Glass: M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film, an overt sequel to a covert one, lays a bit too much on a self-referential, metalinguistic trap; it is nevertheless interesting, given the strength of the three (or 26, depending on how they are counted) main characters. They are, granted, more paper-thin executions of a few concepts than proper characters, so their journey doesn’t really impact much on an emotional level. The performances are appropriate for the genre: James McAvoy gets the flashiest role, and he navigates well between the numerous voices and postures that the role calls for; Samuel L. Jackson was handed just one character to play, but it’s a pretty twitchy and colorful one, and he manages quite well; Bruce Willis is stuck with the less interesting of the trio, the stern quiet hero. Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, and Spencer Treat Clark are fine, but limited by what they are supposed to do. The film has a somewhat ponderous pace, which is refreshing, and its aesthetic choices are ultimately justified by the story, which is a nice (but, again, self-referential) touch.

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