Viewers can appreciate Split without prior knowledge of Unbreakable, though the final scene in Split ties back to the first movie. This connection extends to Glass, Shyamalan's latest entry in this superhero trilogy.
The final act is a stroke of genius that retroactively casts Split as a sequel to Unbreakable. The brief but potent cameo of Willis, referencing Mr. Glass, acts as a narrative bridge linking the two movies. This connection is more than a simple plot twist; it redefines the context of Split within a broader mythos.
Glass is a 2019 superhero film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also produced with Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock, and Ashwin Rajan. The film is a crossover and sequel to Shyamalan's previous films Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016) and the third and final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy.
Split is a standalone sequel to Shyamalan's 2000 film Unbreakable although not marketed as such, instead saving the revelation for a scene featuring Bruce Willis reprising his Unbreakable role in an uncredited cameo. Commentators dubbed Split the first-ever "stealth sequel", and the first solo supervillain origin film.
Viewers can appreciate Split without prior knowledge of Unbreakable, though the final scene in Split ties back to the first movie. This connection extends to Glass, Shyamalan's latest entry in this superhero trilogy.
Why were there 16 years between Unbreakable and Split?
Because of the initial backlash, it took Night 16 years to finally gain the courage, determination, and confidence to make the incredibly well-acted sequel entitled Split in January of 2017.
The camera then tracks over to reveal Bruce Willis, reprising his role of David Dunn (evidenced by his nametag), who dryly confirms the old villain's identity as Mr. Glass and walks out. It's a plot twist that reveals the characters of Split and Unbreakable have been in the same world all along.
Night Shyamalan's Split drew inspiration from the real life court case of Billy Milligan. Milligan's landmark verdict of not guilty based on Dissociative Identity Disorder still captures public interest today. Shyamalan's portrayal of DID in Split is based on Milligan's case but takes many creative liberties.
Night Shyamalan says he 'probably' won't ever make another sequel. Those pesky franchises are more trouble than they're worth. Throughout his directing career, M. Night Shyamalan has only made two sequels — Split (2016) and Glass (2019) — both of which served as follow-ups to 2000's Unbreakable.
"Glass" takes place ~19 years after "Unbreakable," but pretty soon after the end of "Split." David Dunn tells a character in "Glass" he used to work as a security guard in a stadium 15 years ago. But later in the movie, Elijah makes it clear that the train accident David was in occurred 19 years ago.
It is the first installment in the Unbreakable film series. In Unbreakable, David Dunn (Willis) survives a train crash with no injuries, leading to the realization that he harbors superhuman abilities.
Fans of Split can enjoy similar movies with complicated characters and thrilling journeys. Movies like Glass and Shutter Island offer psychological twists and dark storylines for fans of the genre.
It's about a man (James McAvoy) with multiple personalities (aka dissociative identity disorder). Violence and scariness are the big issues here. Characters die, women are kidnapped and hurt, and a young girl is abused by her uncle (though there's not a lot of gore or horror, and much takes place off screen).
More than 20,000 people attempted to boycott the film, claiming that it promoted negative stereotypes and provided false connections between mental illness and violence (Davidson, 2017). the lack of acknowledgment of DID in both the public and medical spheres, resulting in insufficient training and research.
Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities.
Though, of course, there's a flip side to the Beast's honourable starting point, and that's the kidnapping and murder — by EATING ALIVE, no less — of young women he deems to be privileged, to have never suffered, and therefore “impure”.
Earlier in the film via flashbacks, we learn that Casey had been getting sexually abused by her Uncle John (Brad William Henke) ever since she was five years old. The abuse continued for years, as John became Casey's legal guardian after her father passed away.
Kevin's mother failed to protect him from abuse and neglect, either due to her own damaged state or her lack of interest in fulfilling her role as a caregiver [1]. Her abusive behavior and neglectful actions contributed to Kevin's trauma and likely exacerbated his psychological struggles.
Obviously, The Beast is where Split veers into pure fiction with DID. As the personality emerges, Kevin takes on animalistic traits and gains abilities that wouldn't be physically possible if there wasn't some artistic license involved.
After the completion of the Unbreakable trilogy, Shyamalan said that he was open to continue the story forward if a good enough idea struck him. Later, though, he said that he did not want to continue the story and make it a cinematic universe, at least not anymore than what it already was.
We see the message of human frailty in Unbreakable, the physical imperfections of man, the instability of family life, and the decay of faith in other humans. He did this to leave the viewers with an open mind…
