Glass 4K/Blu Ray Review (Universal/Blumhouse)

Glass is a 2019 superhero film written, produced, & directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, & Split). It’s a crossover/sequel to Shyamalan’s previous films 2000’s Unbreakable & 2016’s Split, serving as the final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy. Touchstone Pictures wasn’t interested in making a sequel to the original film due to a poor box office performance so Shyamalan made a follow up feature with Universal. Walt Disney Studios got involved with this third & final entry. They partnered up with Universal to bring together the Unbreakable & Split universe for one collaboration production. It had a $20 million budget & it grossed $247 million worldwide at the box office!!!!

Three weeks since the appearance of Kevin Wendell Crumb (played by: James McAvoy from Split, X-Men franchise, Filth, & Atomic Blonde), also known as “The Horde”. Security store owner David Dunn (played by: Bruce Willis from Unbreakable, Die Hard franchise, Pulp Fiction, & Sin City 1/2), a superhuman vigilante known as “The Overseer” is trying to track down Kevin with the help of his son Joseph (played by: Spencer Treat Clark from Unbreakable, Animal Kingdom, Mystic River, & Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). He runs into one of Kevin’s personalities & hunts him down at an abandon building. He saves the cheerleaders that were held hostage but ends up trapped with his nemesis by Dr. Ellie Staple (played by: Sarah Paulson from American Horror Story, Deadwood, Ocean’s Eight, & American Crime Story) & the Philadelphia police department.

She takes them to to an institution for the criminally insane where David’s old rival Elijah Price (played by: Samuel L. Jackson from Unbreakable, the Marvel franchise, Pulp Fiction, & Kingsman: The Secret Service) that’s also known as “Mr. Glass” has been held there for 19 years after his unthinkable crimes. Staple reveals her duty to the three men; which is to convince them they are just ordinary humans with no powers. Joseph, Elijah’s mother Mrs. Price (played by: Charlayne Woodard from Unbreakable, Chicago Hope, E.R., & Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), & Casey Cooke (played by: Anya Taylor-Joy from Split, The Witch, Morgan, & Thoroughbreds) all visit at separate times trying to help them out. Elijah manages to escape & frees Kevin. He hoping to bring out “The Beast”. This forces David Dunn break out & defend Philadelphia against it’s two most dangerous super villains! The trio of super humans battle it out while Ellie Staple & the police department try to stop them from this deadly war. What else is lurking behind these unnatural abilities????

Unbreakable is one of my all time favorite superhero films ever made. There’s nothing like it out there & it actually feels real unlike everything else from the sub genre. Split was so much fun & Kevin Wendell Crumb is a great villain. You didn’t know it was a follow up until the very end so that was a great twist. So having these two films mixed into one sequel had me beyond excited since it was originally announced. M. Night Shyamalan has so much talent but his films can be very hit or miss. There’s really no in between with his ambitious material. Was Glass worth the 19 year wait & all the anticipation? Absolutely, it was everything that I hoped for & so much more besides the end. Yes, it started out really slow & it took it’s time for all the character build ups but that’s one of main things that I loved about it especially for the Unbreakable roles. You haven’t seen these people on the screen for a long time so there was lots of catching up to do. It never had a dull moment, it just added to the tension for the final showdown here.

As always with M. Night Shyamalan, this had a few crazy twists that had your head spinning & connecting things from before. James McAvoy was amazing as Kevin Wendell Crumb & his multiple personalities. All of his alter-egos were completely different from each other. Bruce Willis & Samuel L. Jackson stepped back into their characters with ease like Unbreakable was filmed yesterday & not 19 years ago. This is some of the best work from both legendary actors, these roles are personal favorites of mine. It had a quality supporting cast that includes Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, & Charlayne Woodard that elevated the production. This is more of a character study than an action film so be prepared for that. It does still have some nice moments to satisfy those looking for that. It basically had two endings, I HATED the actual ending for this! It’s one of the worst conclusions that I’ve ever seen in cinema when it comes to the main roles. Luckily, everything else before it was top notch but it was still disappointing to go out like that. The twist ending was really cool & it left so much open. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Universal! This 2160p (2.39:1) transfer with HDR10 looks stunning in 4K! I loved the different color schemes for each main character, it gave this feature a very unique look. No one does superhero films like M. Night Shyamalan & Glass really stands out from all of them. It has 4 different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, & French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 on the UHD disc. This is a dialogue heavy feature so it’s very important when it comes to quality & it’s crystal clear on all the tracks. The action scenes sound great & the music is top notch here! It just adds the perfect vibe to this film. It also has English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features from Universal! They are actually featured on the UHD disc. “Alternate Opening” with optional M. Night Shyamalan introduction. 12 “Deleted Scenes” which includes 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. They have optional M. Night Shyamalan introductions with them. He says the original cut was over 3 hours. “The Collection of Main Characters” is almost 9 minutes. It’s broken down into 4 different segments “David Dunn”, “Elijah Price”, “Kevin Wendell Crumb”, & “The Rest of the Family”. It has interviews with M. Night Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, Charlayne Woodard, Anya Taylor-Joy , Spencer Treat Clark, & Sarah Paulson. They chat about the actors. They talk about bringing back the characters. They mention how important each role is & what’s changed since they last showed up. “A Conversation with James McAvoy and M. Night Shyamalan”is a little over 5 minutes. It’s a chat between the creative mind of the franchise & lead actor. They talk about what genres this is considered. They mention how it felt returning to familiar characters. James said adding more personalities made it more interesting. “Bringing the Team Back Together” is almost 3 minutes. It has interviews with various actors & crew members. They talk about working with the director & how it’s like one big family. They chat about him always giving locals opportunities. They share memories & say their family members now work with him. “David Dunn vs. The Beast” is a little over 2 minutes. They talk about having a way lower budget compared to other superhero films. They chat about the two characters battling it out. They say the action scenes here are more intense than the previous two features. “Glass Decoded” is almost 3 minutes. M. Night Shyamalan talks about using original props for Unbreakable in this. He chats about each main character having their own color scheme in the film & how the tone changes towards the end. “Breaking Glass: The Stunts” is a little over a minute. It goes behind the scenes for the major stunts in the film & covers the action scenes from it. “Connecting the Glass Universe” is almost 3 minutes. This goes over all 3 films connecting into 1 universe. It talks about how it took awhile to follow up Unbreakable & the big reveal for Split opened up the chance to finish it with Glass. “M. Night Shyamalan: Behind the Lens” is almost 3 minutes. They talk about working with the creative director & their experience with him. M. Night Shyamalan chats a little bit about his process. “The Sound of Glass” is almost 2 minutes. It has an interview with composer West Dylan Thordson. He chats about working on the film. He talks about how he created the score for the project. “Enhancing the Spectacle” is almost 3 minutes. It goes over the visual effects for the production. They mention that they can’t compete with Marvel when it comes to sub genre but they still have to make it look good especially for their lower budget. “Raven Hill Memorial” is a little over 2 minutes. It goes over the main location for the Glass. “Night Vision” is almost 2 minutes. They chat about director M. Night Shyamalan’s vision style. They talk about his films being in their own little world. It also includes a slipcover, a digital code, & a blu ray copy of the release. A few exclusive versions were released at stores like Best Buy & Target. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!