The DCU gets the best entry of its “Gods and Monsters” first chapter with the body horror thriller Clayface. The adaptation of the classic Batman villain takes the disfiguring transformation of its protagonist seriously. A captivating lead performance by Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries establishes genuine empathy for the character before he takes a murderous turn. Even then, his quest for vengeance and love are understandable as he becomes grotesquely twisted. Audiences will squirm during particularly graphic scenes, but the overuse of CGI is a drawback that tempers realism.
Harries stars as Matt Hagen, a poor kid who grew up on Gotham City’s Narrows island and escaped to become a Coast City (aka Hollywood) movie star. The story begins with Matt auditioning for a new film after receiving critical acclaim in a previous role. He weeps with joy after a major announcement finally puts him at the pinnacle of his career. Matt flies back to Gotham City with his best friend since childhood, Corey Bowery (Joshua James), a fledgling actor trying to make it big.
Matt and Corey are feted VIPs as they party at Gotham’s hottest nightclub Vesuvius. The adored Matt catches the eye of an alluring woman (Joana Ribeiro). He’s drawn in by her smoldering sexuality, but is given a dire warning by Corey. Mia is the girlfriend of crime boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik). Flirting with her is dangerous business. Matt ignores Corey and pays an awful price for his arrogance.
Weeks later, the horribly disfigured Matt sits in his old Narrow’s apartment despondent at the life he lost and the crime committed against him. But a TV interview with scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie) gives him hope. She’s created a new kind of nanotechnology that can repair the body’s cell structure. But she’s lost her funding, is on the verge of bankruptcy, and isn’t sure what the actual effects on humans are after long-term treatment.
Harries is a revelation here and perfectly cast. He portrays Matt as someone you root for to succeed. The hard luck story that found great success with talent and pure nerve. His path to fame and fortune was earned. Thus his downfall and betrayal by people Matt thought he could trust is especially devastating. Harries dealing with multiple failed cosmetic surgeries is difficult to watch. Director James Watkins (Eden Lake, Speak No Evil) nails these scenes as we see a broken man further shattered. The visual effects here are a standout with practical make-up and prosthetics. Matt getting his nose reattached may have some hurling in their popcorn buckets.
Ackie also intrigues as Caitlyn and serves as the emotional support that Matt desperately needs. Caitlyn isn’t a kook or mad scientist trying to exploit Matt for financial gain. She’s reticent about the procedure at every stage, but overjoyed when seemingly positive results are achieved. Caitlyn can sense the good in Matt and wants to see him resume his career. But becomes increasingly worried as his nanotech addiction takes an unexpected turn. Their friendship grows and flirts with intimacy as the pair are locked into Matt’s dangerous spiral. He’s infatuated with her, and she cares deeply, but can’t ignore what’s happening to him. Ackie and Harries are tremendous together as the film’s core relationship.
The practical FX scenes are worth the price of admission. Matt’s sutured face and droopy eye socket after the vicious attack looks repulsively real. There are also scenes where he’s cutting himself with sharp tools that will make your skin crawl. Clayface loses tension with the CGI transition to the recognizable comic book villain. The sludge Clayface looks artificial and doesn’t give you the same visceral response. That said, the CGI transformations do work when he accidentally mimics others under duress. There’s a learning curve to Matt’s abilities before he goes full psychopath. In that sense, Clayface’s body horror aspects are both hit and miss.
The plot takes a predictable turn in the third act. We get the standard vengeance quest with little surprises. Some may view this as a welcome bloody retort, but the slaughter could have been handled with more nuance. The good psychological aspects from the beginning are lost in a sledgehammer approach. It would have been better for Matt to stalk and surreptitiously kill instead of mass casualty events. There was never a need to go big in this film when the personal interactions were dynamic and engaging.
Clayface has positive entertainment value and was much better than expected. DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran made the right decision for an R-rated film. Gunn especially has come under withering criticism for having the opening slate of DCU films (Superman, Supergirl) as extensions of his MCU work. Clayface breaks that trend and is refreshingly different. It’s scary at times, hideous enough, and definitely well-acted by the primary stars.
Clayface is a production of DC Studios, 6th & Idaho, Troll Court Entertainment, and The Safran Company. It will be released theatrically on October 23rd from Warner Bros.
