Movie Review: Clayface - Celebrity Skinned

So I think we can agree a "Clayface" movie is an odd choice, especially for the third film in James Gunn's DCU. It definitely feels likes what Sony had been doing with their Spider-Man spin-offs rather than part of the larger universe plans put forth by who would be considered DC's Kevin Feige. Much like "Lanterns" though, it's a DCU project that ends up delivering.

Heavily inspired by the character's appearances in "Batman: The Animated Series", what sets "Clayface" apart from other supervillain movies is that it's an actual VILLAIN origin story. Disfigured by the mob, actor Matt Hagen undergoes an experimental procedure to repair his face that has unforeseen side effects, warping his mind as well as the rest of his body as he seeks vengeance against those who wrecked his life. While movies like "Venom" and "Morbius" stuck to the anti-hero route, "Clayface" does show Matt go after bad people for his own reasons before his selfish desires spill over into innocent people, hence keeping the character villainous. It's also focused solely on Clayface, so while some may go in expecting a surprise debut of the DCU's version of Batman, there's not even a reference to the Dark Knight like how Sony would always tease Spider-Man in their non-Spider-Man films with no payoff.

That's not to say our main character isn't sympathetic. Tom Rhys Harries leads the tragedy of Matt Hagen, from his fall from stardom to his intended comeback threatened by his unresolved trauma. At each stage of Matt's journey, Harries delivers a believable performance during the character's highs and lows and his expressed desires. His story reminds me of a mix of "Doctor Strange" and the 1986 version of "The Fly". You have one person trying whatever it takes to reclaim his passion and a scientist (in this film being Naomi Ackle as Caitlyn Corr) with noble intentions that lead to overwhelming results before horrific unintended consequences.

Speaking of "The Fly", the film leans heavily on body horror, which obviously works for a character like Clayface. As he learns to keep himself composed, Matt's powers evolve gradually over the course of the film, from shapeshifting into other people to forming weapons. It leads to some surreal moments and some inventive kills. With the film's lower budget, they had to get creative in how to present his abilities and I think they did a decent job. They save the CGI for the important moments while camera tricks are used for about half the shapeshifting parts.

Overall, if you're looking for a new tale of terror this Halloween season, "Clayface" is a worthwhile watch for comic and horror fans alike.

TV Review: Lanterns - Finding the Light

Since the critical and financial failure of the 2011 film, Green Lantern hasn't had a proper live action depiction outside of teases in the DCEU and the Arrowverse. James Gunn's DC Universe rectifies this first by introducing Guy Gardner in "Superman" and now with the "Lanterns" TV series, though it's definitely done in a way one wouldn't expect. Instead of a galaxy spanning epic, it's an Earth-bound murder mystery investigated by veteran Lantern Hal Jordan and rookie John Stewart. Despite the left turn in terms of a premise, "Lanterns" surprisingly works.

Tonally, this is the most grounded and mature project yet for the DCU. It's a shift that caught me by surprise similar to when Daredevil premiered on the Netflix. Structurally, the season is split in time between 2016 and 2026 with the overall story being centered around a Manhunter hiding in a small Nebraska town that Hal and John seek to locate. In terms of the DCU timeline, this makes Hal as Green Lantern a hero long before Superman and as such delivers a low-key "first contact" story.

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre shine in their respective roles of Hal and John.
Depending on how you look at it, Chandler plays as Hal as either a showboat or an a-hole. And being a Lantern for about three decades, Hal is understandably afraid to be training his future replacement and losing his claim to fame of being the first human Green Lantern. You'd think this would lead to Hal embracing the fear and becoming Parallax with John having to stop him, but thankfully the story doesn't go that route; it would be too predictable and would just be a rehash of the "Beware My Power" animated film. But I do believe his actions during the 2016 section do come from that fear and results in the Green Lantern title becoming a pariah to some similar to what happened with Wanda in the MCU.
Similar to Ben Affleck's Batman or Margot Robbie's Harley, I thought Aaron Pierre's portrayal of John was very reminiscent of the DCAU version prominent in the Justice League series (even appearing both clean shaven and with a goatee after the time skip). He's serious and respectful to a fault but isn't infallible to making mistakes. He's also shown to have strong will, possibly even more so than Hal. There's a tease of him wearing the GL suit, but it doesn't come to fruition here, meaning we have something to look forward to in next year's Superman sequel. On a sidenote, I think it's kind of weird that the GL suit here is actually a physical outfit that needs to be put on rather than coming out of the ring. I'm not saying it needed to be computer generated again, but just a flash of light like a quick morph done on Power Rangers would deliver a little more comic accuracy and highlight the reverence of the uniform (though the lack of it from Hal is part of his arc) and urgency of the situation.

The two work well off each other as you can sense the tension and feel they're being played against each other, but you're also hoping maybe they'll eventually see eye to eye. I also thought they had good chemistry with their respective love interests despite how things turn out.

If there's a theme to the series, it's generational trauma. Hal's actions are partially driven by the fates of his father and grandfather whereas John had been put through Gohan levels of rigorous training by his parents since childhood. Even the Manhunter they're looking for has a past they're running from. Given Tom King's prominent involvement in the series, his usual trope of exploring superheroes and trauma was inevitable. I've had bad experiences with King's writing in the past (see my reviews for "The Gift" and "Heroes in Crisis"), but "Lanterns" was one of his better projects. And comparing this to "Supergirl" (which also based on a King story that the movie seemed to botch), "Lanterns" being a series gives it more room to breathe.

"Lanterns" is very different from what one would expect given the source material. But on its own merits, it turned out to be a well put together story of self-exploration with drama, mystery, and some turns that will keep you guessing to the end. While it shows you the tip of the iceberg of what a full-on Green Lantern project could be in the DCU, one needs to temper those expectations and stay close to the ground before shooting for the stars.