CLAYFACE
Starring: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomie Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Joana Ribeiro, and Joshua James
Director: James Watkins
AMARÚ
Clayface cuts to the chase, both to its benefit and detriment. The blistering pace keeps the heart racing through the gnarly horror/thriller elements of Matt Hagan’s (Tom Rhys Harries) brutally tragic tale. But it also plays like director James Watkins and writer Mike Flanagan didn’t have enough time to make the film they wanted. For every great practical effect and appropriately melodramatic piece of dialogue, there are hasty edits, undercooked CGI, and cheesy line-readings. Luckily, the film settles in as it closes, highlighted by a stunning climax and a steadying standout performance from Max Minghella. Through its flaws, Clayface delivers an entertaining experience.
ADRIANO
It’s hard to complain when a comic book movie veers off course nowadays, but not being basic isn’t automatically great. Clayface isn’t bad, to be clear, but there’s an underdeveloped foundation beneath the parts that work. It’s tonally too clean to feel unsettling or gritty, and the visual language is bland; however, it makes up for that with some gnarly and impressive practical body horror. Still, the story plays it too safe, portraying a fall from grace that’s too rushed to actually feel like Tom Rhys Harries’ character becomes the monster he is presented as. Overall, I enjoyed elements of Clayface, but was generally underwhelmed.
ADELAIDE
While I appreciate what director James Watkins is attempting, merging modern comic book universe filmmaking with true genre exercises and the intense body horror befitting a character like Clayface (Tom Rhys Harries), this is not it. An extremely rigid script and poor editing weighs this film down, despite the wonderful effort Harries puts forth as the titular villain. The supporting cast is all just set dressing, which could work in a better film, but falls flat here. There are a couple standout scenes (like the airplane scene featured in the trailer) that suggest greatness could be found in this tale, just not in this movie.
ROBERT
It is spooky season, and nothing is spookier than a studio dabbling into genre storytelling with lesser-known IP to prop up a bad yearly box office. However, if you are a 1990s kid, Clayface is intriguing on name alone given his Batman: The Animated Series origins. Honestly, the story is secondary to the enjoyment, as the revenge plot for Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is pedestrian, but the seedy environments, the shapeshifting, and the journey into what someone will do to hold onto their crafted identity is what generates appeal. Thus, geek out on gooey visuals and vibes; let the sewers run orange with clay!
PAIGE
The DCU’s latest entry, Clayface, delivers for the most part. This body horror turned revenge thriller draws inspiration from several 80s films that defined the genre. The movie impressively blends practical makeup and visual effects which allows the gore to shine here. Our lead, Tom Rhys Harries also delivers a fantastic performance, carrying the film with an intense and committed portrayal. That said, the dialogue is clunky, the antagonist is weak, and the supporting cast are just so-so. But when the story actually dives into the shapeshifting element and reaches its third act, it becomes a lot more fun and allows this standalone villain story to work.
BODE
There’s a part of me that wants to give Clayface credit. When most comic book films are only getting bigger, this DCU entry chooses to scale back to give this Batman villain an origin story worthy of The Fly. It’s solid in theory, but the execution is entirely off. The script is clunky in ways that leave most of its actors stranded (save maybe Tom Rhys Harries in the titular role). The pacing is wildly uneven, and the filmmaking is far too clean for the (embarrassingly tame) body horror to cut as deep as it should. A pointless endeavour for me.
