Unbreakable Film Series

[PDM.82]

* Readers beware...spoilers ahead!


Unbreakable Film Series:


Unbreakable (2000) (80%)

Split (2016) (78%)

Glass (2019) (40%)


M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable Film Series" starts off good to only end in disappointment. The first installment in the series is 2000's "Unbreakable". All three films in the series were written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. "Unbreakable" stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is about a security guard named David Dunn (Willis) who survives a train wreck with no injuries, leading him to discover that he has superhuman abilities. He is then introduced to a comic book store owner by the name of Elijah Price (Jackson).

"Unbreakable" might not be the best super hero movie ever made but it's definitely one of the most intelligent ones. I personally think "Unbreakable" is one of Shyamalan's best films. M. Night is know for being hit or miss, when the film first came out, for me it was a hit. Where most super hero movies rely mostly on action sequences and big budget explosions, this film relies more on story, clever ideas and dialogue. Shyamalan has created a highly original origin story and in the end it works in big but subtle way.

Although there is problems with the ending, I thought the first two acts of the film were still pretty good. Shyamalan even organized the narrative of the film to parallel a comic books traditional three act structure. The attention to detail in this movie I think is very important to the overall quality of the film. The pacing of the movie is slow and quiet as it builds up to its ending revelation. From obvious influences of Alfred Hitchcock and "The Twilight Zone", "Unbreakable" is not your typical super hero movie. I really liked the characters in the film and how they appear, their strengths and weaknesses. David Dunn, a super hero vigilante with a long, dark security hoodie who's unbreakable and who's only weakness is water. Or Elijah Price, with his Frederick Douglas hair, purple clothing and glass walking stick, who suffers from a rare disease of fragile bones.

I like how Shyamalan would show reflections through the film that would involve glass or how Elijah's mother explains to David the difference of how villains fight heroes with physical strength versus those who use their intelligence. Those kinds of details in his storytelling is what makes the ideas behind "Unbreakable" really good. I remember seeing it back in 2000 when it first came out, I remember liking it a lot. I just watched it again recently and thought "Do I like this movie as much as I did in 2000 when it first came out?". The answer is no...it's not that it's aged bad, it's now that I have seen 2019's "Glass", I think the whole series has been ruined for me.

The second installment in the "Unbreakable Film Series" is 2016's "Split". Although not advertised as a sequel, the surprise at the end of the movie is that you find out that it's a sequel. I remember seeing "Split" for the first time not knowing it was a sequel to "Unbreakable". So when I saw David Dunn in the movie it made "Split" instantly a better viewing experience, not only in the end but as a whole. I wasn't prepared for "Split" when I first saw it. I thought it was just another typical Shyamalan horror flick. I thought "Split" was clever, suspenseful and really entertaining. It even became the most profitable film of the year.

The film follows a man (McAvoy) with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls. "Split" is the first solo supervillain origin movie and Hollywood's first stealth sequel. The films stars James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy. McAvoy's performance is really great as Kevin Wendell Crumb. He changes into many different characters right before your eyes and it's incredible. McAvoy seems possessed by his role, I don't think many other actors could have successfully played this role the way he did. He is almighty as "The Beast" and his powerful acting shows. Taylor-Joy also has a good performance as teenager Casey Cooke, one of Kevin's victims who later reprises her role in "Glass"(2019).

The character of Kevin was in one of the earlier drafts of Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" script, but then pulled him out due to balancing issues. With "Split", he had written some scenes he had written for "Unbreakable" around Kevin. With the appearance of David Dunn at the end of 'Split", it put both films in the same narrative universe. Shyamalan was very secretive in Willis' involvement in "Split", even removing the final scene from the film to test audiences. I did enjoy "Unbreakable" more than "Split", but I still think it is a worthy sequel, especially for McAvoy's stellar mentally ill performance. But nothing could have surprised me more than how Shyamalan single handedly destroyed his own works with one film that in the end makes the other two films much worse. That one film is 2019's "Glass".

"Glass" is the third and final installement in the "Unbreakable Film Series". Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson reprise their "Unbreakable" roles while James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy reprise their "Split" characters. In the film David Dunn becomes locked in a mental hospital with his archenemy "Mr. Glass" and multi-personality "The Horde". They must contend with a psychiatrist that is out to prove that the three do not actually possess super-human abilities.

There are many things I didn't like about this film, like McAvoy's silly, over the top performance. I thought he was a lot better in "Split". Like "Mr. Glass" not saying a word until about half way through the movie. Or Casey Cooke's beauty and "The Beast" situation that comes off really corny. There is one scene I did like in the movie. A scene towards the beginning of the film where "The Overseer" (David Dunn) faces off against "The Horde" (Kevin Wendell Crumb). Their battle is eventually interrupted by police officers who then capture the men and put them in a mental institution. I really like the way that scene was choreographed and shot. It’s just too bad everything goes down hill from there.

Not only did "Glass" struggle to hold my attention but it almost seemed like every scene in the film was getting worse. The ending is no surprise and ends up being as terrible as the rest of the movie. Did Shyamalan really have to make a cameo in this movie?, his scene is pointless and adds absolutely nothing to the story. All those clever ideas and good storytelling from "Unbreakable" and "Split" is nowhere to be found in "Glass". Another disappointing film from a director who is too often hit or miss. When the credits started rolling during "Glass" I thought to myself "That's too bad. I doubt I will watch any of these movies ever again."

[coffee]

These are all great but are you not from Earth-1218?

Bruce Willis played David Dunn (not Dunne). He survived a train crash, not a plane crash...

Also saying that "Split" is Hollywood's first stealth sequel doesn't sound accurate.

Also also, her name is "Anna" with double n's.

[PDM.82]

You got me...I’m from Mars. Just got here.

[PDM.82]

Thanks man...it was train crash. My error.