Glass

Cert: 15A; Opens Friday

Few careers in Hollywood are as hit-or-miss as that of writer/director M Night Shyamalan, who shot to fame with 1999 smash The Sixth Sense. Since then, he’s been responsible for a series of stinkers, but what kept him in the game was box-office takes falling the right side of the ledger, before fun recent thrillers The Visit (2015) and Split (2016) suggested that there might be life in Shyamalan yet. We spoke too soon. Glass, Shyamalan’s attempt to conclude a stopstart superhero trilogy that began with 2000’s overrated Unbreakable and was added to with Split, is a disaster.

The plot: The three core characters from those films — super-strong good guy David (Bruce Willis), evil genius Mr Glass (Samuel L Jackson), and multi-personality monster Kevin (James McAvoy) — are held in a psychiatric facility to be studied by Sarah Paulson’s doctor. Origins will be revealed, before a big showdown clears the air.

You quickly find it hard to get enthused about characters last encountered 16 years ago. If you missed the first two films entirely, however, expect to be completely at sea with background and motives as little attempt is made to fill you in.

It doesn’t end there. At times, you wonder was any serious forethought put into Glass. Misplaced attempts at humour fall flat. Bizarre characters make bizarre decisions and yet we’re asked to believe this is a superhero tale firmly grounded in reality. Willis and Jackson look bored, while McAvoy pushes the very limits of hamminess.