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Blu-Ray : Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: April 16th, 2019 Movie Release Year: 2019

Glass

Overview -

M. Night Shyamalan's Glass finally brings the Unbreakable trilogy to a close after nearly twenty years. Promising a long-awaited showdown that pits James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis, some may be underwhelmed by the clash while others feel satisfied by the conclusion. The superhero thriller dukes it out on the front lawn of Blu-ray with a gorgeous video, a highly-satisfying Dolby Atmos track, and a nice set of bonus features, making the overall package Recommended.

M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass. From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast. Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men. Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series). This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider and Kevin Frakes, who executive produce. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum also serve as executive producers.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Two-Disc Combo Pack, BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc / DVD-9 Dual-Layer Disc, Region Free
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
129
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, French, Spanish
Special Features:
Digital Copy
Release Date:
April 16th, 2019

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

You can read our full thoughts on M. Night Shyamalan's Glass in our review of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray HERE.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment brings M. Night Shyamalan's Glass to Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a code for a Digital Copy. The Region Free, BD50 disc sits comfortably opposite a DVD-9, and both come inside a blue, eco-elite case with a glossy, embossed slipcover. After several skippable trailers, viewers are taken to Universal's standard menu screen with the usual options on the left, full-motion clips and music.

Video Review

Ranking:

Glass battles across the front lawn of Blu-ray with a beastly and marvelous 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode.

Faithful to the stylized photography of its predecessors, the freshly-minted digital transfer breaks free of its confines with a deliberately drab and somber palette, making much of the action and conversations fall on the lower end of the grayscale. Primaries are nonetheless accurately-rendered and full-bodied. Meanwhile, secondary colors are, for the most part, limited outside of the hues specifically linked to our three protagonists, which are purple, yellow and green. This makes for an interesting watch as various pigments associated with those colors are in full display, with Mr. Glass and The Horde being complementary pairs while The Overseer's tertiary green clashes.

Likewise, contrast is noticeably restrained to create a drearily grayish and overcast atmosphere, making whites appear decidedly lifeless and drab looking yet clean and crisp. Black levels, on the other hand, are inky rich and true, providing the 2.39:1 image with deep midnight shadows and a cinematic quality. The rest of the HD video shows excellent, well-defined lines in buildings and city streets, exposing the smallest imperfections along the walls and hallways of the hospital. The stitching and threading in clothing are razor-sharp, and facial complexions appear healthy with outstanding lifelike textures that reveal the tiniest negligible blemish.

However, a few instances of faint aliasing along the sharpest edges and mild softness keep this presentation from achieving perfection. (HD Video Rating: 92/100)

Audio Review

Ranking:

Universal presents Glass on Blu-ray with the same Dolby Atmos mix found on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. You can read that full review HERE, but here's the short version:

With clear voices, a robust lower-end, a spacious sound field, and a very satisfying usage of height channels, Glass boasts a muscular and impressive Dolby Atmos sound mix. It is a bit front-heavy at times, more nuanced than the typical superhero flick, and we might have liked to see more surround sound placement, but overall this is a strong mix. (Dolby Atmos audio rating: 90/100)

Special Features

Ranking:
  • The Collection of Main Characters (HD, 9 min): Four interview segments with the cast talking more extensively about their characters.
      • David Dunn
      • Elijah Price
      • Kevin Wendell Crumb
      • The Rest of the Family
  • A Conversation with James McAvoy & M. Night Shyamalan (HD, 5 min): The two celebrities chat about the production, the story and its place in the trilogy.
  • Bringing the Team Back Together (HD, 3 min): Interviews with the cast & crew sharing anecdotes about working with Shyamalan, some since the making of Unbreakable.
  • Glass Decoded (HD, 3 min): Shyamalan reveals how he maintained continuity between the trilogy and the creative photographic style in each, particularly the color palette choices.
  • Connecting the Glass Universe (HD, 3 min): Chat on the features connecting the three movies, not only plotwise but also stylistically and original superheroes grounded in reality.
  • M. Night Shyamalan: Behind the Lens (HD, 3 min): More cast & crew interviews discussing and praising the director, both as an individual and as a filmmaker.
  • Enhancing the Spectacle (HD, 3 min): Interview with the VFX team about rendering CG effects on a comparatively small budget.
  • David Dunn vs. The Beast (HD, 2 min): A closer look at the climactic battle.
  • Breaking Glass: The Stunts (HD, 2 min): Brief look at the stunt choreography for The Beast.
  • The Sound of Glass (HD, 2 min): Composer West Dylan Thordson talks about the score.
  • Raven Hill Memorial (HD, 2 min): Quick tour and look at the abandoned hospital location.
  • Night Vision (HD, 2 min): A look at Shyamalan planning in the early stages of production.
  • Alternate Opening (HD, 3 min): The very brief clip comes with an optional director's intro.
  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 25 min): Twelve excised scenes with optional director's intro.

Final Thoughts

After nearly twenty years, M. Night Shyamalan finally brings his original superhero trilogy, which began with Unbreakable, to a close in Glass, bringing James McAvoy from Split, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis together for a long-awaited showdown. Although that aforementioned clash may not be the sort of visually thrilling spectacular that will appease expectations or compare to other superhero flicks, the final chapter is nonetheless a satisfying conclusion that falls perfectly in line with the themes of its predecessors.

Ordinary people with extraordinary abilities duke it out on the front lawn of Blu-ray with a gorgeous video presentation and a highly-satisfying Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Featuring a decent set of bonuses, the overall package is recommended and makes a nice addition to the library.