M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass, the sequel to Split and Unbreakable, is a very demanding film for the viewer. Glass, which is the final installment in the Unbreakable trilogy, probably contains more character connections and cryptic references than any other genre film from the past decade.

Glass certainly does not lack ambition.  Opening in the aftermath of Split, Glass brings together the characters of David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), AKA Mr. Glass.  In the film, the three characters are being held in a mental facility and studied by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), a psychiatrist who specializes in treating patients who believe that they possess superpowers.

While Glass was a commercial success, grossing nearly $250 million at the worldwide box office, the film was a critical disappointment.  Many critics and viewers felt that Glass contained too many ideas and too much plot than the film had time to deal with.

Maybe there was simply too much to digest in a single viewing.  This is the impression that’s left from deconstructing Glass through the film’s Blu-Ray release from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  The Blu-Ray, which will be released on April 16, contains the following features:

• The Collection of Main Characters – A look at all of the main characters from the films and how they fit into the overall Unbreakable universe.
• Bringing the Team Back Together – The cast and crew of Glass talk about what it’s like to work with Shyamalan.
• David Dunn vs. The Beast – A close look at the battle between David Dunn and the Beast.
• Glass Decoded – Shyamalan discusses the secrets of continuity and style that are contained within the Unbreakable trilogy.
• Connecting the Glass Universe – Shyamalan talks about the stylistic approach he brought to the trilogy and how he sought to make, with Glass, a comic book film that was grounded in reality.
• M. Night Shyamalan: Behind the Lens – The cast and crew of Glass talk about Shyamalan’s approach to directing.
• The Sound of Glass – composer West Dylan Thordson discusses his use of string instruments for the film’s score and why recording the film’s score on location enhanced the tone of the film.
• A Conversation with James McAvoy and M. Night Shyamalan – McAvoy and Shyamalan discuss how they wanted to take an original approach with Glass.

While it would have been helpful and interesting to be able to listen to an audio commentary from Shyamalan and his collaborators, which doesn’t exist on the Blu-Ray release, the features on the Blu-Ray do an effective job of detailing Shyamalan’s vision of the film, while a careful second viewing of the film reveals a much more deeper and fascinating film than was apparent upon the film’s theatrical release.

There’s a very good film buried within Glass, and the challenge of trying to uncover it makes the Blu-Ray release a worthwhile purchase for fans of the Unbreakable trilogy.  Quite simply, Glass gets better, and reveals more surprises, with every viewing, which is the sign of an interesting film.  The Glass Blu-Ray can be bought here.