‘Clayface’ Review: A Gruesome Yet Bland Villain Origin Story

It’s kind of crazy to think that, out of every single movie DC Studios could be producing by now, we’re heading toward a film about one of Batman’s villains. And I’ll tell you something: this is either the stupidest decision ever or the most ballsy one, or maybe both…? We’ve had Superman and Supergirl so far in this new universe, and now, out of nowhere, we have a Clayface film for the first time ever! And did this work? Well… that’s something to discuss…

“Rising Hollywood star Matt Hagen descends into a horrifying revenge-filled monster when scientific ambition strips him of his identity and humanity.”

Different from those Sony Spider-Man spinoff films, Clayface is an actually well-crafted film with solid character development. This film is a revenge story about a man who “lost his life” because of something he did, and the whole movie is about him trying to fix what was broken, but ultimately, he just made everything worse… This is pretty much a very gruesome body horror film, with some scenes that will make you squirm and cover your eyes. I feel like the “horror” part of it all is really well done. The practical makeup is outstanding for the most part, and the final form of Clayface (even though it shows up for barely a minute) is also incredibly well done and insane.

My issue with this film is the plot. It’s just so uninteresting and generic that you don’t care about anyone because you know exactly what’s gonna happen. At the beginning of the movie, I thought it was gonna go a totally different way, but once the “revenge” plot came in, I was just bored and didn’t care about the movie at all. Of course, there are some great kills and horror moments, but overall, the film is just okay because of its bland story…

But for a film with such a low budget, I can imagine this being a box office hit. The score is also a major plus, incredibly well-crafted, and it fits very well with the visuals. I think the representation of Gotham is great, and I cannot wait to see Batman and Robin in this universe. The thing about this new DCU is that they need to start making more interesting and innovative movies. They’re just playing it safe with solid yet uncreative stories. We need new stuff, something bold and exciting for audiences.

Unlike Supergirl, which was a massive flop and a bore, Clayface is a gruesome, visually insane body horror film, yet it has such a generic and bland revenge story that it won’t make you care enough about any of it. Still, it’s a great watch for horror fans.

Clayface releases in theaters on October 23.