Next up to bat was Split, a film that many consider to be M. Night’s return to his true form of filmmaking. When Split was first released, no one knew that it was going to be tied to Unbreakable, which is why the ending was such a shock for most people as it clearly defined Split as being a film that was taking place inside the Unbreakable universe. I absolutely adore this film and if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably seen me post countless times about how I fully believe James McAvoy should have been nominated for an Oscar for this performance. For those not familiar with this film, it centers around a man named Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) who is diagnosed with 23 distinct personalities and kidnaps three girls who must try to escape before the horrifying emergence of his 24th personality. I think why I was so drawn to this film originally was because it had a more horror element to it as opposed to the comic book heavy, Unbreakable. However, watching this film directly after Unbreakable allowed me to pick up on a slew of details and nuances that I never noticed before. A lot of these missed moments came from dialogue between James McAvoy’s character(s) and his therapist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley). Out of all the films in this trilogy, Split is still my favorite and the only one that I think works the best as a stand-alone film.

All that said, what we are really here to talk about, though, is Glass. As many of you have already probably seen, the reception to this third film hasn’t been the kindest, with many calling it M. Night’s worst film. I was never in that same boat, though my first viewing left a lot to be desired, but I never thought it was the worst film of his career. However, my whole perspective of the film has since changed after watching the previous two films back-to-back. What I originally thought was a dull and disappointing ending, held much more power and emotion than the first go-around. In Glass, we are reacquainted with David Dunn who has fully embraced his supernatural abilities and is on the prowl for The Beast, the 24th personality that has fully emerged from Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy). Though the majority of the film pits these two together, Elijah/Mr. Glass is never far behind as the evil mastermind. I can’t stress enough how important it is to watch all three of these films in a row. Not only do you pick up on details that could easily be missed, but it brings the whole trilogy full circle in a way that was surprising and unique. What I found was that I truly enjoyed what M. Night was bringing to the table because these were superheroes that were easily relatable, who had real-life flaws, and who could be destroyed. Does this movie work well as a standalone film? No, I don’t believe so, but as the third film in the trilogy it is a necessity. Along with our main cast converging for the film, we also see the return of Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, Split) and Joseph Dunn (Spencer Treat Clark, Unbreakable), both pivotal characters to that of Kevin and David. Without giving away anything, I do believe there is an even bigger idea at play, but time will only tell. We are also introduced to Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story) which, by the end of the movie, made me incredibly curious about her origin story.

Glass is going to be divisive and maybe there’s nothing wrong with that. Most M. Night films come with extreme reactions of praise or hate and Glass is no different. I will admit that I was quick to dismiss this film due to not taking the time to revisit Unbreakable and Split, but now having done so, I have a much deeper appreciation for the amount of work that M. Night has put into his trilogy. It’s truly a work of art and I think those that end up loving the film will see it that way as well. I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this event, not only because I got to see Glass again, but because I gained a new perspective on a franchise that I was quick to dismiss. As one of my first events with Beyond Fest, I loved what they did during the brief intermissions we were given as it helped in hyping up the audience for what was to come. We also got the chance to hear M. Night talk about his latest film and the trials and tribulations he has faced in getting it made, which was incredibly enlightening. If I could give you some advice in regards to Glass it would be what I have been reiterating this entire time, which is to not only give it a chance, but to take the time to revisit the other films prior so that you don’t make the same mistake that I did. I don’t know where M. Night will go from here, but I can only hope that this isn’t the end of his superhero franchise.