Director: James Watkins
Starring: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 108 mins
Clayface is the latest in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s burgeoning DC Universe, and it’s the film I’ve been most intrigued by. That’s because it was based on an idea pitched by Mike Flanagan, who envisioned a horror-leaning film that would stand out in the ever-overcrowded superhero genre. Unfortunately, Flanagan wasn’t able to ultimately direct due to clashes with his Carrie series and the upcoming The Exorcist: Martyrs, so James Watkins – the excellent director behind The Woman in Black, Eden Lake and Speak No Evil came on board. Although Flanagan receives a credit for the script, Hossein Amini does too and made significant rewrites.
Relative newcomer Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, an actor who’s just been nominated for an Academy Award. When he attends a party at the Vesuvius nightclub with his friend Corey (Joshua James), he’s seduced by Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro). After spending the night with her, he wakes up in bed surrounded by crime lord Markos Szabo (David Dencik) and his men, who disfigure Matt’s face as punishment. Being corrupt, Szabo avoids prosecution and Matt’s life is upended. He then learns of Caitlyn Corr (Naomie Ackie), a doctor developing a treatment using nanites to heal damaged tissue and skin, and while the the results seem promising at first, mutations occur that lead him to become the shapeshifting Batman adversary.
I’ve found the DC Universe a mixed bag so far – I somewhat enjoyed Superman, despite its very ramshackle construction, but I didn’t enjoy Supergirl very much. Although James Gunn says Clayface is very much connected to those films, this film is by far the best the cinematic universe has had to offer so far. The decision to make it an 18-rated body horror film was a good one that stands the film apart in the genre. I applaud Gunn and Safran for allowing such a film to be made within a mechanism where films are typically optimised for the strongest possible box office yield – by being 12A / PG-13 which allows for the biggest audience turnout.
Even if it never quite soars, this is an entertaining and tragic story and I really liked how Watkins takes his time with the characters so we can understand their motivations rather than rush to get to the action. Hagen is a well-rounded individual, who we can fully empathise with in his desperation to get his life back on track after his disfigurement. He’s someone who’s always right on the cusp of what he’s wanted, but never quite gets there.
There’s some excellent use of practical effects in the body horror sequences, with a scene against a bathroom mirror in Hagen’s home and on a plane wince-inducing. That said, although I winced, I thought the film would push the body horror boat a bit further in terms of gore, considering films like The Substance exist. The revenge story the film leads to is very satisfying to watch, especially a climactic sequence in a nightclub.
Tom Rhys Harries makes for an excellent Hagen and much like the character he portrays, he’s surely destined for a successful career after this. While the rest of the cast are all very serviceable (although Eddie Marsan is another highlight as Hagen’s agent), this is very much Harries’ vehicle.
The film’s supported by an excellent Volker Bertelmann score, who establishes some memorable themes, although the use of pop and contemporary tracks is a mis-step and lessens the dark tone Watkins is trying to achieve. This problem plagued Supergirl in particular, but it fortunately doesn’t derail things here.
Visually, Clayface makes the most of its relatively modest $44 million budget, but it’s not particularly distinctive in any way, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell Rob Hardy lenses the film. Watkins also doesn’t make his Gotham City particularly memorable or feel like a character, like the best Batman films achieve. It certainly feels closer to Matt Reeves’ Liverpool-shot The Batman than it does with Gunn’s Metropolis in Superman though.
Clayface is ultimately an above-average superhero film that’s easily the best of the DC Universe so far. However, I wouldn’t quite call it a triumph – it doesn’t have the raw energy or the sadness of Joker, which remains the yardstick for how to construct a tragic supervillain origin story. The film would have really benefitted from a more distinct visual language and possibly a more generous budget, but at least Watkins gets the basics right with the excellent character development. One thing’s for sure – I’m intrigued to see how this character is used and developed in future films.
