Further subverting our expectations of the superhero narrative, the Gunns also choose to end the film on a staggeringly bleak note over anything more optimistic, with a suggestion that, like the films it models itself on, a sequel could be on the way.ĭepending on how you see it, Brightburn’s adherence to the structure of an origins story will either exacerbate or alleviate the ongoing superhero fatigue felt by many of us. While the film doesn’t afford as much time to his internal wrestle between good and evil as it should, Dunn has the ability to elevate Brandon from burgeoning supervillain to something more, making us believe that there might still be some humanity behind his homemade mask.Īt times, Brightburn risks falling into the all-too-familiar creepy kid horror formula but there’s just about enough to distinguish it from that ever-expanding subgenre, most notably in an ambitious final act as creepiness turns into full-blown chaos. Much of the film’s escalating eeriness is also down to a skilled performance from relative newcomer Dunn (ironically last seen as a 12-year-old Scott Lang in Avengers: Endgame). It’s a film that’s taken surprisingly seriously, given both its subject matter and Gunn’s schlocky background, and tonally this gamble pays off, an avoidance of smug meta references proving to be a relief (the film’s one major consolation is a delicious end credits use of Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy). While rushing at times, Yarovesky does conjure a sustained atmosphere and manages to do extraordinary things with a minuscule $6m budget, especially in the later, grander moments. ![]() ![]() As Brandon explores his villainy, there are some audaciously grisly deaths, including one particularly memorable car accident that ranks as one of the most inventively gory sequences in a studio movie I have seen for a while. Photograph: Boris Martin/APīut Brightburn is more interested in the gristle, and to Yarovesky’s credit, and Sony behind him, he has opted for a very hard R rating wrapped up in a cosy PG-13 aesthetic. It’s a film that’s good enough that you want it to be better, a rare genre example of less not proving to be more.Įlizabeth Banks and Jackson A Dunn in Brightburn. While it might sound unreasonable to expect any emotional depth in a film such as this, more time could have been afforded to exploring the weight of Brandon’s discovery beyond what feels like a montage of trailer-ready a-ha! moments. ![]() For the first act or so, we’re thrown reveal after reveal without much connective tissue. ![]() While it’s refreshing that director David Yarovesky avoids the flab that overextends so many superhero films to indulgent durations, events unfold at such a speed that I found myself craving a little bit more meat along the way. While the actual plot, squeezed into an often rushed 91-minute runtime, doesn’t spend much time pretending, there are some nice visual nods, including some Snyderesque lens flare and a sweeping rural landscape, the central house interchangeable with that of the Kents. James Gunn’s involvement in Brightburn has been used as part of a rather cleverly trolling marketing campaign that has teased us into expecting a traditional superhero narrative (even the film’s Memorial Day release date, one that’s often reserved for big-budget comic book fodder, feels like an in-joke).
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