Unbreakable (2000)
What superhero movies could have been.
Presentation:
At a time when the superhero genre hadn’t been fully developed, M. Night Shyamalan gave us a really interesting alternative to the Superman story we all know and love. Some may even love this one even more because of its more grounded reality with less sexy Hollywood flair. It’s a completely different perspective than the typical commercialized Marvel superheroes, allowing it to be more suspenseful. Imagine if a superhero didn’t know they were actually a superhero. This is a great origins tale of an exciting premise, that does warrant its 2 sequels.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, the audience has spoken and Marvel’s admittedly entertaining brain-rot has ruined this movie. Shyamalan’s vision is slow and too drama focused and I hate to say it, feels overall less fulfilling than the more action and fantastical origin tales like Batman Begins or Iron Man. However, the way this story plays out is definitely fascinating and worth the watch, particularly how Mr. Glass’s character comes to be. Like all his movies, they should only be watched once as the first viewing should be the most engrossing but the reveal has little reward on repeated viewings. If you like this universe, then you should definitely check out Split and Glass, which expand the universe. However, those will lean more into the horror category than the suspense of this film.
Recommendations
The moment Pixar animation became cinema.