Up-and-coming film actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) finds his life turned upside down when he has a one-night stand with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro). Unfortunately for him, Mia is the girlfriend of mob boss Markos Zsabo (David Dencik), whose revenge is to destroy Matt’s face. With his career in tatters, Matt seeks help from scientist Caitlyn Corr (Naomie Ackie), whose nanotechnology could restore his face, and his career, to their former glory.
The third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC universe proves that they are prepared to create a wide array of entertainment within its bounds. Clayface is an 18-certificate body horror origin story for one of Batman’s enemies. But there are no superheroes in sight here. Whilst predominantly set in Gotham, the focus is purely on Matt Hagen’s transformation from Oscar-nominated film actor to shapeshifting monster. And the results are rather good.
The film moves swiftly through its setup and character motivations, making Matt’s transformation believable within the bounds of its horror and comic book movie format. Matt grew up in The Narrows, essentially the ghetto of Gotham, and rose from nothing to become the toast of Coast City (DC’s home of Hollywood). His fall from grace is swift, and the surface-level cosmetic industry he works within drops him without a second thought. At his lowest ebb, he seeks out Caitlyn, who is initially reluctant to assist but eventually relents in a bid to save her own scientific funding. The results are immediate but unstable, both physically and emotionally. And then vengeance takes over.
Clayface begins with strong violence before transitioning into body horror and finally, through the use of some impressive CGI and clever actor swapping, delivering some original and entertaining murderous moments. The fact that it also delivers some genuinely gory and wince-inducing sequences is credit to the creative team for embracing the horror nature of its titular character. It is a brave direction for the DC universe.
Everything works rather well. The script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, alongside James Watkins’ direction, keeps everything moving at a pace that will stop you questioning the science. Meanwhile, the leads, Tom Rhys Harries and Naomie Ackie, ground their characters in a realism that makes you genuinely root for their goals. This is the first time I have seen Harries in anything, but I was particularly impressed by the charisma he brings to the role, making Matt an engaging character even as his transformation takes hold. Even if those goals are self-serving and ultimately lead to the creation of a monster.
