An innovative twist on the superhero movie genre, Brightburn makes good use out of its “what if?” style storytelling, while diving into deeper, darker issues that suits its grizzly worldview.
Some parent, somewhere, will come to the realisation that their child is a monster. Think about the parents of those teens who shot up Columbine High School. Imagine the horror parents of the “Slender Man” murderers felt. Hell, even the mother of Ted Bundy eventually came to the realisation that her son was evil incarnate. As the excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin portrayed, those who conceived demons upon this world are often the unintentional victims of their crimes.
Brightburn in many ways deals with this. On the surface it can be described as a “what if Superman went bad?” movie, and that would be accurate. But that premise is the novelty, the hook, the simple synopsis to draw the attention of an overly distracted marketplace. No, Brightburn is as much a family tragedy horror movie, as well as a commentary on how “absolute power corrupts absolutely” especially when the person wielding that power is 12 year-old super powered alien.
The premise is simple: an alien aircraft containing human looking alien baby crash-lands on Earth. Human couple Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) find said baby and raise him as their own. When now 12-year-old Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) finds out what he really is and what he is capable of, his true evil nature comes to the fore with chilling consequences for the people of Earth.
Directed by David Yarovesky (The Hive) and written by Brian and Mark Gunn (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), Brightburn is just the kind of different superhero movie needed in a very crowded field. While not entirely original (the superior 2012 film Chronicle dealt with similar material), Brightburn delivers on its promise as a tense filled sci-fi horror, with much in the way of gruesome (yet thankfully not exploitative) pay-offs that will shock many. One literally jaw dropping moment will have those expecting the usual run of the mill superhero film to squirm in their seats.
The performances from all involved are excellent. Banks and Denman are incredibly sympathetic as parents reeling from the fact that their adopted son is, for lack of a better word, a monster poised to destroy the world. This is a couple who hoped and prayed for a child, only to find that their dream come true has turned into a living nightmare. The nature of the son overtook the nurture of their parenting. Their angel nothing more than a demon.
Speaking of which, young Jackson A. Dunn hits all the right notes as a boy whose transition into adolescence brings some unexpected “changes”. With freckle face and curious mind, Brandon puts onthe veneer of a normal “Smallville” boy harbouring a dark soul. Dunn effectively portrays this two-faced role to chilling results.
The Omen by way of Krypton, Brightburn is just the kind of sidebar superhero film to shake up the genre a bit. It’s conclusion teases franchise possibilities. Hopefully, it will happen.
