As we’ve seen countless times over the past decade or so, a great villain can really make a comic-book movie; a bad villain can definitely break one. M Night Shyamalan knows this, and wisely plays not one but two baddie trump cards in his genre-riffing thriller Glass – the third (and apparently final) entry in his mini cinematic universe.

Pairing Samuel L Jackson’s comics-obsessed puppet-master from Unbreakable (“First name: Mister. Second name: Glass”) with James McAvoy’s multifaceted serial killer from Split pays dividends for a threequel that’s been 19 years in the making. Chuck in Bruce Willis’ superpowered (or is he?) guardian David Dunn and you’ve got a compelling central trio: “The brains, the anarchist, the reluctant hero”. But in stitching together their stories and divvying up their screen time, Shyamalan’s also ended up with a film that’s a bit less sure-footed than its predecessors.

The plot pretty much picks up where both films left off. By day, Willis’ Dunn runs a security camera store with his grown-up son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark); by night, he takes undercover “walks” and dishes out vigilante justice as the ‘Overseer’, with the tech-savvy Joe acting as the Alfred to his Batman. Meanwhile, Kevin Wendall Crumb (McAvoy), labelled as ‘The Horde’ thanks to his 24 split personalities, is still at large and terrorising another group of abducted teenage girls.

When David and Kevin’s paths lead them to a brutal, full-on collision – the film’s first major action sequence – they are intercepted by authorities and sent to an institution under the care of Dr Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), a psychiatrist specialising in superhuman delusions. Her third patient? One Mr Glass. And that’s all within the first half hour.

Yep, there’s a lot going on in Glass, with Shyamalan back in full-on twisty-turny mode. Trouble is, the second-act switch to the confines of Staple’s facility, while intriguing, does mean the film loses some of its initial momentum. Shyamalan might be going for delayed gratification, but it’s not long before you’re willing the three to bust free from their prison – and the constraints of a barrel-load of exposition.

When the action sequences do come, though, they’re intense and impressively staged. Shot without much obvious CG enhancement, the super-powered dust-ups are grounded yet spectacular in their own way – the sound design especially means that you really do “feel” the punches. And while there are a few too many grimacing facial close-ups and CCTV-framed wide shots (likely a way of getting around budgetary constraints, but still a tad overused), McAvoy especially brings an immense physicality to the screen when The Beast – his monstrous 24th personality – comes out to play.

So, what of our three supers? Well, Willis puts in a solid shift, just as sympathetic and understated as his last outing in the green raincoat. But while it’s good to see him back in a role he clearly cares about, he’s not the film’s main focus. That role is split (no pun intended) between Jackson and McAvoy. As with the best villains, they both give incredibly physical, impressively layered performances – helped along by Anya Taylor-Joy (as Horde survivor Casey) and Charlayne Woodard (as mother Glass), their respective emotional anchors.

As you might suspect from the title, this should be Mr Glass’ film. And when he’s powered up to full villainous form, Jackson is a delight: scheming, sinister and fiercely intelligent with a wit to match, he certainly nabs the film’s best lines (“Call a board meeting or whatever,” he quips at one point to an indecisive Horde). But it’s really McAvoy that steals the show. Going even further than he did in Split, he offers up a fascinating, riotous performance as he switches effortlessly between Kevin’s various personalities. From college jock to excitable kid to stern matriarch to hulking brute – often all within the same scene – it really is something to behold.

While Glass’ triple-header conceit and busy plot machinations mean it’s not as tight or focused as Unbreakable or Split, it still boasts a pair of villains that most comic-book movies would kill for. And while Shyamalan’s penchant for rug-pulls and over-exposition sometimes get in the way, it’s an otherwise pacey thriller full of big ideas. A somewhat uneven trilogy closer, then – but a frequently gripping one.

Star Wars Resistance season 2 is set for liftoff in the autumn, according to Disney. The show was renewed midway through the first season, which sees Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot turned Resistance spy, investigate a station called the Colossus and its connections to the First Order. Along the way, he makes a few friends and participates in high-stakes races with a pretty junky ship called the Fireball (she’s got it where it counts, though).

The show, which is set years after Return Of The Jedi and just before The Force Awakens, has plenty of connections to Episode VII. The valiant Poe Dameron plays a supporting role on the show as Kazuda’s mentor while Captain Phasma leads her forces in the days before her mission to Jakku. General Hux and Starkiller Base have also appeared on the series. As an extension of the Sequel Trilogy, Kazuda’s journey hasn’t quite been the revealing interquel fans might have been hoping for, but for those who just want to watch plenty of Star Wars starfighter action, Resistance is the show for you.

The voice cast includes Christopher Sean (Days of Our Lives) as Kazuda Xiono, Suzie McGrath (Eastenders) as Tam Ryvora, Scott Lawrence (Legion) as Jarek Yeager, Myrna Velasco (Elena Of Avalor) as Torra Doza, Josh Brener (Silicon Valley) as Neeku Vozo, Donald Faison (Scrubs) as Hype Fazon, Jim Rash (Community) as Flix, Bobby Moynihan (DuckTales) as Orka, Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) as Poe Dameron, and Gwendoline Christie (Game Of Thrones) as Captain Phasma.

