Clayface, the latest film in the new DC Universe, was always going to be a really interesting project so early on in the franchise. Marvel, their biggest competitors, have consistently kept things light throughout the history of their cinematic universe and yet here’s DC choosing to drop a body horror thriller as their third film. That’s their equivalent of Iron Man 2. I think it’s important context if you’re debating whether to see it, because it just shows how bold the decision is, especially with Supergirl (their second film) already getting a mixed response from audiences and critics. It’s a really critical time for DC to appease fans and grow their audience. Any risk that doesn’t work out could cause some serious repercussions for the rest of the franchise. Clayface is undoubtedly a huge risk, and luckily, for James Gunn and Peter Safran, the choice to make a body horror thriller seems to have really paid off.
There are elements of this film that don’t really work. I’ve already seen a lot of social reactions about the quality of the script at stages, as well as some of the hazy CGI. I also personally found it incredibly dissociative to see Rob Brydon appear as a talk show host interviewing Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) as part of his early successes as an actor. No disrespect to Brydon, who brings his best to the role, but it’s a similar energy to when James Acaster appeared in the latest Ghostbusters and people just couldn’t see past it. None of these things, however, were enough for me to feel like they impacted the film, although I can see that they might affect others. With those things in mind, I would encourage those debating to see the film to go in as open-minded as possible. The evolution of the story is so fun and gripping, leading to a brilliant final sequence at Vesuvius Night Club as Hagen finally begins to master his powers. Some will inevitably be put off by some of the less successful technical elements, but others, I feel confident, will come out feeling like it’s one of the freshest ‘superhero’ (even if it’s not overtly of that genre) films in years.
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I briefly made reference to Marvel earlier on in the review, and I think it’s inevitable that comparisons will continue to be made between the two. DC has had a very varied time in its attempts to produce a successful franchise over the years, whereas Marvel has had (until more recently) a pretty stellar track record. One of the elements of the early Marvel franchise that worked for people was its choice to use specific genres to tell comic stories, such as Guardians Of The Galaxy being a space opera and Winter Soldier being more of a paranoid espionage thriller. I think that’s why DC should be applauded for its choice to take a similar approach because when it works, it really works. I wasn’t expecting to find a body horror thriller so exhilarating as someone who isn’t a massive fan of the genre, but by putting characters audiences have known from comics and other adaptations over the years, it allows us to be considerably more invested as a result. I’ve known Clayface to be a Batman villain from playing the games and watching the animated series, but I’ve never felt that fussed about seeing him in live action. By giving the character such an interesting story in his first live-action appearance, that’s completely changed. It’s helped massively with Rhys Harries’s performance. They really cleverly navigate the character’s rise from nothing to stardom, and although you know he’s destined to be a traditional ‘villain’, you still root for the character to somehow end up good. That’s the sign of a well-told story and one worth giving a shot.
Clayface is an absolute triumph that has you constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. It’s so different to what you would expect from a traditional DC movie because of how bold some of its decisions are. They weren’t guaranteed to pay off, but a lot of them do. I’d also add that the film isn’t quite as gory as it’s being sold in its marketing, although I’ll leave that to personal judgement. Finally, it’s worth noting that it’s pretty standalone from everything else. I have a lot of time for franchise movies that work on their own as much as they do as part of the wider universe. You aren’t required to know DC like the back of your hand to get this movie because it brilliantly sets up a character to be used in the wider universe, whilst also telling a really interesting dark story about a lonely, misunderstood character whose story feels like it is being heavily influenced by desperation and desire.
★★★★
In cinemas from 23rd October / Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik / Dir: James Watkins / DC Studios / 15
