Brightburn (2019)
Dir. David Yarovesky / Dur. 90 mins
In A Nutshell:- Superman’s origin played as a horror story.
The Good:- Given the familiarity with young Clark Kent’s upbringing in Smallville that the majority of the viewing public has, it’s surprising that something like this hasn’t been brought to the big screen before*. It’s also surprising how well the elements of that story fit into a horror framework - child arrives mysteriously to parents who can't have children; child is not quite right; secrets relating to the child’s origins are looked away in the family barn… The cast are generally strong with the standout being Elizabeth Banks (who’s always good value). The film also has fun playing around with those standard sort of questions people have asked over the years - if Superman wasn’t a force for good, how would he use/abuse his powers? What would really happen if you gave a hormonal teenager with personality disorder the powers of a god-like being? As it is a horror. There is one particularly gruesome scene in a diner that you definitely wouldn't find in a superhero movie (and which exhibits some nice directorial touches in the way that it’s shot too).
There’s also a nice tongue-in-cheek nod during the end credits sequence to the current trend of teasing a new superhero universe at the end of any current comic book film (and a blink and you’ll miss it link to James Gunn’s Super - not surprising as this film was written by his brothers).
The Bad:- Overall, it doesn’t quite feel like it fully adds up to the sum of its parts. The ending feels a little like a full descent into a fairly standard full-blown horror film and doesn’t quite feel like it fully delivers on the promise set up early in the film.
The Verdict:- While maybe not as successful as you would hope, this is still an intriguing take on the superhero origin by filtering it through the lens of a horror film. Worth a watch.
* It’s certainly the sort of thing that’s been done in comics before, just not on the big screen
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