Movie review
January 16, 2019 · 129 min · PG-13
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Glass is a 2019 superhero thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan that concludes the Unbreakable trilogy. It follows David Dunn using his unbreakable abilities to pursue Kevin Crumb and his dangerous alternate personality known as the Beast, while Elijah Price manipulates events from inside a psychiatric hospital to prove the existence of superhumans. The story explores themes of exceptionalism, mental illness, and skepticism toward authority figures without incorporating modern social justice messaging or identity-focused narratives.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Glass.
Woke representation / casting
Natural and story-consistent casting for an established universe set in modern Philadelphia; prominent Black actor in key role fits canon and setting without signaling or forced diversity emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Sparse references to vigilantism and institutional denial lack partisan or activist language.
Identity-driven story themes
Psychological exploration of multiple personalities and personal origins dominates; no social identity, gender, race, or queer-driven plotlines or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Depicts psychiatric care and a covert group as forces suppressing individual exceptionalism and truth; this challenges conformity but avoids modern activist lenses like systemic oppression based on identity or critiques of traditional norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Absence of notable public accusations that the film promotes woke ideology, DEI, or left-wing identity politics; existing critiques target storytelling and disability representation from a sensitivity standpoint.
Creator track record context
Main creatives including Shyamalan and Blum have careers primarily in commercial genre entertainment with only minor, non-identity-focused public commentary on politics or education reform.
Production
