Despite the recent success of brand new Superman and Supergirl films it still feels like the DC world is a universe in limbo. One one side we have the James Gunn universe where we have Superman and Supergirl but aren’t really sure what is happening the casting and re-casting of various characters.
On the other side is the edgier Matt Reeves universe which has brought up brilliant projects like The Batman and Penguin – but again fans seem stuck as the Gunn universe is holding up the release of The Batman Part II.
Now though comes perhaps one of the most confusing entries into the current day DC line-up – Clayface. Of course the question everybody is asking is what side of the split world does it fit into – and that is kind of hard to answer because on one hand it is hardcore like the Reeves side but just to confuse people a little more both Reeves and Gunn are producers.
Even more confusing is the fact that when I say it is hardcore – I mean hardcore. This maybe a superhero/villain origin story but this is one movie that can safely be shelved in the horror section of most people’s film collections.
Directed by James Watkins (The Woman In Black) the film centres around young actor on the rise Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries – The Gentlemen). The young star grew up on the wrong side of Gotham City but is now the city’s darling as he just received his first Academy Award nomination.
But things go tragically wrong when he heads out to a club to celebrate and ends up sleeping with young starlet Theresa (Ruby Sear – The Gentlemen) who just happens to be the girlfriend of gangster Markos Szabo (David Dencik – No Time To Die). Szabo punishes Matt by slashing up his ‘pretty’ face.
Now Matt is unemployable as an actor and worse still has had his money stolen by his accountant (Eddie Marsan – Vera Drake). Desperate to repair his face and get back to work Matt decides to become a human guinea pig for fringe scientist Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie – Mickey 17) who inserts nano-bots into his face. While it does initial repair his face both he and Caitlyn soon lose control of the technology and it makes it so he can longer control his emotions or how his face appears – a nightmare when he keeps running into the people that ruined his life.
The first thing that will hit you about Clayface is its harshness. While DC has always been a little darker than most superhero movies Clayface goes to a whole new level. When there is nudity and graphic violence within the first 20 minutes you soon realise that Watkins and screenwriters Mike Flanagan (The Life Of Chuck) and Hossein Amini (Drive) are taking this film in a whole new direction. And to be honest it works – in fact it is a case of move over The Substance because this is one of the best body horrors we have seen in awhile.
There is a lot to like about the film. First it has a likable hero in Matt Hagen. In fact the screenplay makes him so likable that it is hard to detest what he is doing when he begins killing those that have wronged him. Giving him an almost justifiable reason to kill is smart work by Amini and Flanagan because as the movie goes on you soon realise that as a character Clayface could be used as either a hero and a villain.
While the horror elements and characterisation of the film do work together there are some glaring issues. First of all it feels awkward that the film isn’t incorporated more into the DC universe – there is no need for of the biggies to appear – Batman or Superman – but surely given the amount of court room and police scenes used in the film there could have been a mention of Commissioner Gordon or Harvey Dent. Hell even a shot of a Wayne Industries truck would have helped ground the film a little more as well.
It does also feel that the Police side of the film is let down a little as well. It is a shame because the character of Detective Borrelli (Max Minghella – Babylon) does seem to be an interesting one especially when it is becoming clear that he, Matt and Cailtyn are heading into a love triangle.
Still the positives of Clayface far outweigh the negatives. The horror element is handled well and some interesting and creative deaths are brought to the screen with a touch class. Tom Rhys Harries is perfectly cast and puts in a brilliant performance – so good in fact that we can only hope we see him return in the DC universe soon… whichever one he fits into.
3/5 Stars
