Clayface Review: DC's best movie since Superman

Clayface may not dominate box office numbers, but it's a decent watch, and the best movie to come from DC since Superman.

I'll admit I didn't know much about Clayface as a DC character going into this, and that was a good thing with how my experience went. I knew he was a DC villain, but I didn't know what his powers were like or what caused him to become Clayface. This movie exposed me to the character a lot more than I'd ever been, and I'm glad it did.

The story

Clayface is DC's latest installment that takes place in Gotham City. The movie revolves around Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a famous actor who is seemingly at the height of his career after being nominated for an Academy Award.

Life was all rainbows and unicorns for Hagen until he slept with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), despite knowing who she was and disregarded a warning from his best friend to stay away from her. Things went downhill for Hagen after Markos Szabo (David Dencik), whose girlfriend he slept with, ambushed him the morning after and decided he needed to be punished.

Hagen tried  to fight afterwards through the law, but it all backfired on him after the justice system failed him. And just about everyone he held close distanced themselves from him after he became hideous and lost pretty much everything he had. As a last resort, he sought out Dr Caitlyn Bates (Naomi Ackie), an ambitious experimental scientist and nanotechnologist who lost funding for her research. 

He pleaded with her and volunteered for a human trial, which she warned was illegal and wouldn't be ready until a year later. He was desperate and willing to go to any length, even not caring about dying in the process. At first I didn't think Bates had a good reason to help him after initially turning him down, but she did anyway, as it seemed like underneath the hideous face was a good person.

What worked

Harries was fantastic as Clayface. I don't quite remember seeing him in The Gentlemen, but I've become a fan of his work after this.

The visuals for Clayface himself were great, and I loved his shape-shifting ability. We only see him fully transform once, right at the end, and I won't spoil it. I also loved the similarities he has with the Hulk, in terms of the monster wanting to come out when he is angry or upset, and we get Bruce Banner whenever he is calm. That's sort of the relationship between Hagen and Clayface. 

Hagen, though, seemingly cannot control the monster without Dr Bates by his side. I thought that was a flaw, because unlike Clayface, the Hulk can become Banner without someone holding his hand or keeping him calm. But a good argument can also be made for Clayface, which is that for most of the film Hagen hadn't really embraced the monster within him, at least not in the way Banner had already embraced the Hulk as a part of him.

The red carpet scene after the first human trial was amazing. It was a sort of "in your face" moment that the movie needed, and at the appropriate time, even though it didn't quite end well for Hagen.

Naomi Ackie and the supporting cast

Naomi Ackie held her own as Dr Bates. I haven't seen her in a lot of stuff, but she was similarly just as good in Mickey 17, Blink Twice and Sorry, Baby. I also quite liked Joshua James as Corey Bowery, an actor I wasn't familiar with.

What didn't work

We don't spend enough time with Hagen before we are introduced to Clayface. That would've made a big difference, because the movie doesn't take long to make you see him as a villain. I wish I had spent more time with him, because I didn't really understand Hagen as a character before he became Clayface. I didn't really like him as a famous actor even before the incident, because it felt as though he was unhappy with the successes in his life and was bothered by something the movie never established. 

Szabo's punishment was also too harsh, especially for someone like Hagen. Gotham is a ruthless city where mercy is scarce, but it seemed like something someone crazy like The Joker would inflict.

And though I sympathised with Hagen for most of the movie, I did find him to be a bit of a jerk when he developed feelings for Dr Bates, who already lives with a fiancee who almost caught them kissing. It seemed as though Hagen hadn't learned his lesson and was about to repeat the same mistake that got him punished in the first place.

Verdict

Clayface gets a lot of things right. There were areas where the narrative could've been tighter, but the acting prowess from the cast makes up for many of the film's obvious flaws.

There are moments in the film that will grab your attention without demanding it, simply because they were good. It's not a typical horror movie that's meant to jump scare you, at least not at first. It's a movie that poses the question: how many of us would choose the path of a villain even when we have the power to not become one?

I'm not sure when we'll come across the character again, but if you've read a few of my reviews in the past, you'll know I'm a fan of well-written villains, and I've become an admirer of Clayface. I'm happy to see where they take Hagen next, and whether or not he will face the consequences of his actions. This one may not dominate box office numbers, but it's a decent watch, and the best movie to come from DC since Superman.

Clayface is a solid 7/10