What if Superman was evil? That’s the central concept behind Brightburn, the new horror film from director David Yarovesky and producer James Gunn. While a horror riff on the Man of Steel’s origin story is a great idea worth investing in, this particular interpretation struggles to soar under the weight of weak visual effects and cheap horror clichés. Nevertheless the attempt to stand out amongst the increasingly similar superhero content in today’s society is admirable – and if you’re willing to invest in the experience and look past its many flaws – Brightburn is an entertaining ride with great performances from leads Elizabeth Banks and David Denman.
The plot of Brightburn is exactly what you think it is, as we follow the development of middle schooler Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) as he learns of his alien heritage and the accompanying powers that go with it. Guided by his own ma and pa Kent, Tori (Banks) and Kyle Breyer (Denman), Brandon should be going the way of Clark Kent, a saviour for a world who doesn’t realise they need one. Something sinister, however, calls to Brandon from the barn behind his house and curiosity gets the better of him. Up until this point the film really has a lot going for it, we’re invested in the Breyer parents and understand their affection for their adopted son, who they see as a miracle bestowed upon them. Sure, there’s the odd misstep along the way with some downright awful dialogue and some seriously questionable decisions that just defy logic, but the initial mystery surrounding Brandon, the barn and the gradual development of his powers – shown in some inventive, albeit ridiculous ways – is well paced and I was genuinely interested in what was unfolding. The film makes some pretty powerful, if not always subtle, observations on social anxiety and isolation – showing how Brandon’s inability to fit in at school pushes him towards the darker path. When Brandon finally turns, his actions are a shocking and heinous reaction to the world around him, something that is truly terrifying given recent events in our world.
It’s a real shame, given the solid foundation established in the first two acts, that the film then devolves into a series of jump scares and mindless gore. The jump scares in particular are the worst kind of horror cliché here: a character approaches the scene, the music blares and something jumps out to frighten the living daylights out of them. Only it doesn’t frighten us. These scares don’t so much instill you with any measurable fear as much as they do jolt you upright with a loud sound and a sudden camera movement. It became such common practice that these sudden noises didn’t even elicit a response from me, I simply sat there annoyed that the filmmakers chose to go for a cheap scare instead of really digging into Brandon’s character, developing the struggle between his desire to live a normal life and the pull of his alien heritage. Once Brandon turns villainous, his character is essentially forfeit and the film loses most of its stakes. It relies on the connection we have to Elizabeth Banks and David Denham’s characters to keep us invested, but all the character work developing Brandon as an innocent child tormented by his origin is wasted.
Speaking of Banks and Denham, they’re easily the brightest point (excuse the pun) of the film. We see the story, for the most part, through their eyes as they struggle to comprehend and defend their son’s increasingly bizarre and violent actions. It is tearing them apart – not only as parents, but also as a couple – and it was a wise choice to anchor the film to them as a duo. Their differing responses to Brandon’s behaviour creates conflict more interesting than any power he exhibits, and it would have served the story better to unravel this thread rather than the anticlimactic third act that we get. Jackson A. Dunn does his best with the character of Brandon, hitting all the notes that the script requires of him, but it’s ultimately a thankless role he’s been put in. There’s no real personality to Brandon, apart from the stereotypical awkward teenager archetype, and even once he turns villain, there’s no over-the-top speeches or declarations of war against humanity, just a blank stare underneath a mask as he silently imposes his will. Whilst you don’t necessarily need to go full camp with Brandon as a villain, some internal conflict would have made the film more powerful by allowing the audience to resonate with him.
What I found interesting about Brightburn was its stance on the modern super-hero film. On the one hand it’s a loving homage to the Superman franchise – specifically Man of Steel, with which it shares many similarities. There are almost shot for shot recreations of certain scenes at the farmhouse from the first Henry Cavill led movie – and even the score at times seems familiar, borrowing Hans Zimmer’s striking horns. The Breyer parents act as a modern equivalent to the Kent’s, living on a farm and attempting to teach Brandon the ethics of hard work and general goodness, and it all works well. Where the film falters is in its attempt to handle the more action oriented, superpower heavy portions of the film. The visual effects here are downright awful, not nearly at the level of the usual Warner Bros’ produced Superman films. It’s not a real problem in the first half of the film and it’s understandable given the small budget. However once the horror aspects come into play and Brandon starts uses his powers for evil, this lack of budget really shows. The gore and powers all look terrible, with the exception of one scene in a truck, and it’s distracting when you’re trying to lose yourself in a scene or performance and you can see the outline of Brandon hovering on a green screen.
Brightburn is an interesting experiment in a different kind of superhero film and I applaud it for that. It’s a rare occurrence in modern movies given that Marvel and DC movies have shown that a lighter tone almost always guarantees box office success. What works is the performances and the initial mystery surrounding Brandon’s origins before it devolves into a clichéd horror film. Having said that, the solid performances from Banks and Denman kept me invested in the story for the full runtime, despite the problems that arise in the final act. I can’t send you out to the cinemas to see it, but as a lazy Saturday afternoon movie – Brightburn is a solid choice. I’m happy that it took a chance and hope to see more studios following suit and investing in new spins on the superhero genre.
Brightburn stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman & Jackson A. Dunn – in cinemas now.