Renowned Lucasfilm Animation veteran Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels) created the series while Athena Portillo, Justin Ridge, and Brandon Auman serve as executive producers. Amy Beth Christenson is the art director.

We’ll keep you updated on more Star Wars Resistance season 2 news as we learn it!

The Enterprise’s five-year mission may be over, according to Deadline, which reports that the already imperiled Star Trek 4 has been shelved. This enormous tidbit comes as a footnote to the news that S.J. Clarkson, who was hired to direct the next big-screen Star Trek instalment, will helm the pilot for HBO’s Game Of Thrones prequel series. According to Deadline, Clarkson became available after Star Trek 4 was cancelled by Paramount.

io9 reached out to confirm the news with Paramount, but the studio declined to comment, leaving this next Star Trek adventure floating directionless in space. Unfortunately, this news doesn’t really come as a surprise based on how the project had been developing over the past few months.

Star Trek 4, which was set to see the return of the Kelvin timeline cast, was put in jeopardy back in August 2018, when it was reported that both Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth, who were to star as Captain James Kirk and George Kirk respectively, had dropped out of contract negotiations with Paramount.

According to a brief synopsis released by the studio, Captain Kirk would “cross paths with a man he never had a chance to meet, but whose legacy has haunted him since the day he was born: his father” in the movie.

The script was co-written by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who made uncredited contributions to Star Trek Beyond. Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead) had also been reportedly cast in the movie.

As recently as April 2018, Paramount revealed that it had plans to make at least two more Star Trek movies. We can assume one of them was Star Trek 4, which well… The other, a pitch from director Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), is apparently still in the works at the studio. There was also rumour of a third script being developed at Paramount, although details on that project are scarce.

For now, it seems we are left to mourn the end of the Kelvin Star Trek series, at least for the time being. In the meantime, we still have Star Trek: Discovery season 2 to look forward to, as well as the upcoming Captain Picard show and two new animated series. As always, we’ll keep you updated on the latest from the final frontier.

Nintendo Switch Online is the subscription service for owners of, you guessed it, the  Nintendo Switch. The portable games console’s snazzy membership club launched properly in September 2018, and, although membership isn’t essential to enjoying the Switch, it does connect you to some pretty cool stuff. 

In terms of pricing, single-user membership to Nintendo Switch Online is priced on the official Nintendo website at £3.49 for one month, £6.99 for three months or £17.99 for a year. There is also an option to spend £31.49 for a family of up to eight members to have access to the service for a year. Alternatively, you can buy a membership through Amazon, which can be a bit cheaper depending on the retail giant’s current pricing fluctuations.

As for perks, members of Nintendo Switch Online can use online multiplayer features on a vast selection of games. They can also make the most of cloud saves and exclusive offers, as well as communicating through voice chat on the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app.

We’d argue, though, that the coolest thing about Nintendo Switch Online is the library of games from the NES era that it allows you to play on your Switch. In this article, we’ll keep tabs on what NES games are available through Nintendo Switch online, starting with the next titles for this month…

New NES games on Nintendo Switch Online in January 2019

Zelda II – The Adventure of Link 

Arriving on Nintendo Switch Online on January 16th, Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link is a side-scrolling RPG/platformer that first released on the NES in 1987. It’s the sequel to The Legend Of Zelda, which arrived on NES in 1986 and is already available on Nintendo Switch Online. In terms of story, Zelda II takes place several years after the first game, putting you in the shoes of a 16-year-old Link who is (as usual) on a mission to save Princess Zelda. 

Fun fact: until Breath Of The Wild came out, Zelda II was the only direct sequel to the original Legend Of Zelda game. All the others were prequels or alt-universe adventures.

Blaster Master 

Also on January 16th, members of Nintendo Switch Online will be granted access to Blaster Master, a run-and-gun/platformer title from 1988 which went on to spawn both sequels and spinoffs. You’ll play as a chap named Jason, who follows his pet frog underground and ends up in a tank battling eight levels of radioactive mutants. The game was renowned for its difficulty and lack of save points, so prepare to have fun with that!

Note: Players in Japan will also get access to Joy Mech Fight through Nintendo Switch Online from January 16th.

Nintendo Switch Online games: the full existing library of NES games on the service

Prior to the addition of those two new titles, this impressive list of games was already added to Nintendo Switch Online. And they’re still available now…

Adventures of Lolo

Balloon Fight

Baseball

Donkey Kong

Double Dragon

Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario SP

Excitebike

Ghosts’n Goblins

Gradius

Gradius SP

Ice Climber

Ice Hockey

Mario Bros.

Metroid

Metroid SP

Mighty Bomb Jack

NES Open Tournament Golf

Ninja Gaiden

Pro Wrestling

River City Ransom

Soccer

Solomon’s Key

Super Dodge Ball

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Tecmo Bowl

Tennis

The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda SP

TwinBee

Wario’s Woods

Yoshi

And that’s your lot! We’ll keep this article updated as Nintendo adds more NES games to Nintendo Switch online…