“Clayface” struggles to take shape

By Ryan Denkovic

On Oct. 23, we saw the release of “Clayface,” the latest film in the DC Comics Universe. This is DC’s attempt at a Marvel Cinematic Universe competitor and, considering how public perception of the MCU has tanked recently, I would say that they are doing pretty well. The franchise is being led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, and was kicked off in July of last year with the release of James Gunn’s “Superman.” Then, this year, we saw the release of other DC Universe projects like “Supergirl” and the television series “Lanterns.” The latest project in the franchise, “Clayface,” has received mixed reactions from both critics and audiences so far, but the overall perception of the film has been fairly positive. 

The film follows Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor whose life is turned upside-down after a violent attack from a mobster. Following this, he undergoes an experimental cosmetic treatment that goes terribly wrong, transforming him into the titular Clayface; he goes on to seek vengeance on the people who wronged him.

While the film is an adaptation of a comic book, it is not your typical comic book movie. This is an R-rated thriller focused on the body-horror aspect of Hagen’s transformation into Clayface. It breaks the mold of what we know comic book movies to be, while still maintaining continuity with the world of DC. There are not any connections to the wider DC Universe yet other than the fact that it takes place in Gotham City, but I imagine that we will be seeing more from this film in future projects. Unfortunately, however, the film is not the greatest. While still being a step in the right direction after the mostly underwhelming “Supergirl,”it still has some major flaws.

While the film is technically a horror movie, it is not that scary. I will be the first to admit that I get easily scared while watching horror movies, but I was not really scared during this film; and in all honesty, it did not really feel like it was trying to be a horror film. If this were your typical creature feature, Matt Hagen would be the antagonist, but since we follow him throughout the film, he is not portrayed as such; rather, as a man who was dealt a bad hand by the world. For the majority of the film, I felt sympathetic toward him despite some of the absolutely heinous acts he was committing on screen. I also felt the writing had some flaws. Some lines and interactions between characters felt a little unnatural, and it had some issues with pacing in the second and third acts, especially the former. The film turns out to be a little more “superhero-y” toward the end, but it feels really good. It struggles, however, in the transition from a dramatic thriller into its main action set piece. I also thought that Hagen’s final form as “Clayface” looked a little silly. They tried to bridge a gap between comic-accuracy and actor Tom Rhys Harries’ actual face in the design, and it falls a bit into the uncanny valley. 

Harries gives a pretty decent performance; while nothing crazy, he encapsulates a man who feels that the world has turned on him very well. Other than him, though, none of the performances stick out as great.

On the other hand, this film excels in the effects department. The effects, both digital and practical, are seamless and look really good. The editing is pretty good as well; there is a scene towards the end of the film where Matt is switching between forms a lot, and it was riveting to watch. The music of the film is fine; the score did not really stick out to me and, aside from a couple of songs, the needle drops are not too memorable.

I believe that James Gunn and Peter Safran will bring some heavy hitters with the DC Universe — “Superman” is in my top four favorite movies of all time, after all — but I think that it will help when they have more of this world fully fleshed-out, and they do not have to do so much exposition. There are a lot of really incredible stories in the DC library, and once they have laid out the pieces to tell those stories effectively, I think they could make some pretty good movies out of them; they could even achieve this with “Man of Tomorrow,” which releases next year.

Until then, “Clayface” is a perfectly serviceable origin story that not too many casual Batman fans know. While it did not entirely live up to my expectations, I would still consider it a solid 3.5 out of 5.

Ryan Denkovic is a sophomore English major