By: Francesco DeFiore
When I heard that DC Studious was making a Clayface horror film I was both thrilled and skeptical about it, and it being one of the first movies in the new DCU just raised so many questions in my mind.
Regardless, I was really anticipating seeing what this movie would bring to the table. Now that I finally got the chance to see it, here are my thoughts:
Clayface is easily one of my favorite DC films. This is DC’s first attempt at a horror movie and I think they nailed it on every level. A body horror Clayface film is such a unique and interesting premise that sounds good on paper and translated very well onto the big screen.
I’m usually not a big fan of solo villain films but this was definitely an exception. They really blew it out of the park with this one.
There is a lot to love here. Tom Rhys Harries easily was the best part of the movie and embodied the character of Matt Hagen/Clayface. Somebody who was at the top of the world, but life came crashing down after a freak accident, losing everything, and attempting to reclaim the life he once had. He loses his sense of identity, ultimately turning into a revenge story that made him into the monster we know and love from the comics.
Harris was phenomenal in this role. He did such a great job at playing such a tragic character. Initially, we sympathize and root for his character but as the movie goes on, and he descends more and more into madness, he ends up becoming a villain of his own making.
Hagen is such a fascinating character with such an interesting story that fits very well for his own movie and Harris plays the role to utter perfection. Naomi Ackie who plays Dr. Corr was also good in the film. She plays a crucial role in the origins of Clayface and Ackie does a fantastic job in the role. Both her and Harries have great chemistry in the film as well.
One of the things that makes this movie so great is the body horror. It is top notch. There were moments in this film where the body horror was to the extreme and I had trouble watching the film. It was so grotesque and went to levels that I never thought a DC movie would go to. But, that is exactly what I wanted from a body horror Clayface film and they delivered.
I also really think they did a superb job with the costume and set design and loved that they decided to go with practical effects rather then full CGI.
One of my favorite pieces of DC media that I’ve ever watched was “The Batman Animated series”. Personally, I consider it to be a masterpiece. One of my favorite moments in the show was the two part episodes titled “Feat Of Clay”. Obviously by the name of the episodes it has to do with Clayface. While watching the film, I realized that they took a lot of inspiration from those two episodes of the animated series. This sat very well with me because I think The Batman Animated Series easily has the best adaptation of the Clayface Character to date. So the fact that the creators of the Clayface movie took heavy inspiration from the show just made me love the movie even more.
Now I have some issues with the film.
First, although I’m very happy they made the film, I’m still left wondering why we needed this film to begin with. In my opinion, it’s a very odd choice to make a Clayface movie at the beginning of the new DC Universe that James Gunn is building, especially before we even get a New Batman established.
Speaking of Batman, it’s also very weird that this film had absolutely no mention of Batman whatsoever. The film does take place in Gotham and Gunn has stated that Batman does exist in this universe, so why no mention of him? Clayface is a Batman Villain after all.
We are supposed to be getting “The Brave And The Bold”, the new Batman movie that’s set in the new DCU, but it is stuck in development hell and there are absolutely no signs of when production of the film will even begin. Its crazy that Gunn prioritized making a Clayface movie first before even introducing the new Batman. I know if I was in charge of the new DCU I would instantly push production on the new batman movie at full force.
I’m not saying they should have never made a Clayface movie, I’m just questioning why they would make one now this early into the DCU.
Lastly, this movie didn’t really push the narrative forward in the broader DCU. It just feels very disconnected from everything else. There’s no mention of any characters or events from the other projects in this new universe. I would have at least appreciated a small nod or cameo to a character like Superman just so the movie feels like its apart of this all new DCU.
Besides those issues, Clayface was a genuine blast. I knew this movie was going to be great from the moment they announced it. Its just such an amazing concept, especially for a DC horror movie. I rather look at this movie as its own standalone story rather than apart of the DCU cause that’s what this movie feels like.
And personally, I think that’s all it needed to be, standing out on its own.
