Clayface

Check out my full review @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/clayface-movie-review-tom-rhys-harries-leads-a-gruesome-satisfying-dcu-villain-story/

Rating: B

CLAYFACE is a grotesque, committed body horror villain origin story that’s refreshingly standalone. Tom Rhys Harries gives a pretty great lead performance, subtle for most of it and menacing when it counts. Naomi Ackie is good alongside him. The practical effects and prosthetics are remarkable, the disco set piece is a blast, and the airplane bathroom scene had me looking away. I liked that it lets Matt be a villain and ties his career so bluntly to his face. Away from him, though, the writing gets thin. The supporting characters and the mobsters are weak, the second act runs in circles, the editing cuts corners on the transformations, and Gotham looks like any other city. Still, I quite liked it. My DCU streak lives on!

Man, this had so much potential. This just flat out wasn’t good. It was entertaining because it’s an IP we haven’t seen before but the writing was bad, the acting wasn’t great, there was zero chemistry between the two love interests. The quick change from character to character was an interesting choice when it seemed the logic of the movie said something else. This just needed more time to bake. It could’ve been actually scary and earned the label of “horror” but it only gained that label because of the body gore which was crazy for this film. This could’ve been so much better.

James Watkins’ Clayface Is A Gruesome, Atmospheric Body-Horror Thriller That Reimagines One Of Batman’s Most Tragic Villains As A Hollywood Actor Whose Desperate Pursuit Of Beauty And Fame Leads To A Horrifying Transformation. Tom Rhys Harries Delivers A Compelling Performance As Matt Hagen, While Naomi Ackie Adds Emotional Depth To A Story Exploring Identity, Obsession, Revenge, And The Destructive Nature Of Vanity. The Film’s Practical Effects, Grotesque Transformations, And Unsettling Atmosphere Make It A Refreshing Departure From Conventional Superhero Movies.

Although The Screenplay Occasionally Struggles With Pacing And Character Development, And The Final Act Becomes Somewhat Chaotic, The Film’s Disturbing Imagery And Tragic Central Character Make It A Memorable Horror Experience. Clayface Succeeds Most When It Embraces Its Grotesque Creature-Feature Roots Rather Than Its Superhero Origins.

Tom Rhys Harries has come a long way since his "Secret Life of Flowers" (2017) only this film is something altogether uglier than that! He's Hollywood heart-throb "Hagan" who discovers that there are consequences to not keeping it in his pants after he encounters "Mia" (Joana Ribiero) on a dancefloor. Despite warnings from his best pal "Corey" (Joshua James) that she is not to be meddled with, he goes ahead and incurs the wrath of mobster "Szabo" (David Dencik) and so is soon in need of some substantial surgery! With his looks now gone, so goes his work and he finds himself penniless, homeless and all alone. Solution? Well that might come from experimental physician "Caitlyn" (Naomi Ackie) who reckons she can use nanotechnology to assist. What initially just starts out as some reconstructive work soon spirals out of control though as his personality becomes affected and his body becomes a law unto itself - especially when he discovers that his assault and it's aftermath weren't quite as straightforward he had expected. I can't say that I'd ever heard of "Clayface" until now so wasn't sure what to expect from DC - never my favourite brand of American super-heroes. TRH delivers well though as the story marries bits of the "Batman" with "The Hulk" and leads us on a quickly paced tale of revenge that's tempered with the tiniest bit of romance, a fair degree of accruing menace and a not an entirely implausible glimpse into just how medical science could actually evolve if left to the unregulated and unscrupulous. What is also really quite striking here is the integration of the fluid visual effects into the action. Those techniques are common enough in animated features, but seeing them used to quite this effect in a live-action feature is really quite impressive and forms much of the substance of this grimy and really quite sinister drama. The dialogue doesn't exactly stretch anyone but it looks good and I did quite enjoy it.