Monday, March 14, 2016

year 5 day 103

movie: Unbreakable
starring:Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
genre: Drama, Thriller
year: 2000
format: Netflix Canada

plot: A man who has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, believes he's found a real life superhero after hearing about a man who was the sole survivor in a train crash.

For those of you who have been reading my stuff for any real length of time, you know I have O.I. Type 1. Which is the type they have given the character in this film.  So this movie really hits home for me. Jackson who plays Mr. Glass, the character with O.I. did an excellent job with his monologue describing the effects of it. (he talks about there being 4 types, but in the last fifteen years, a total of 8 types have been identified) My one complaint is that they did nothing to show how the whites of your eyes are blue when you have it.

The character of Mr. Glass is obsessed with finding someone who is the extreme opposite of himself, with the idea that they'd be something more then human. He spends years searching for someone who can withstand extreme physical trauma, and stumbles across the character of Dunn. Telling him about his theories that "heroes" are all based on reality - in this case as represented in comics- Glass manages to convince Dunn he's meant to be a "protector". After Dunn finally allows himself to believe him, Dunn learns what he's physically capable of when he saves a family from a murderer.

At first glance, this seems like just another comic book based movie, but once you get past that surface image, you can't help but sit back and actually think about what is being said. There are plenty of examples of average people who have done things that defy logic, and could be considered hero-ish; compared to the situations they find themselves in.  
This film is also a massive tribute to the whole comic book genre. Breaking down the elements that make a great graphic novel from the design, to the characters motives, to their abilities to interact with society in general. I found it interesting that they shot parts of the film to subtly make you think of the layout of a comic and how they colour coated the two main characters. Glass was always wearing purple and there always seemed to be green surroundings with Dunn. 

The character of Glass makes a comment in one scene about how mythologies have always been hidden within books, and that made me remember this text book I'd read few years ago called Our Gods Wear Spandex ; which connects many mainstream heroes to the occult.

what did I learn?  The truth is out there.

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