Brightburn Review
R: Horror violence/bloody images, and language
Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, Troll Court Entertainment, The H Collective
1 Hr and 30 Minutes
Director: David Yarovesky | Screenwriters: Brian Gunn, Mark Gunn
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
From James Gunn’s brother Brian and cousin Mark, the dudes behind Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, comes Brightburn, a horrific take on a familiar superhero origin. You have Tori (Banks) and Kyle (Denman) Byer, a married couple similar to the Kents, who are desperate for a child but are unable to conceive one. One night, a spaceship lands in the woods. The story is pretty on-the-nose for being a horror take on a superhero story - a supervillain story, if you will. One of the main aspects that I really dug about it was the age set the story centers on.
The story begins with Brandon as a 12-year-old, the age when boys go through puberty. As he enters the age of 12, Brandon becomes aware of his abilities and the curiosities of his powers and uses them for destruction. When it comes to puberty, most kids jerk off to release frustration. He, on the other hand, kills to find a release. What elevates this “creepy kid” narrative that is already overdone in the genre is the kid’s abilities and the actor’s (Jackson A. Dunn) performance. The kid channels menacing so well that, not only do you anticipate his actions, which make you uneasy and uncomfortable, but it keeps you fearful the entire time, especially when he’s alone with just one other person. You witness his road to rage and you’re on board for the ride. You never particularly root for him, but you’re geared to see the route he takes and the story set for him. His sadism starts small, but the longer the film goes on the more rage he develops, which is truly terrifying. You can tell how familiar Mark and Brian are with the heroic aspects of this kind of story (considering they’re related to JAMES GUNN), which helped them easily apply --
--to the script.
Although its overarching story is simplistic and straightforward, it’s consistent with its tone and delivers impressive kills. Director David Yarovesky handles the horror sequences extremely well. While a lot of horror movies use jump scares as a cheap gimmick, I think this used it effectively given the antagonists’ abilities. The film doesn’t shy away from the gore at all, for it’s bloody, graphic, and grotesque to an extent that you feel a genuine uneasy queasiness.
David Denman and Elizabeth Banks are great as the parents. On paper they bear so much resemblance to the Kents, but they’re truly fleshed out. You have the loving mom (Tori) so desperate to raise a son on her own that it clouds her judgement when it comes to Brandon as she pretty much coddles him, and the dad (Kyle) who is realizing the animalistic monster his kid is becoming. As we focus on their family lifestyle and the dramatic conflict regarding their overpowered son, the dimensions to them unfold. They actually felt like people and their conflict is captivating. This is the kind of coddling that does progress the story and is handled much better than the studio horror movie that came out a month ago (Pet Sematary). The film does a great job showcasing the ill-minded notion of pampering, which benefits Tori’s arc.
For a boy who has such a close relationship with this mom, Brandon starts off really targeting women as his victims. The gender issue is never really acknowledged, but I noticed how the first three people were females. Thankfully, there is a decent turn that debunks that halfway through.
Because it is a low budget horror, it’s unable to take full advantage of Brandon’s abilities. But because it’s kept at a small scale, the drama between the family elevates it, and when it comes to gore, it’s effective as fuck. The kill count is pretty low (like the budget), but when it becomes a horror show it’s fun as hell.
You can compare Brandon’s character outline to Dane DeHaan’s Andrew from Chronicle. The film doesn’t thoroughly develop Brandon’s psyche, for he is a privileged kid. And then one day, he just turns into an evil freak on a whim. Say what you will about human trash Max Landis, but his Chronicle script laid out its antagonist and showcased a sympathetic lifestyle that you emotional resonate with. His evolution to becoming a monster is well-executed. This movie starts by doing that, but then deviates from it and has Brandon become a monster in accordance with the curiosities of his abilities. I appreciate how the film never places Brandon as a sympathetic character because I saw the crew’s intention on showcasing a monster, but there had to be more than just a kid picking on him to ensure his evil. The narrative beats tread very closely to Chronicle, but it takes left turns that I love and worked perfectly. I’m not going to lie, I had a rush of a blast watching this.
This is the kind of movie I love having a blast with. Something that spins a conventional, familiar concept with a new genre take. Plus, I’m appreciative of how non-meta the story is where it could’ve easily taken a satirical route, but it doesn’t. Hell, there are a few dark comedic moments that work because of the characters and the context of the story. There are genuine funny moments.
Because this is a Sony picture release, Brightburn serves as proof that Sony DOESN’T NEED THEIR VENOM BE A LITTLE BITCH! This film’s tone and idea displays all of the qualities that should’ve been present in Venom. The gore in this is effective. The way it handles horror is effective. And the comedy is genuine. Let Mark and Brian handle Venom 2. I assure you it’ll be effective and fun because that’s essentially what this movie is. In the span of 90 minutes, this superhero horror movie is well-balanced in both genres, making for a fun rollercoaster ride.
Brightburn simplistically takes a familiar concept and spins it for an effective horror movie full of thrilling scares and gore that will keep your blood pumping.
Rating: 3.5/5 |72%
