by Harlly Lewis
Brightburn is a 2019 superhero horror film directed by David Yarovesky, written by Brian and Mark Gunn and produced by Super and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. The film stars Elizabeth Banks as Tori Breyer, David Denman as Kyle Breyer and Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon Breyer.
Brightburn is a story that we all know well. An alien baby in a spacecraft lands in a small town in Kansas and is taken in by a kindly couple that have no children of their own but have wished for the chance to raise a child. The child grows up different and soon discovers his powers and uses them to change the world. This is the origin story of both Clark Kent/Superman and Brandon Breyer. Brightburn illustrates what would occur if the reason that the child was sent was far more sinister.
Something that I was made aware of from the trailers of the film were the similarities that it has to Man of Steel, the 2013 Zack Snyder Superman film that kickstarted the DCEU. The films visual language is very indicative of Man of Steel down to not only similarities in cinematography, but also elements like Brandon’s heat vision looking identical to that of Superman. While it does share similarities to superhero films, it is first and foremost a horror movie, with the image of a red caped figure turning from comforting, to terrifying. The two standout performances in the movie are those of Elisabeth Banks and Jackson A. Dunn, although the other actors do a very good job.
Banks plays a mother who is caught between fear and love, who knows that there is something wrong with her son but cannot see him as anything but her son, and the performance is captivating and much of her dialogue draws parallels to Martha and Jonathan Kent in her belief that Brandon was sent to earth for a reason. Even when the evidence all points to Brandon, she hopes against hope that she can appeal to the “good” in him. David Denman as Kyle Breyer straddles the line of loving his son, wanting to teach him how to be a man and fearing what his increasingly disturbed adopted son has done and can do. The fear that they feel is comparable to parents who realise their child is a psychopath, but with the added stress of knowing that he could destroy a city if he wanted to.
Dunn’s performance is compelling as we are first introduced to him as a normal, albeit a bit weird kid, this ramps up to eleven when he discovers his powers and begins to indulge in them. The growth of his powers and the presence of commanding voices in his head, mixed with the pains and stresses of adolescence lead him to commit more and more horrific acts, starting with stalking, then moving to far darker fare when he takes his first life. It is surprising how afraid of Brandon you become when he unflinchingly causes horrific pain to the town of Brightburn. In the moments of vulnerability when he is still unsure about his purpose you start to see what a life spent invincible would do to a kid.
The score by Timothy Williams is very evocative and at times cleverly mirrors the music from Man of Steel, note the similarities between a song like “Breyer Family” from Brightburn and “Sent Here for a Reason” from Man of Steel. The music is very present in the audio mix and really adds to the uncomfortable nature of what you are witnessing and treats events with the appropriate gravitas. Even in songs meant to show the tranquillity of the Breyer farm and the family is underscored by discordant strings adding layer of menace to the peaceful scenes.
Brightburn is what would happen if as a child Clark Kent just decided to take the world instead of defending it, much like Ultraman or Superboy Prime in DC comics. The movie acts as a what if scenario and does a very good job at that, even implying more characters with abilities being present in their world. The film has quite a bit of gore and the way that Brandon uses his powers are quite brutal so if that is something that you don’t want to see that’s fair, but these moments of brutality are the expected result of the use of Superman’s powers without any of his restraint. The world is made of paper in comparison to him, and Brandon is willing to burn it down.
On The Brightside 