intrigue to the film. Thus, it raises questions as to who or what will inhabit these specialized rooms. As many deleted scenes are there are, none of them would’ve improved the quality of the film.
“The Collection of Main Characters” are simply a bunch of quick breakdowns and analyses of the film’s various main characters. In other words, it’s informative but it’s also pretty short. “A Conversation” gives viewers a short and sweet Q&A between Shyamalan and McAvoy. So if you need further analysis of the film then this is another bonus feature to watch.
“Bringing the Team Back Together” is a sweet bonus feature where it highlights the family vibe on the set of Glass. “David Dunn vs. The Beast” is another quick behind-the-scenes look at the fight between David and The Beast. “Glass Decoded” is easily the most interesting featurette on this release. Basically, it has M. Night Shyamalan divulging a lot of information about his use of colors in the film. “The Stunts” quickly goes through most of the stunts in the film.
“Connecting the Glass Universe” essentially has the cast and M. Night talking about how crazy it is that Split and Unbreakable are all part of the same universe. “Behind the Lens” simply showcases the meticulous work Shyamalan as the writer and director of the film. In addition, it’s also a love fest as the cast and crew all praise his discipline.
Both “The Sound of Glass” and “Enhancing the Spectacle” are the most informative featurettes in this release. In “The Sound of Glass”, composer West Dylan Thordson breaks down what he wanted to do with the score bit by bit. With “Enhancing the Spectacle” the visual effects artists break down a lot of the visual effects used in the film.
“Raven Hill Memorial” highlights the eighth character in the film: The mental hospital. Honestly, It’s comforting to see that we, the audience, weren’t the only ones creeped out by the hospital… The actors were too. Finally, “Night Vision” showcases M. Night Shyamalan’s love of storyboarding for this film. Needless to say, he’s a very meticulous director. So what this featurette shows is that he’s meticulous all the way back into pre-production.
Special Features Rating: 4/5 atoms
Overall, Glass is a disappointing conclusion to the Unbreakable trilogy. The film ultimately is brought down by Shyamalan’s complex ideas and concepts. Fortunately, both the video and audio mix are superb in this release. On the other hand, a lot of the special features in this release are simply too short and too promotional. In other words, quantity does not equal quality.
Overall Rating: 4/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
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