⭐️⭐️✨ 2.5/5

Though I am a fan of DC Studios, this latest instalment in the franchise had quite a low amount of publicity. Scheduled for release before Halloween, this thriller/horror film examines the origins of the Batman antagonist Clayface. As a non-traditional DC Studios film centred on suspense with an 18 certificate, I wondered if it could bring a new audience to DC.

I was looking forward to this film and hoped it would deliver. I personally think DC does get a hard time, and some film entries are rated poor and do not perform at the box office despite being okay. The recent Supergirl film, in my opinion, was actually okay, but could not attract the box office numbers.

The film chronicles actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) after a brush with a mob boss who takes revenge on him, destroying his face. The film then chronicles his efforts to restore his features and reclaim his life using nanotechnology. But the intervention fails with disastrous consequences for Matt.

While I was expecting a dark visual style, and it is in parts, seeing as this is the backstory of Gotham character Clayface, the depiction did not feel like the Gotham we know. While some of the story is disturbing, the film is slow and quite uneventful until the third act, if you like. Boring and predictable in parts, too long, and easily could have had 30 minutes cut. This film is not going to help how DC is perceived by audiences.

Despite being a fan of DC, I found this a little too disconnected from the source Gotham story. The effects are quite good and support a disappointing story, despite Mike Flanagan’s involvement. Not particularly thrilling and despite okay acting, I cannot recommend this one, and I can only hope DC gets back on track soon.

⭐️⭐️✨ 2.5/5

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Trailer, synopsis and full score below.

Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, Clayface follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a rising Hollywood actor whose career and identity are shattered when a ruthless Gotham mobster brutally mutilates his face. Desperate to reclaim his former life, Hagen turns to an unproven experimental nanotech skin-repair treatment developed by scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). When the initial success begins to reverse, an obsessed Hagen overdoses on the formula, triggering a grotesque mutation that grants him the tragic ability to shape-shift his clay-like body into anyone he pleases. As the violent side-effects warp his mind, Hagen plunges down a blood-soaked path of vengeance against those who destroyed him, surrendering his humanity to become the terrifying monster Clayface.

Online synopsis 

Film Rating

Music/Sound

2 out of 5

Story/plot

1 out of 5

Acting/Performances

3 out of 5

Overall

2.5 out of 5

Certification: 18
Running time: 108 minutes
Screening type: 2D