Clayface Review

 

Alright, it's another installment of the DC Universe. Will this one be better than the previous entires?

Clayface is a body horror thriller that's based on the DC Comics' villain of the same name. It also serves as the third film entry of the DC Universe (DCU). It's produced by DC Studios, 6th & Idaho, Troll Court Entertainment, and The Safran Company with Warner Bros. Pictures as the distributor. Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini wrote the story while James Watkins directed.

The story is, after his face was disfigured by crime lord Markos Szabo and Szabo also furthers ruins his life by paying people to spread false allegations, actor Matt Hagan feels as though there's nothing left to live for. But this changes when he finds out about Dr. Caitlyn Corr's nanites that can repair damaged tissue and skin. The more and more Matt takes these nanites the more he can shape shift his body, but the treatment also drives Matt mad with vengeance and insanity.

Initial Reaction

Honestly I didn't have any high expectations for this movie. So far the DCU has been a disaster. Everyone has forgotten about Creature Commandos so that should tell you the impact that show had, Superman was decent at best, Supergirl was bad, and Lanterns was the worst show I've seen since Velma. So I really didn't have any faith in this movie despite some good trailers.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

The biggest gray area is the story. First, let me tell you about the good stuff. I truly liked Matt's decent into murderous insanity. It had nice development. First we meet him as an actor who's on top of the world, we see his fall, and by the time it's over he's a full-blown villain and your sympathy for him is gone just like his mind. That was good storytelling. Then we have the other stuff. Other Dr. Corr, who does have a pretty decent story involving her fear that her nanites are dangerous, she also has a good romance story with Matt. But all of the other characters don't get much developed. Sure not every single one should, but they could've given them more memorable personalities. Which none of them do. There's also the fact the revenge/horror elements don't do anything to standout. I mean I was still entertained. Hell, some of the body horror stuff was pretty good. One moment that comes to mind is when Matt has an episode and his eyelids have morphed and had fused together, which makes Matt have to cut them open while the plane he's on is shaking because of the turbulence. That was a truly disturbing moment. But all of the moments whether it's horror or revenge can some familiarity.

Pros

One bit of praise goes to the effects. Especially the practical ones. Matt's disfigured face looks incredible. The makeup on that was perfect. There's also some good GCI when it comes to Matt's shape shifting. And both those elements really added to the body horror side of the movie. But the biggest praise should absolutely go to Tom Rhys Harries' performance. I've never seen this guy in anything before but left a great impression. His range is everywhere. He nailed being charming, devastated, vulnerable, and unhinged. If he doesn't get more starring roles after this it'll be Hollywood's lose.

Clayface was actually a fun experience. While the story has some good aspects in it, it doesn't really break new ground. It's certainly better than previous DCU film entries but in hindsight that's not really saying much.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Due come back on Monday, Oct 26th, for my review of something I recently discovered called, WNUF Halloween Special. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.