The Big Picture · Discussion
January 21, 2019/ 31 min/ Sean Fennessey · Justin Charity
Sean Fennessey and Justin Charity spoil M. Night Shyamalan's Glass, the psych-ward finale to the Unbreakable and Split trilogy, and doubt his claim that there won't be more.
11 films across 1 segment.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The 'Glass' Exit Surveyfull spoilers
The trilogy capper puts David Dunn, Mr. Glass, and the Horde in a psych ward with Sarah Paulson's Dr. Ellie Staple, who is there to convince them they aren't superheroes. Charity likes the muting of Samuel L. Jackson for the first half and the gaslighting premise, but both find the opening a disorienting bum-rush and Anya Taylor-Joy's Casey Cooke benched. Ends on four cliffhangers.
Charity's favorite of the three: a superhero movie that sneaks its premise onto you, with the David Dunn / Elijah Price reveal landing in 2001, before the MCU.
The stealth sequel both prefer to Glass, largely for McAvoy's Horde and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke; the $100M hit that folded these characters back together.
Fennessey's exception to Shyamalan's spotty record; Charity argues it's far more rewatchable than the twist-movie reputation suggests.
Part of the early successful run after Unbreakable.
Also from the early hit stretch.
The start of the down period; cited as an all-time good-bad movie, their Bird Box comparison point.
Meant as a fairy tale for his children; read here as an angry vision of a self-styled genius under attack.
The Will Smith misfire of the strange later stretch.
Widely expected to be good and wasn't; Charity skipped it, never having been into the animated Avatar.
The small found-footage comeback that brought Jason Blum and Blumhouse into Shyamalan's orbit.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Superhero touchstones Spider-ManSpider-Man 2X-MenAvengers: Endgame
In passing Bird Box
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV True DetectiveAmerican Horror StoryERAvatar: The Last Airbender
Podcasts The Flat CircleDamage Control