By George & Josh Bate
Who would have thought that the third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reimagined DCU, after Superman and Supergirl, would be a Clayface movie? As unusual of a creative decision that may be, the concept of elevating a B-tier Batman villain to be the star of an R-rated body horror movie is certainly the kind of bold swing the comic book genre needs to take in order to stay interesting amidst an increasingly competitive marketplace. And what better creative team to pull off such a swing than writer Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep), director James Watkins (Speak No Evil, Eden Lake), and producer James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Slither)? Thankfully, after the woeful misfire that was Supergirl this past summer, the DCU finds its footing with its best movie to date, a gnarly and inventive Cronenberg-esque body horror movie that introduces Hollywood to a striking new leading man.
Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a rising movie star whose career is derailed after being brutally disfigured by a mob boss in Gotham City. Desperate to repair his face (and life), Matt volunteers as a test subject in an experimental trial involving nanotechnology overseen by Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). Little does Matt know that the procedure intended to restore his original face comes with horrific side effects.
Heading into Clayface, we were admittedly hesitant about the third theatrical installment in Gunn and Safran’s DCU. Making a solo movie about a B-level Batman villain so early in the tenure of a burgeoning cinematic universe felt like an odd choice, especially considering Batman himself and an array of other popular heroes have yet to make their debuts in this universe. As such, despite the talent involved behind the scenes, we kept our expectations low. So, it was a pleasant surprise to watch Clayface and realize just how much fun we had with it.
Moving at a pitch perfect pace that includes just enough moments of brief reprieve without ever having a lull, director James Watkins’ film chronicles the tragic origin story of a villain. Very much like Todd Phillips’ Joker, Clayface positions an eventual villain as a protagonist whose turn to evil comes as a result of chronic mistreatment at the hands of others. The audience comes to care for Matt Hagen, much like how we came to care for Arthur Fleck, before our moral compasses and willingness to still support him are tested as his actions become increasingly questionable. Admittedly, Clayface doesn’t tow this line quite as delicately as Joker, culminating in a somewhat jarring transformation of character (both literal and figurative) in its final moments, but it nonetheless compels with its focus on a downtrodden man whose ethics are gradually deconstructed due to his devastating circumstances.
Clayface toys with an interesting idea of an actor, on the precipice of becoming a major movie star, having his life destroyed as the primary asset of his profession (i.e., his face) is horribly disfigured. Potentially, this set-up seems as if it may give way to some interesting commentary on vanity, navigating a cutthroat movie industry, and repression of identity, but the film doesn’t take advantage of these fascinating thematic threads.
Instead, the film introduces a half-developed subplot involving cancel culture as Matt Hagen’s facial deformities are coupled with vague news about reprehensible actions from his past. This element of the story seemingly suffers from rewrites or mass edits as it is awkwardly shoehorned into the film, ostensibly to further destroy Matt’s life and make his willingness to enroll in an experimental treatment more believable. But introducing this element, only to hardly explore its implications for the protagonist and the broader story, means the film yet again fails to commit to a wholehearted exploration of an idea it touches on, but can’t seem to dedicate sufficient time and effort toward.
While Clayface may err in its interesting, yet underexplored themes, the film overwhelmingly succeeds as an inventive, visceral, and grotesque body horror movie. An imaginative and seamless blend of CGI and practical effects bring to life an array of unsettling, creative, and undeniably memorable visuals of Matt as he experiences perplexing and increasingly disturbing changes to his body. Exhibiting a deft handling of cultivating and maintaining tension, Watkins crafts a number of nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, and wince-inducing sequences, all revolving around Matt’s experiment gone wrong. The grisly visuals are impressive to say the least and blend effortlessly into the film’s more grounded, grimy aesthetic.
Clayface also approaches its status as the origin story for a superpowered comic book villain quite interestingly. Over the course of the film, Matt oscillates between believing he has recovered his life after complete devastation and feeling as if things are worse and scarier than ever due to the evolving nature of his abilities. In a subtler way than most superhero movies, Watkins’ film allows Matt to gradually come to an understanding of these abilities and, eventually, master them, as demonstrated in a stunning climactic action sequence. The film continually builds upon itself in this regard, which ultimately arrives at a point in which Matt’s shapeshifting abilities raise intriguing questions about who is really who.
Matt himself is realized by Tom Rhys Harries, a Welsh actor who previously appeared in an episode of Doctor Who and ITV adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde. While Harries and his co-stars are often hindered by awkward, unnatural dialogue, the leading man makes for a striking screen presence in a role that will almost certainly spur on the kind of career Matt Hagen could only dream of. Harries excels in the fluctuations between feeling like his life has miraculously gotten better and feeling like his life has just become exponentially worse due to the procedure, and brings the audience along with him for all of these ups and downs. Some baffling character decisions, in particular a choice he makes at the end of the film that feels both unearned and out-of-character, stretch the limits of believability of Harries’ performance, although this is more so the fault of the screenplay than the actor.
The other prominent figure in the movie is Dr. Caitlin Corr, played by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actor Naomie Ackie. Caitlin serves an important role in the film as she is both the scientist whose treatment turns Matt into Clayface and also the woman Matt falls in love with. The romance between Matt and Caitlin feels forced, although developments in the story make it clear that the somewhat unnaturalism of the romance serves a narrative purpose. However, like the aforementioned issues with underexplored themes, the tragic love story is half-baked, once again introducing some potentially fascinating ideas into the fold, yet bafflingly not exploring them to their fullest extent.
Clayface recovers the pieces of its flawed love story, however, in its final moments. Without delving into spoilers, the film authentically sells the tragic fall of its protagonist and finds an ingenious, character-specific way to depict this.
VERDICT: 7/10
By far the best of three DCU movies to date, Clayface is an inventive, visceral, and gnarly Cronenbergian body horror movie that introduces Hollywood to a striking new leading man. Moving at a pitch perfect pace, director James Watkins’ film chronicles the tragic origin story of a villain, compelling with a Joker-esque focus on a downtrodden man whose ethics are gradually deconstructed due to the devastating circumstances he faces. While the film fails to commit to a wholehearted exploration of a number of potentially fascinating ideas, including vanity and repression of identity, an imaginative and seamless blend of CGI and practical effects brings to life unsettling, creative, and undeniably memorable visuals. Tom Rhys Harries makes for a striking screen presence and authentically sells the frequent oscillations of his character’s mental state, although some baffling character decisions culminate in a somewhat jarring transformation of character that feels both unearned and out-of-character. Although Matt Hagen can shapeshift into just about anything, Clayface can’t quite transform into something as profound and subversive as its themes suggest. That being said, as a nail-biting, wince-inducing, and edge-of-your-seat psychological horror movie, the film overwhelmingly triumphs.