Clayface Review (Some Spoilers)

I was waiting forever for this movie and it did not disappoint. It was one of my favorite “cape” movies (second only to The Dark Knight). I will warn you this is no Marvel movie. It is dark and gritty and does not have a happy ending for anybody. But it’s so good I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. The movie boils down to a revenge flick. Matt Hagen is a Hollywood star with an extensive fan club, a loyal agent and a savvy manager. Or so he thinks. One night he and his friend Cory go to celebrate an award nomination and (with the help of some drugs) Matt finds himself smitten with a girl. Cory tries to stop him because the girl in question (Mia Torrez) is the girlfriend of a powerful mob boss. Matt is too far gone. The price? His handsome face. Szabo, a powerful mob boss, orders his men to get rid of it and he is reduced to a mutilated freak no one in Hollywood wants anyone to do with. 

Horror: B There isn’t much traditional horror. There’s no jump scares and no paranormal horror. There is some body horror. After Matt’s face is destroyed he seeks out a doctor (Caitlyn) who is in the process of developing a medical procedure that can heal injuries. The project is still in its infancy but Matt begs and Caitlyn gives in. Of course the procedure comes with unexpected side effects that seem to alter Matt’s mind as well as his body. By the end of the movie he’s a monster. As to the goriness of the movie, there were some parts that made my fellow watchers uncomfortable but I was able to watch without looking away. 

Storyline: A As I said before the movie is a revenge flick. Once Matt realizes  his new face gives him powers he starts coming after the people who screwed him over. And there are a lot of them. Fortunately for Matt, his powers enable him to escape each scene unscathed or unrecognized. Nonetheless Caitlyn’s fiance, John, who is a homicide detective is suspicious that every death seems to be connected to Matt. Meanwhile Matt is developing feelings for Caitlyn who is giving him mixed signals. If I were John I’d be a little jealous. 

Acting: A+ I didn’t know any of the actors in this movie but they were all great. From Szabo to Cory to Mia and certainly Caitlyn and Matt they all put on a great performance. My boyfriend told me this was classified as a B horror movie but it didn’t feel like that at all. Maybe that was because they aren’t big stars but there certainly was alot of talent. Certainly as “A” as any Marvel movie, the majority of which are B movies themselves if you ask me.

Ending: A I’m not going to blow the ending anymore than I already have but it is sad while being satisfying at the same time. Really there were few ways to end the movie and this was one of them. 

Overall: A As I said I loved this movie. I think I like the gritty side of Gotham,whether Batman is there or not. I like seeing life from the side of the villain. I like seeing how they became a villain because before the attack and the medicine Matt actually seemed like a normal person who wouldn’t go around killing people. Kind of like Harvey Dent. He is broken by tragedy. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain (quoted from The Dark Knight). I would love DC to put out more movies like this. Marvel’s cute and all but give me a guy cutting his eyes open on an airplane every day. That’s what I’m about.