A One Mann’s Movies review of “Clayface”. (2026, 4*, 18).
New superhero movie. Yawn. But actually, no, wait. This one is actually really good.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a Hollywood star, recently Oscar-nominated and on the up. His face is the tool of his trade. But when he oversteps the mark with a Gotham boss, that advantage is stripped away and he faces ruin and disgrace.
Certification:
UK: 18; US: R. (From the BBFC website: “Strong bloody violence, injury detail.” And by “Strong” they mean strong!)
Talent:
Starring: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Joshua James, Eddie Marsan, Rob Brydon, Joana Ribeiro, David Dencik, Corey Johnson, Jake Curran, Wil Coban.
Directed by: James Watkins.
Written by: Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini. (From a story by Mike Flanagan.)
Running Time: 1h 48m.
Review:
Positives:
- This film is gory – very gory. It takes quite a lot for me to want to hide behind my hands during horror movies, but this one had me squirming in my seat. A nose operation I could barely watch. But there’s a scene with eyelids, some nail scissors and turbulence that I found particularly gruelling! Like The Substance, this is not a film the squeamish will feel comfortable seeing.
- At its heart, the film becomes quite a straightforward revenge flick, but the script is always interesting and engaging. The concept of AI nanobots, injected into the blood, is not new: Star Trek: The Next Generation did this in an episode “Evolution” (with “nanites”) and I guess you could go back to Innerspace and before that Fantastic Journey for the general concept. But here, the “AI” bit is added for self-learning and currency with current movie themes. The twisted three-way romance between Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), Matt and Caitlyn’s fiance, Detective John Borrelli (Max Minghella) adds a level of pathos to the piece I was not expecting.
- The effects are terrific: a clear mixture of practical prosthetic effects and CGI.
- Tom Rhys Harries is very effective in the lead, managing to play both the suave Hollywood lead and the demented and tortured soul. But he gets acted off the stage by Naomi Ackie who once again does a stellar job with the scientist Caitlyn Corr. Elsewhere in the cast, Eddie Marsan always added value to a film; Joana Ribeiro is suitably shapely and attractive as the Boss’s squeeze Mia Torrez and what a delight to see our own funny-man Rob Brydon as “Gotham’s own Vic Chissler”: a sort of James Corden talk-show host. He must have had a lot of fun filming this, particularly his later ‘mirror’ scenes! And watch out for a blink-and-you’ll-miss it cameo by Aaron Paul!
- Glasgow clearly won Spider-Man but lost out on this bid, since most of the exterior shots are filmed in both Liverpool and Manchester: but they make for a particularly grimy and dilapidated Gotham City.
Negatives:
- Ethically, some of the concepts in the film made me feel a bit icky.
- Firstly, there is one portion of the film which heavily features self-harming. I know the film is an ’18’ but there are loads of people older than that who I’m sure struggle with this aspect of mental illness and this film could do a lot of harm.
- Secondly, many people suffer facial and bodily disfigurements through birth or accident. They must learn to get on with life and accept it. Hearing Matt Hagen declare than his “Life is Over” and that he would rather be dead that live with his disfigurement will be hugely upsetting to a proportion of the population so affected.
- Some of the ‘science’ didn’t make sense. Nano-bots that self-heal? Maybe. Nano-bots that have developed an anti-gravity tractor beam? Nope, I’m out.
Summary Thoughts:
The DC universe under the stewardship of James Gunn is still a fledgling chick, but it can still deliver surprises. Clayface follows a much darker, character-driven path in Gotham’s underbelly, more akin to Joker and The Batman. And – like Spider-Man: Brand New Day – it is a much better film because of it. As an 18 certificate, it probably won’t do great business at the box office (I was the ONLY person in my matinee screening) but I’m sure it will gather a strong fanbase after it gets to streaming. Recommended, if you have a strong stomach.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGO4Mqvo3jI
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