From M. Night Shyamalan comes a superhero film that’s unlike any you’ve seen before. This isn’t Marvel or DC. This isn’t the Avengers or the Justice League. This movie attempts to bridge the gap between superhero fiction and reality. It focuses on characters that have abilities but are somewhat believable.
Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) has a theory that states comic book characters are based on people who perform superhuman feats in real life. I agree with this theory and feel that we all have the capacity to be superheroes in our own lives, and furthermore bringing out those special qualities is very heroic indeed. I read comics and speak with other comic-readers and have realized that people try to relate to the superheroes or supervillains that they read about. I do this to some degree, but I also like discovering the range of powers each individual has and how they use them. I understand that it is highly unlikely that any of us have telekinetic abilities. The fact that I enjoy relating to these “super” individuals but also enjoy witnessing “unbelievable” powers is paradoxical.
For those of you who did not see this film’s prequel, Unbreakable, Mr. Glass is a supervillain set out to find or create superheroes. Almost two decades before the events of this film take place, he orchestrates a train crash so that he might find the Overseer (Bruce Willis), a super-strong individual and the hero of our story for all intents and purposes. In this film, Mr. Glass acts like a broker of sorts that wants the world to witness a showdown between the Overseer and Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde (James McAvoy), a man with a bestial disposition. The Horde also has 24 distinct personalities and witnessing some of them manifested is entertaining.
This isn’t the worst comic book movie because it’s different from ninety percent of the ones out there. The musical score compliments the drama of the film in hushed tones and relatability is the film’s strong suit. M. Night Shyamalan likes to implement plot twists at the end of his films to intrigue you, but I think he missed the mark in that category on this one. Also, the scale of the final fight isn’t as grand as promised earlier in the film, and the fight sequences throughout aren’t impressive. Overall, this movie is ok if you like superhero fare, so if you do check it out. If not, pass.
Genre: Superhero
Rating: 3/5