By Robert Yaniz Jr.

The roads of Unbreakable and Split converge in a finale that is sure to polarize audiences.

THE HYPE

Calling M. Night Shyamalan one of the most divisive filmmakers of the modern era is perhaps the least divisive statement one could make. Since breaking through with The Sixth Sense 20 years ago, the director’s career has been one of Hollywood’s greatest rollercoaster rides, one full of highs (Signs) and lows (ahem, The Last Airbender). Yet, amidst all that, his 2000 psychological thriller/stealth superhero film Unbreakable has gained a cult following. Now, after sneak-attacking audiences with the spinoff that was Split, Shyamalan fuses both tales into a grand finale to the most unlikely trilogy.

THE STORY

As revealed at the end of Split (spoilers?), Kevin Wendell Crumb’s (James McAvoy) deadliest identities — collectively known as The Horde — are on the loose, and everyone’s favorite poncho-wearing superhero, Unbreakable‘s David Dunn (Bruce Willis), is on the case. However, the pair soon find themselves trapped in a psychiatric hospital alongside none other than Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), the sinister genius who helped David realize his true potential in the first place. Old wounds are reopened, and new alliances are formed. But are these three really superpowered or just suffering from delusions of grandeur, as Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) suspects?

THE CAST

As was the case with Split, McAvoy’s ability to instantly transform from a proper British woman to a nine-year-old boy (to reference two of Kevin’s 24 identities) easily makes him the highlight. His character epitomizes this franchise’s bizarre see-sawing tone between stripped-down character drama and over-the-top theatrics.

Returning to their Unbreakable roles with ease, Willis and Jackson never skip a beat, though the former still feels underserved while the latter doesn’t have nearly the screentime the title suggests. Perhaps the only true surprise in Glass — other than Paulson’s welcome presence as the only notable new character — is how significant Split‘s Anya Taylor-Joy and Unbreakable‘s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard are to this grand finale.

THE PRODUCTION

Aesthetically and narratively, Glass captures everything we’d expect from the creator of its two predecessors. The didactic take on comic book mythology is even more heightened than it was in Unbreakable, and the more problematic aspects of Split‘s handling of dissociative identity disorder take the forefront. So anyone with misgivings about either prior tale will find those issues very much in play here.

In fact, it’s clear from the opening scenes of Glass that Shyamalan’s every decision hinges on strengthening the connective tissue between the previous two films. Thematically, Glass follows through on the arcs set forth before it, though it does suffer a bit from having to tie up so much in one fell swoop. Especially in the third act, certain elements are handled a bit haphazardly. Each viewer will have to decide whether or not that is forgivable.

THE VERDICT

Fans of Unbreakable and/or Split who are expecting an epic superheroic battle in this final installment of the “Eastrail 177” trilogy may or may not get what they’re hoping for. If you’re interested in seeing these characters come together, you’re in luck. But if you’re expecting Shyamalan to do so in a fashion more becoming to the bombastic Marvel and DC heroes, you might be disappointed.

The strength of both David Dunn’s and Kevin Crumb’s stories is how they deconstruct what we expect from comic book films, delicately adhering to and subverting our expectations at every turn. That approach is a bit more heavy-handed in Glass — this is, after all, a film in which Jackson’s Mister Glass has a monogrammed pin affixed to his purple-toned ensemble — but Shyamalan has never been a filmmaker to play by genre conventions.

While some fans may find Glass an unsatisfying slog, others will admire its chutzpah in creating a distinctive vision of comic book heroes and villains spilling over into our world. Count me among the latter camp.

Glass stars James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard and Sarah Paulson and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan.