Movie Breakdown: Brightburn

Pre-Screening Stance:

Based on the way it’s been marketed, you’d swear that Brightburn was the sole creation of James Gunn, but it’s actually his brothers, Brian and Mark, who penned it and David Yarovesky who directed it.  This is kind of annoying to me, but since I like the idea of exploring what would happen if a Superman-like person kind of preferred being an asshole, I’m interested in the film anyhow.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Brandon Beyer’s (Jackson A. Dunn) origin in Brightburn is pretty much the same as Superman’s.  Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Beyer (David Denman) really want a baby, and their wish comes true when a spaceship containing one slams into their farm.  Where it differs from the Man of Steel’s story though is that once Brandon realizes that he’s an unstoppable force, he decides to maim and murder folks in place of helping and saving them.  This actually kind of caught me off guard, as I thought that Brightburn was going to follow a kid that’s at least somewhat torn between being good and bad, but nope, it’s a straight up horror film.  Brandon essentially finds everyone else’s attitudes and intentions to be troublesome, so he has no qualms about ripping them up real good.  This means that if you were hoping for some sort of heady look at what makes someone a hero or a villain, Brightburn will likely disappoint you.  On the other hand, if you’re down for a gory, jump scare-filled horror film that features a different sort of super psycho, you’ll probably be into it.

Brightburn has some moments that are a bit too slow, but in general it’s a fun dose of horror.  See it, but keep your expectations in check.

One Last Thought:

There’s a scene that involves the “loosening” of a guy’s jaw, and it is totally gross.