CLAYFACE

Since the inception of this new DC Cinematic Universe, I have been bored to tears with the content that has already come out. Superman - Meh, Supergirl - turd, Creature Commandos - not for me, and I haven't finished dipping my toe into the Lanterns pool yet.  So to know that this early on into whatever we are calling this James Gunn and Peter Safran led DC Universe, that a supposedly Mike Flanaghan written movie adaptation of Clayface is here. Take My Money.

Clayface centers around Matt Hagen, played wonderfully by Tom Rhys Harries, an up-and-coming actor in the film scene in both Gotham City and Coast City. He’s handsome yet humble, understanding that he's fulfilled his lifelong goal and brought himself up and out of the slums to fame and fortune, yet is still kind and grateful to every single person he crosses on-set or on the street. He is the quintessential golden boy you want to root for.

While out celebrating an Academy Award nomination with his best friend, Matt meets a salacious young woman at a club. But after a one night stand with her, he quickly and violently finds out she is the girlfriend to Gotham mobster Markos Szabo (David Dencik), said mobster and his goons wreak havoc and cut up Matt's face. The result of their attack is so abominable that even under a mask, Matt's life is never going to be the same. Slowly Matt's life is picked apart by the mobster, in and out of court - leaving Matt with nothing but anger, resentment and the clothes on his back. It's a heartbreaking turn to a movie that otherwise starts off so happy and fulfilling, as Matt's climb to stardom is pulled right out from underneath him.

And here is where the film gets interesting as a Batman and Detective Comics fan - because this melding of different iterations of the character of Clayface is a brilliant way to bring this character to present day Gotham without sticking to the source material that I love so much. How can this kind of story make sense in a Gotham that seems somewhat grounded and realistic?

The film pivots and introduces character Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who is a medical scientist working on developing a serum that uses nanocell tech to repair and regrow cells and tissue. Her work is underfunded and she is hanging on by a thread to continue the work she has done in this field. Matt of course reaches out and offers himself up to be the human trial guinea pig for Dr. Corr. Hesitation ensues, she eventually caves, and in a flash forward, we see the mutilated version of Matt Hagen no more, slowly morphing back to the handsome, square jawed Hollywood hunk he once was. Admittedly, there was this collective dull cheer and head nod from my friend and I in the theatre  last night, because of how quickly we got invested into Matt's comeback.

And just as quickly as the cheering started, the gasps followed. As the old saying goes, "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished", the remainder of the film feels exactly like that statement come to life - as the unexpected side effects of Dr. Corr's nanocell serum prove to be wildly unpredictable, giving Matt's body Incalculable morphing abilities. If you've seen the trailer for Clayface, it's very obvious that you know where this ends up going, and with the body horror genre riding a high right thanks to The Substance, Clayface plays to its strength providing some incredibly uncomfortable moments with Matt and his metamorphosis.

I love the body horror subgenre and this film knows exactly what it wants to pay tribute to, while still carving out a little slice of its Gotham origins. Films like 1980's Altered States or director David Cronenburg's 86 classic The Fly felt like the most referenced in those second and third acts - which makes sense considering how impactful that era of body horror was at their time of release and the age of writer Mike Flanagan. Even the subtle nodding to Clive Barker's classic Hellraiser was a welcomed homage for a horror head like me. I do wonder though what Flanagan's original story idea and script looked like, considering writer Hossein Amini was brought in to rewrite before shooting. I don't usually like knocking people's resumes or bodies of work - but when browsing through Amini's IMDB page, having the guy who wrote 47 Ronin, The Snowman and Snow White and The Huntsman brought in to 'revise' the work of someone like Flanagan, who is revered by us in the horror community, is kindaaaa fishy and felt like we took ten steps backwards on the story and script front. Parts of this script feel clunky, some feel fleshed out (clayface pun intended there), and I think there is a distinction between Amini's style of writing and Flanagan's - which to someone who has absorbed Flanagan's body of work religiously can very easily catch. I'm not saying the final product is bad whatsoever. But I do think this is a case of too many cooks in the kitchen, when a master like Flanagan was already at work. Love the enthusiasm and forward thinking of James Gunn and Co, but guys - learn from your mistakes on this one.

Clayface doesn't reinvent any wheel - body horror, comic book adaptation, or anti-hero - but it is a damn fun movie in which you're truly rooting for the one time golden child of Coast City to exact his revenge on all those who hurt him. In this ever growing elseworld of Batman rogues gallery and mythology, I would watch this 10 times more before returning to either of the latest Joker films with Joaquin, and am interested to see how or IF this fits into a bigger Batman/Bruce Wayne picture. Prepare to be squeamish and entertained this Halloween, Clayface is one hell of a ride and worth checking out.