Light spoilers follow for Clayface.
Not many people would've predicted that a Clayface movie would be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe (DCU). Three years after Gunn unveiled the initial DCU slate, fewer still expected a shape-shifting villain to beat heavy hitters like Batman and Wonder Woman to the big screen.
And yet, here we are. Four months after Supergirl bombed at the box office, Clayface feels like a crucible moment for a cinematic universe that's still trying to find its footing and drop a few spontaneous surprises along the way. And, while the lovingly crafted origin story delivers on the latter front, it doesn't fully succeed in helping to shape the direction of DC's fledging comic book franchise.
Face/Off
Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a Gotham City native and an actor on the cusp of superstardom. However, while celebrating a career-defining Best Actor award nomination, Hagen makes the fatal error of sleeping with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), the girlfriend of high-profile mobster Markos Szabo (David Dencik). In retaliation, Szabo’s henchmen brutally attack Hagen, disfiguring his prized face and destroying his life overnight.
Clayface feels like a crucible moment for the DCU
Abandoned by his allies and, after he takes Szabo to court for his crimes, failed by the justice system, a desperate Hagen seeks out Doctor Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a researcher testing an experimental, regenerative nanocell therapy. However, while the initial trial restores his handsome features, Hagen soon succumbs to the treatment's terrifying side effects, leading him down a self-destructive path of revenge.
It might sound strange, but witnessing a full-blown origins story is a rarity in this nascent comic book universe.
Sure, Supergirl was peppered with flashbacks of Kara Zor-El's life on Krypton, while Lanterns on HBO Max spotlighted John Stewart's journey to becoming a Green Lantern. Generally, though, DC Studios has deliberately shied away from origin tropes, which makes Clayface a rare exception to the rule.
Given that Clayface remains a mystery to anyone outside hardcore comic book circles, this focus on Hagen's transformation into the monstrous Batman adversary isn't only justified, but ultimately necessary.
Acting on impulse
More importantly, though, Clayface gives Harries ample room to fully explore this deeply tragic individual. Hagen isn't just a monster in the making; he's a man drowning in grief, wrestling with the overwhelming despair of losing his face and career overnight, and, eventually, his humanity.
Having lost his sense of self post-attack, Hagen attempts to literally and figuratively rebuild himself with Corr's pioneering yet hazardous serum. But, as the treatment heightens his darkest impulses, his emotional turmoil curdles into unbridled rage.
Clayface gives Harries ample room to fully explore this deeply tragic individual
This descent — from heartbroken victim to full-blown villain — gives Harries complete freedom to examine and showcase Hagen's devastating psychological unraveling. Running the full emotional gamut, Harries delivers a multi-layered performance worth talking about, brilliantly veering from fear and fury, to dismay and infatuation with an ease that cements his leading man credentials.
Moreover, Harries will leave you conflicted over whether you should actually be rooting for Hagen. Yes, his personal and professional ruination will draw sympathy, but Clayface's major narrative pivot point — i.e. the moment Hagen starts enacting revenge on his betrayers — quickly sees that compassion dissipate as his killing spree devolves from tragic accidents to cold premeditation.
But, this isn't just the Harries show. A large part of Clayface's storytelling success stems from the co-dependent, emotional dynamic between Harries' Hagen and Ackie's Corr.
A large part of Clayface's storytelling success stems from the co-dependent, emotional dynamic between Hagen and Corr
Initially built on a shared idealism of proving Corr's treatment is safe to use on humans, there's a satisfying earnestness to Hagen and Corr's embryonic bond at the outset. However, as their toxic obsessions take over — particularly where Hagen's unrequited limerence toward Corr, who he romanticizes as his savior, is concerned — their connection morphs into a warped romance with shades of Fatal Attraction, Phantom of the Opera, and a dark, twisted inversion of (500) Days of Summer.
While the exploration of this increasingly discomforting bond is worthy of praise, I was disappointed that the love triangle between Hagen, Corr, and her Gotham cop boyfriend John Borelli (played by the ever-watchable Max Minghella) wasn't examined further.
With a lean, sub-two hour runtime, there's only so much narrative runway afforded to this DCU Chapter One entry. Nonetheless, I would've liked to see more the burgeoning rivalry between Hagen and Borelli that's only lightly peppered throughout.
I'd level a similar criticism at the underuse of Hagen's new shape-shifting abilities, specifically with how his acting background influences his powers. Sure, he combines his craft and superhuman talents to good effect as his quest for vengeance takes over. Still, while the creativity displayed in the film's climactic, gruesomely camp set-piece is plenty of fun, I was left wanting more from a premise with so much theatrical potential.
Monster mayhem
Clayface doesn't fully lean into its skin-crawling body-horror potential, either. In a ironic twist for a movie about shape-shifting, the film suffers from its own identity crisis, never quite deciding whether it wants to be an uncompromising creature feature or a low-budget comic book flick.
I wish Clayface had leaned harder into viscerally repulsive territory
To be fair, there are some wonderfully grotesque moments that'll delight genre enthusiasts and leave more squeamish viewers wriggling uncomfortably in their seats. Moreover, while visual effects have an increasingly important role as Hagen's transformation progresses, it's the practical makeup that helps to really elevate Harries' performance, and add a real tactile viscosity and nauseating quality to his physical degradation.
That said, I wish it had leaned harder into viscerally repulsive territory, especially given its most nightmarish moments are featured heavily in its first, second, and third trailers. A few more of the 'show and tell' body-horror beats that Clayface handles so well, rather than deliberately dodging them with cliched, shadow-draped discretion shots, would've gone a long way to appeasing me.
Thankfully, the DCU's take on Gotham City doesn't suffer a similar atmospheric fate.
As grimy and seedy as any live-action iteration of the fictional megalopolis, Clayface presents Gotham as a stylish, neon-drenched playground. Blending rain-slicked noir aesthetics with a vibrant, comic-book palette, it creates a city that feels both oppressively dangerous and visually intoxicating. Its striking combination of Batman: The Animated Series' heightened gothic style and the gritty realism of Matt Reeves' The Batman is particularly notable, especially when you consider Clayface was originally pitched as a spin-off of the latter. Such comparisons will do little to assuage so-called 'merger bros', who want nothing more than to see Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight grapple-hook his way from Reeves' Bat-Verse to the DCU.
My verdict
Part-monster movie, part-Shakespearean tragedy, Clayface is a film of captivating contradictions. Driven by Harries' powerhouse lead performance, it delivers a surprisingly intimate and tragic character-driven story that explores the artificiality of fame, and puts a devotedly modern day spin on 'Feat of Clay', the two-part Batman: The Animated Series tale, it's inspired by. Even so, its hesitation to fully embrace its primary genre underpinnings, coupled with a few underbaked subplots and underutilized shape-shifting gags, holds it back from true greatness.
As a litmus test for the DCU, Clayface raises more questions about the franchise's broader direction after Supergirl and Lanterns. More generally, it doesn't reshape the mold for comic book cinema.
What it accomplishes, though, is far more intriguing: it proves Gunn and Safran are willing to take genuinely weird, character-focused gambles. I crave the next Batman, Wonder Woman, or Justice League film as much as the next person but, if we get more of these smaller scale offerings alongside their blockbuster brethren, Clayface will prove to be a risk worth taking.
Clayface is out now in multiple international territories, and will be released in US theaters on Friday, October 23.
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