Two of M. Night Shyamalan's most twisty thrillers are now on Netflix
On April 1, Netflix dropped tons of licensed content on its platform. Two of the licensed movies released on this day were the twisty thrillers Split and Glass. These were hit movies back when they were released in theaters, and at least one of them seems to be hit on Netflix at the moment. As of April 19, Glass is ranked at the No. 8 spot on Netflix's top 10 movie list, meaning many people are streaming it. If you haven't watched these films yet but are looking forward to seeing them soon, we must share with you all there is to know about them below.
First, we'll start off with Split since it came out before Glass. Both films are part of the Unbreakable film series, which consists of three movies that were written, produced, and directed by Academy Award-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan. The order of the movies goes like this: Unbreakable, Split, and then Glass.
Unbreakable (2000) is a superhero thriller film about a security guard named David Dunn. After surviving a high-fatality train crash with no injuries, David realizes that he might be a superhero. Helping him realize this is a disabled comic book store owner named Elijah Price, who believes David has a higher destiny. Emmy Award-winning actor Bruce Willis stars as David, while Academy Award honoree Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of Elijah.
Split, on the other hand, is believed to be a standalone thematic sequel to Unbreakable. It was released in theaters in 2017 and was another box office hit, grossing $278.5 million worldwide against a $9 million budget. Willis reprised his role as David in an uncredited cameo, but the psychological thriller film actually centers around a man with dissociative identity disorder named Kevin Wendell Crumb. One day, Kevin decides to abduct three teenage girls and imprison them in a secret underground lair. The teens must then quickly find a way to escape before the man's new and frightful 24th personality takes over.
James McAvoy stars in the leading role of Kevin Wendell Crumb. Joining him the cast are The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, Sebastian Arcelus, and others.
Here's what some critics had to say about the smash-hit thriller flick via Rotten Tomatoes:
"Split [is] a genre picture that's fascinating, audacious and just kooky enough to be a lot of fun."
- Kristen Lopez from Culturess
"This movie, even with some interesting side tangents I still need to think about and ruminate on, is ferocious, and coupled with sensational performances from McAvoy and Taylor-Joy proves to be January spellbinder worthy of a viewer's undivided attention."
- Sarah Michelle Fetters
"Shyamalan demonstrates a mastery over the form of the mean and lean psycho-thriller, aided in no small party by the performances of McAvoy, Taylor-Joy and Buckley, and smooth-yet-unsettling camera work by cinematographer Michael Gioulakis."
- Katie Walsh from Tribune News Service
The last film in the Unbreakable trilogy, Glass, which is considered a crossover and sequel to Unbreakable and Split, was released in theaters in 2019 and was another huge success at the box office. It brings back some of the main characters from the previous films such as David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), and Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), who all find themselves placed in the same psychiatric hospital run by a psychiatrist armed with secrets named Dr. Ellie Staple. Dr. Staple attempts to prove to David, Kevin, and Elijah that they are mere mortals, not superheroes.
Spencer Treat Clark (Joseph Dunn), Charlayne Woodard (Mrs. Price), and Taylor-Joy (Casey Cooke) also reprise their roles from the previous films in Glass, with Sarah Paulson, Adam David Thompson, and Luke Kirby joining the cast.
Take a look at the gripping official trailer for Glass below for a sneak peek of the film!
Unfortunately, Unbreakable is not streaming on Netflix like Split and Glass. There is a chance that the thriller movie could come to the streamer in the future, but that's just not the case at the moment. You'll have to make your way to the rival streaming service, Max, if you want to watch this film. That's where it's currently streaming. If Unbreakable ever comes to Netflix, we'll be sure to tell you right away.
Spilt and Glass are streaming now on Netflix.