Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-Review by Professor Popinjay

Unbreakable (2000)

Split (2017)

Glass (2019)

No spoilers here!

I’ve already written about my theory that I personally may be the progenitor of Unbreakable sequels so I shan’t go into that. No, I’m not crazy, I just wonder sometimes. I know it’s improbable but it’s not impossible.

I’ve also written about how much I hated Unbreakable when I first saw it but then how much it grew on me later.

The very real and melancholy approach to a world of people with supernatural powers eventually became a most fascinating one. The idea of Cole (Bruce Willis) thinking he’s just an ordinary guy and gradually realizing he is amazingly strong and almost indestructible makes for such an interesting character and story.

It gets a bit gritty but if you’ve the stomach for grit, I highly recommend this film. I’ll say no more about it.

In Split, it almost seems like an afterthought to connect the story to Unbreakable but it’s still done with a level of finesse. I’d compare it to a separate origin story before connecting it to the main multi-super hero story arc.

Split is by no means a happy comfortable film. I came out of a couple scenes feeling very angry. I think it’s a necessary set up for James McAvoy’s character considering the events of Glass, but there were some unnecessary parts, or parts that I thought could have been handled differently and thus result in a less emotionally disturbing outcome. I think I know what M. Night was going for but I don’t find it entertaining.

That being said, McAvoy’s acting is stellar, like extra-dimensionally stellar. He’s a phenomenon.  Really, I’ve not seen his equal. It’s an utterly mind blowing performance. Better than Eddie Murphy and Jim Varney combined!

I was so excited when I finally got to Glass. I had been waiting for a sequel to Unbreakable since Unbreakable, once I decided I liked the film. There’s not much I can say without spoiling the other films so I’ll probably cut this short by saying I have no idea what the hell was going on in Glass. 

I liked the movie. A bunch of cool M. Night Shyamalany stuff definitely happened in this film and I definitely watched it willfully. There were a lot of strange decisions made. I don’t know. I had different ideas of what would happen in a sequel to Unbreakable.

If it really was an afterthought to include Split into this universe, I think it bogged down the story I wanted to see involving Cole and Mr. Glass which really could have stood on its own. I found some of the epilogue interesting and frankly I still think I’d like to see more of this world but I probably only think that because I came out of this film so clueless. I just had so many questions. It was an intriguing watch but I’m not sure I liked where it ended up.

Make more! Answer my questions! Also, get outside criticisms and advice. It will help your writing immensely!