Brightburn

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Abraham Clinkscales, Matt Jones, Emmie Hunter, Gregory Alan Williams
Directed by: David Yarovesky
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boy (Jackson A. Dunn) with incredible superpowers decides to use them for evil, not for good.

Review:

Tim: Brightburn benefits from an absolutely genius premise that is brilliant for its simplicity- what is Superman was evil? This movie focuses on the origin story. Imagine if an alien crash landed on Earth, was raised by good American parents, and yet, when his incredible powers started to develop, he chose a dark path, instead of one for good. Brian and Mark Gunn deserve a lot of credit for writing this film. The premise is deceptively simple, but there's a lot to unpack here.

Picking Superman as the basis was brilliant. He's still one of the most famous superheroes, a iconic hero that stands for truth, justice, and the American way. He's also nearly indestructible. Imagine for a moment if those powers manifested in a moody, lost boy who also happens to have a psychopathic streak. It's a chilling idea and I loved how this movie pulled on that thread and explored the idea. I have to admit, I enjoyed that this movie didn't even try to pretend it wasn't the "evil Superman" movie. All of the famous aspects of his origin story are here. None of that is new, so it lends a sense of familiarity to this movie. The new spin is all the terrible, creepy, frightening things this kid does as he explores his powers. The idea and the premise of this movie are top notch and are a bit reason why I enjoyed the movie so much.

While a brilliant idea certainly helps the movie, you still need to execute on said idea. I thought David Yarovesky did a serviceable job as director. He has a little bit of experience, and he mostly kept the train on the tracks. I wouldn't say this was a brilliant horror movie- it's a solid one, but it ultimately feels like it borrows too heavily from more conventional movies. It's a film with a brilliant idea and good execution. That ends up pushing this film into positive territory, but there's also the nagging feeling that this could have been better.

Elizabeth Banks was really good in the "Martha" role (although her name here is Tori). She loves her son and conveys the mixed emotions that come when anyone accuses your child of something. There's the initial outrage and disbelief, but she slowly struggles as the facts pile up. It's an important role for this film and Banks was a great choice for it. She's a really good actor and made that role work. She deserves a lot of credit for this film. David Denman was good, too. He was well cast and while he doesn't have the same level of impact that Banks had, he was solid in the role. Jackson A. Dunn was sufficiently creepy as the super-powered boy. He was well cast. I also enjoyed seeing Matt Jones here. The cast might not have been A-list, but they were fairly good all around.

A couple other things I really enjoyed. First, the title is perfect. Brightburn is such a cool name for a Superman-inspired horror movie. I love that it was the name of the Kansas town, as it also makes a perfect moniker for a villain. The second is the super creepy mask that Brandon wears. It was inventive and believable- you could see a boy coming up with that design. It definitely made you feel uncomfortable. I love that this movie explored the dark side of super-powered people. There hasn't been much in the terms of superhero horror movies, but this movie shows there's definitely room for stories in this realm.

I enjoyed Brightburn. It was a nice twist on a genre that has completely taken over Hollywood. Good horror movies are always something to celebrate, and I'm really glad this one turned out so well.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Superman, Man of Steel, Slither