8/10
To say that a mid-budget, exceedingly grotesque movie about a forgotten Batman villain in an overly-saturated, dying franchise could be the greatest superhero film of the year would have sounded absolutely insane. Yet somehow, Clayface may have pulled off the impossible.
This isn’t your normal supervillain come-up story. Clayface is packed with ethical dilemmas, intriguing character development, unexpected plot twists, and gut-wrenching visuals that gross you out in the best way possible. It’s gritty, it’s dark, and it keeps you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
When we are introduced to our protagonist, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), also known as Clayface, his superstar status is already established. After being nominated for an Academy Award, Hagen attends an after-party with childhood best friend and fellow actor Corey Bowery (Joshua James). Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Hagen sleeps with the girlfriend of crime lord Markos Szabo (David Dencik), a decision which, to say the least, Szabo does not take lightly.
The next morning, Szabo and his men brutally disfigure Hagen’s face with a knife, effectively ruining his acting career. To add insult to injury, Szabo abuses his close ties with the Gotham police to avoid any prosecution. The police accuse Hagen of drugging Szabo’s girlfriend, and he is left desperate for any way to get back on his feet. This is the film’s first act, and it moves quickly, yet it does an excellent job of establishing Hagen’s character.
While in deep depression, Hagen discovers the experimental stem cell treatment of doctor Caitlin Bates (Naomi Ackie), which she hopes will cover his mutilations. To both of their surprise, her treatment works remarkably well. Hagen’s face seems to have returned to its original state, and, against Bates’ warnings, he returns to the red carpet. However, when all seems to be going perfectly, eerie music plays as Hagen’s face slowly begins to melt. It’s our first glimpse into the (far more revolting) visuals to come.
In a moment of panic, Hagen returns to Bates and injects a dangerously large amount of stem cells into his own face. However, it doesn’t turn him into the monster we see in the comics—instead, his face returns back to normal once again. Hagen even learns that the new cells give him the ability to instantly recover from injuries. Through further experimentation, he also discovers he can alter his facial features and voice to impersonate others.
With his newfound confidence, Hagen confronts his former manager after learning he works for Szabo’s girlfriend. During the confrontation, Hagen also learns that Bowery had played a major role in tarnishing his reputation. However, when Hagen puts his fingers over his manager’s mouth, they uncontrollably extend into his body, pulling out his esophagus and unintentionally killing him. Hagen takes on the manager’s appearance and rushes home panicked.
But Hagen doesn’t stop. While regretful, he spirals into madness, suffocating and killing Bowery in his own body. Meanwhile, he is consistently visited by Bates, who doesn’t yet understand Hagen’s schemes. He falls in love with Bates, and when he learns that the mafia plans to kill her after complications with her detective fiancée, John Borrelli (Max Minghella), he goes absolutely ballistic.
In the movie’s climax, Hagen infiltrates Szabo’s club, unleashing complete carnage onto everyone. The fight scene is a total bloodbath: Hagen embodies person after person, absorbs weapons, and navigates the crowd, finally enacting his sweet revenge. In some instances, we can’t even tell who’s who. The movie utilizes Hagen’s powers to their fullest ability, creating a visually unique and action-packed sequence. The movie doesn’t shy away from its R-rating either, delivering disgusting yet oddly satisfying visuals as he overthrows the crime boss.
But, Borelli is on Hagen’s tail. After a visit to Hagen’s house, Borrelli returns home as Bates, the only person besides Hagen who knows about his shapeshifting, puts the pieces together and realizes what has been going on. As Bates is explaining the evidence to Borrelli, a look of disgust crosses her face as she finds out the same fiancee who she’s talking to is literally on the floor. Completely dead. Hagen had disguised himself as her fiancee, attempting to replace him and live alongside Bates for the rest of their lives. The twist is wild, and if you don’t believe me, I can say for certain there were at least a dozen gasps at our screening.
In a final moment of action, Bates tases Hagen and operates the kill switch on the cells, causing him to melt into the sewers. However, despite Bates notifying police, Hagen’s body is never found.
Later, as Bates is walking down the street, an eerie feeling haunts her: literally anyone could be Hagen, and she would never know. After she lends money to a homeless man, the scene follows him into a tunnel where he transforms into Hagen himself. It’s then revealed that Bates was accompanying him the entire walk, and the two share a kiss beneath the dimly lit ceiling. Then – just when the audience thinks the unrealistic ending has ruined the movie – both characters combine into a giant monstrosity as Hagen, now in the form of Clayface, unleashes a painful scream.
Despite everything Clayface does right, without an exceptional performance as Matt Hagen the film would simply be forgettable. Tom Rhys Harris brings the movie to life with a brilliant performance. He subtly progresses Hagen through stages of suffering, emotional vulnerability, and eventually psychological collapse. He manages to make the character’s progression of madness feel genuine all while maintaining a sense of raw, relatable humanity that makes his downward spiral all the more chilling. He is supported by a group of solid, driven character actors, though none of them stand out in the way Harris does.
The film is fast-paced and tense, making the already brief 108 minutes fly by. However you can’t help wishing it was a little bit longer. The first act, which explores Hagen’s suffering after his face is disfigured, feels glossed over. Additionally, although Hagen’s descent into villainy is believable, it is certainly rushed. He seems to jump from unstable to murderer in the time it would take for you to go to the bathroom.
Where Clayface stands out among other run-of-the-mill superhero movies is its use of body horror. Hagen’s transformations are visually interesting, injecting the film with tense, adrenaline inducing scenes that make you squirm. The melting doubles as a symbol, Hagen’s loss of control over his own body parallels, and causes, his descent into insanity. Hagen can transform into anybody he wants but he is unable to stay in his own face, he has no identity and his sense of self unravels.
Clayface is a refreshing departure from the superhero formula. It does its own thing, combining body horror with revenge thriller. In fact, Clayface hardly feels like a superhero movie at all. There’s no mention of its original source: Batman. It’s proof of concept for James Gunn’s DCU, demonstrating that the studio might finally be creating something fresh and exciting. And they’re doing it because they’re taking risks.
If you go see Clayface, and please do, don’t complain when you find yourself squirming in your seat as Clayface himself cuts the overgrown skin off his eyeballs with scissors in a violently shaking airplane cabin. We did warn you.
