Movie Review: BRIGHTBURN
May 29, 2019
Brightburn
A very familiar Superhero story, but with a small twist:
“What if young Clark Kent discovered he had super powers, and thought he’d rather use them selfishly and for harm instead of saving people?”
The thought of putting super powers in a bullied, adolescent boy and then seeing how Ma and Pa Kent would react and have to deal with him is a very cool concept, but it also needs a “STORY” to go along with it. Brightburn unfortunately does not have one.
I enjoyed the performances by everyone involved, especially David Denman as the father Kyle Breyer. Elizabeth Banks and young Jackson Dunn deliver some solid performances. It’s nice to see some actual realistic reactions to these fantastical situations.
Right around the start of the third act, the “dumb people in horror movie” tropes kicks into gear and it knocked me completely out if the movie. I hoped a plot would suddenly emerge in and bring me back into the film, but that didn’t happen.
There’s definitely some creepy scenes where people are being stalked by a hovering, super powered 10 year old, and when the gore kicks in, it’s pretty brutal.
I just couldn’t figure out why this movie was made. It asks the same questions that the trailer asked…”What if young Clark Kent decided to be evil?” That’s a interesting idea that got me to purchase a ticket. Now that I’m here in the theater, now what?
1.5 Stars out of 5
– “Marquee Mark” Markellus