(WARNING: There are spoilers)

I started reading comic books when I was about 9 years old, and I was obsessed with them for years. However, when I was about 13, I stopped reading them. They just didn't have the same impact on me that they once did. Still, to this day, I value comic books very highly and keep them close to my heart. In fact, I still have my old comic books and superhero trading cards. There have been many superhero movies over the years, some good and some bad, but none of them has ever come close to M. Night Shymalan's Unbreakable. This motion picture represents the first time that a superhero film has truly transcended comics' pulpy and sometimes disposable roots to become a profound, thrilling, and brilliant work of art. Such movies don't mean much to a lot of people, which is understandable, but for an old fan of comic books like me, this film is a real breakthrough.

Ironically, unlike most superhero movies, this one is not directly based on any pre-existing material. Perhaps that is why Shyamalan was able to rip open the boundaries of comics and analyze the mythology within. There's a reason superheroes resonate in our culture, and Unbreakable understands it. The film treats comics as a genuine and serious art form, and that's saying a lot. Consequently, people who think all comics are silly may not buy into this movie's audacious yet far-fetched concept. The film doesn't just analyze comics though. It makes a true and thoughtful statement about all works of fiction and storytelling: no matter how outlandish and sensational the story is, it is always, in some way, based on real events and/or experiences. Also, the main theme and conflict is a universal one, spoken at the end by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson): "Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you're here. That's...that's just an awful feeling."

This movie is the most incredibly seamless blend of fantasy and realism that I have ever seen. More so than Shyamalan's other supernatural thrillers, it really makes you believe that something as unreal as a super-powered superhero can be possible and actually exist somewhere down the street in any normal neighborhood. As I noted earlier, the movie accomplishes this by treating the subject with a complete and utmost seriousness. The characters talk and act like real people. This is mostly shown in the scenes between David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and his wife Audrey (Robin Wright-Penn). The characters also react to their extraordinary situations the way a normal person would. The best example of this is the scene in which David understandably dismisses Elijah's "crackpot" theory about comic books and superheroes.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that the film totally eschews its comic book roots. In fact, it is littered with several comic book qualities. The fact that these traits are not obvious, maybe even subliminal, is what keeps the movie grounded in reality. Many of the camera angles resemble the angles in comic book panels. The subtle use of expressive colors gives the film's look a kind of comic book feeling. There is text that opens and closes the movie, providing the audience with information. This text is reminiscent of the captions in a comic book. The name David Dunn is a typical superhero name in that the first and last names begin with the same sound. Other well-known examples include Bruce Banner (The Hulk), Clark Kent (Superman), and Peter Parker (Spider-Man). David's slicker acts as his "costume," with the shadow of his hood as the "mask" that keeps his identity a secret.

Like many comic book villains, Elijah is an eccentric genius with many weird ideas. Elijah's birth, the first scene of the film, is his disturbing "origin story." He has unusual "accessories" that are related to his persona (when he was young, kids called him "Mr. Glass" because of his weak bones), such as the glass cane and the padded car. He even has a costume as well: the black leather trench coat and gloves he wears often. His physical appearance is also likened to that of a villain's. In the first scene with adult Elijah, he talks to a customer about how disproportioned heads are a common trait in villains. Elijah's bizarre hairstyle not only makes him look more eccentric, but also gives his head that disproportioned look. Near the end of the movie, Elijah's mother (Charlayne Woodard) points out how the eyes of the "arch-enemy" are slightly enlarged. Earlier in the film, when the doctor is reading off Elijah's injuries, the camera focuses on one of Elijah's eyes, making it seem bigger and bigger.

CONTINUED IN PART 2...