Glass 4K Ultra HD Review

• Actors: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Samuel L. Jackson
• Director: M. Night Shyamalan
• Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
• Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, Ashwin Rajan
• Disc Format: 4K, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
• Region: Region A/1 
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: 
   PG-13 
   Parents Strongly Cautioned
• Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: April 16, 2019
• Run Time: 129 minutes

        Unbreakable was somewhat of a disappointing film for audiences, especially after the extreme success M. Night Shyamalan saw with The Sixth Sense. Looking back now, it is clear that Unbreakable was ahead of it’s time, but the conclusion in Glass feels equally dated and unnecessary. This may have something to do with the 19-year-gap between the films, not to mention the onslaught of superhero films that have saturated the market in the meantime.

        More of a follow-up to Split, which was a surprise success (the first Shyamalan has had in some time), Glass continues the storyline while including the characters from Unbreakable. Split’s Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) is imprisoned alongside Unbreakable’s David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). They are held by a Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) in a facility that is highly guarded, despite the fact that she spends much of the time trying to convince them that their superhuman abilities are simply a delusion.

        The premise is interesting, although less so after the finales of the previous films. Raising doubts about the abilities of the characters isn’t really possible when you have two other films that attempted the same mystery, and resolved it. Even the twists the film has to offer are fairly predictable. Worse yet, the execution of the plot is simply dull, no matter how much McAvoy chews the scenery. Too much of the film is spent in a room with these characters, and by the time we get any action, it is too late.

        If nothing else, Glass is a beautiful film to look at in 4K. Shyamalan has always been a far better director than screenwriter, and Glass has a rich production design and cinematography to match the superhero narrative. Glass looks so good in 4K Ultra HD that it makes me wish that I liked the film better. The depth of contrast and richness of colors is reason enough for the upgrade, assuming you actually enjoyed the film. I did not.

        Glass has the usual collection of obnoxious short and surface-level promotional featurettes in the special features, but also includes a few gems. There is an alternate opening for the film, along with a handful of additional deleted scenes (over 15-minutes worth, all with introductions by Shyamalan). There is also a brief conversation with McAvoy and Shyamalan about the character and the film.  The 4K Ultra HD release also comes with a Blu-ray copy of the film, as well as a digital copy.

Entertainment Value: 6.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 6/10

Historical Significance:  7/10

Special Features: 6/10