Set one year before James Gunn’s “Superman,” talented handsome actor, Matt Hagen gets his face sliced by a mob boss. Desperate to get his face fixed and resume his acting career, Matt visits a scientist. Undergoes an experimental procedure injecting a serum. It was a huge success. Suddenly, Matt experiences a metamorphosis, his body can regenerate, shapeshift and gains super strength. Unlike Hulk/Bruce Banner, Matt uses his powers for revenge and one day eventually cross paths with Batman. To quote Harvey Dent in “The Dark Knight.” “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Clayface is out in theaters. Unlike that piece of crud “Supergirl” film, this one earned praise from critics and movie goers alike. Anyway, it’s a good time to watch the latest entry in the DC Universe around Halloween Month. James “JG” Gunn is currently working on “Man of Tomorrow” and Creature Commandos’ second season. They’ll both be released in 2027.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS.
Strong & Weak Qualities
Strong: Tom Rhys Harries did a superb job for his performance as the titular character.
Other Cast Members such as Naomi Ackie, David Dencik & Max Minghella all did a decent job for their respective performances.
James Watkins did a good job directing.
Death Scenes are brutal. There’s also nudity. This is not your comic book movie for families. In the words of Adult Swim Action Announcer. “Put the kids to bed and get ready to get down.” Clayface ventured to R-rated territory like “Deadpool,” “Logan,” “Joker” and “Godzilla Minus Zero.”
Scare Factor has some legit scary moments. Gross moments that’ll make you queasy. As if mentioned on my review of “The Substance.” Don’t eat a huge meal.
Mike Flanagan & Hossein Amini co-wrote the script.
Matt Reeves & James “JG” Gunn served as co-producers.
Volker Bertelmann (The Old Guard, Patrick Melrose, Conclave) orchestrated the soundtrack.
The film’s influenced by body horror films. Most notably, David Cronenberg’s work. I see this as a cross between “Vanilla Sky” & “The Fly.”
Character Development involving Matt. As the film progresses, he loses his mind obsessing his quest for revenge.
Chemistry between Matt and his doctor, Caitlyn Corr serves as the main highlight.
Although original Clayface, Basil Karlo is absent. Matt Hagen made his comic book debut in 1961. The latter’s origin story is a treasure hunter who accidentally fell into a radioactive pool causing him to turn into a clay monster. This film loosely borrows elements from “Batman: The Animated Series” two-part episode, “Feats of Clay.” The one where he applied experimental cream on his face. Ron Perlman voiced Matt in the cartoon. That’s right, OG Hellboy.
Prosthetic Makeup transformed Tom into different forms (minus full form from the comics) of Clayface.
Practical and Visual Effects were blended perfectly. I’ll have you know, the film’s budget is $44 million. James Watkins must’ve went with Robert “RR” Rodriguez under budget strategy. RR‘s “Sin City” was made on a $40 million budget. It looked like a $100 million plus flick. Not too shabby.
Pacing naturally flowed like water.
There’s a brief Dance Scene. Ain’t cringeworthy as “Venom: The Last Dance.” It’s significant to the plot before Matt goes full-on John Wick on his targets.
Don’t expect a Batman or Nightwing cameo. This is not your typical comic book film with epic battles. It’s about one guy’s transformation into one of The Caped Crusader’s enemies. I’m okay with it. Penguin’s mini-series didn’t feature Batman. Sony wishes it can tell a villain solo film without Spider-Man.
There’s no Post-Credits Scene tied to “Man of Tomorrow.” Once the film’s over, you can use the restroom.
Random Thought: My expectations for Clayface’s solo film were super low. He’s not one of my favorite supervillains. Turns out to be a unique body horror flick. A breath of fresh air.
Weak: Aaron Paul’s role as Matt’s abusive father was removed. A test audience didn’t like seeing a little boy being abused. Let me get this straight. A test audience can handle gory deaths, queasy grotesque body horror, but don’t have the guts to watch a child being abused? That’s like cutting out Rocket Raccoon’s origin story in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” or the Opening Flashback of the first X-Men movie with Magneto as a kid in a concentration camp when the Nazis separated his mother from him. A pivotal moment why he hates humans. I had to subtract this con. Test Audience screwed Aaron Paul.
Most of the plot points are predictable.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BIGGER AND BETTER!
I’m surprised Clayface kept me entertained.. This one along with Lanterns’ first season made it up after that disastrous Supergirl. Clayface is definitely worth your spare time. Another good horror movie this year. We’re eating it good. “28 Years Later,” “Backrooms,” “Whalefall” & Clayface are marked horizontally on my bingo card. If Robert Eggers’ “Werewulf” fills in the final blank, it’ll be a good year for horror fans.
I wanna see a Deathstroke/Slade Wilson solo film. That would be awesome. Please make it happen Mr. Gunn. Which DC villain do you wanna see get a solo film on the big screen? Please leave a comment.
