“Clayface”: The Only Decent DCU Film So Far

And one of the last apparently. The new iteration of the DC universe has officially gone to hell, and I’m ready for the impending gossip. For now, let’s take a look at Clayface, the only watchable film of this beaten-up franchise. 

After weeks of postponing it, on Monday I finally found the time to watch Clayface, to continue my reviews of James Gunn’s DCU movies. A strange coincidence was that Monday was also the day that Mr. Gunn was fired from his job. Well, I think he was fired on Friday, but Monday was when we found out. The moment was way overdue; I’m surprised it took this long after the disappointment that all the theatrical films have been (I’m not counting the shows made for streaming because I don’t watch them) and the financial loss they have represented for the studio. 

So I decided to take the rest of the day off writing, have a good laugh watching all the celebratory videos on YouTube, and then come back to finish the article. 

Truth be told, I enjoyed Clayface. This is what Sony’s Spider-Man universe movies could have been, had they tried: a low-budget but very respectable side dish to the main-course superhero films of the franchise. If only the people in charge of studios weren’t so stupid…

What is Clayface About?

The film follows Matt Hagen, a rising actor whose career is destroyed when he is disfigured by crime boss Markos Szabo, as revenge for getting involved with his girlfriend. 

In a desperate attempt to recover his appearance, Matt volunteers to be the test subject for an experimental procedure. At first, the treatment seems to be successful, but it’s not long before he discovers a peculiar side effect: his flesh is becoming malleable, allowing him to shapeshift. 

An Origin Story With A Splash Of Body Horror

Despite being promoted as a body horror film and rated R, Clayface is not as violent or explicit as it could have been. I would describe it as a thriller, with some body horror here and there. The scene where our protagonist is attacked is the only one I found disturbing. Far from being a downside, not overexploiting the gory scenes leaves some room for an actual plot. Because we have one this time!

The script is really decent and makes a lot more sense than Superman or Supergirl in terms of pacing and character development. Yes, the story starts way too fast: Matt Hagen is introduced, gets nominated for an award, sleeps with the girlfriend of a mafia boss, and suffers the attack all within the first ten minutes of the runtime. I feel like maybe a longer introduction would have served the story, as we would know more about who Matt was before these events. 

But what the hell: the script manages to get everything established without loads of exposition dialogue or an hour of stalling. That is huge progress. 

I think a big part of what makes the movie likeable is that the protagonist is likeable. He is a good person who went through something horrible and received no justice. So in that context, the audience can get invested in his journey to get revenge. Tom Rhys Harries does a great job in the lead role, allowing you to connect with this broken man whose life got ruined.

I also liked Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlyn Corr. The emotional bond Matt and Caitlyn develop during Matt’s treatment, unlike Clark and Lois in Superman, feels genuine. It makes sense for them to develop feelings due to the circumstances. I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s the greatest love story, but it’s nice enough. 

Overall, I had an entertaining hour and forty minutes, which is more than I have learned to expect from DC. 

Box Office Results

In three weeks in theaters, Clayface has grossed roughly $110,000,000 worldwide, on a reported budget of $40,000,000. Meaning, we can guess that it was enough to break even. The critical reception has been good; even people who despise James Gunn with all their hearts have admitted that the film was alright. 

However, this small victory did not move the needle at all. 

So… Now What?

Good question. I wonder if Warner knows the answer. 

So far, all that has been confirmed is that Jeremy Latcham will be taking Gunn’s place. Apparently Superman 2 has already been filmed, and it’s still set to release in July of next year. From then on, who can tell?

There are a million rumors going around, including the return of Zack Snyder. I don’t think it’s true, but if it were, it would be hilarious. I would have a field day with the online reactions. 

Honestly, I’m not sure what a logical solution would look like. At this point, this is all way too messed up to implement a quick fix and pray it works. Warner could either make a few more movies with what James Gunn has left established (with a radical change in tone) and then reboot the franchise in the not-so-distant future or cancel everything right away. But if they cancel everything: to do what? Their fourth DC reboot in a span of twenty years? 

This has become a case study for what not to do with a franchise.