Brightburn
Gunn crazy…
James Gunn imagines an evil Superman.
CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR David Yarovesky STARRING Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn SCREENPLAY Brian Gunn, Mark Gunn DISTRIBUTOR Sony RUNNING TIME 90 mins
Lean in close and you might detect the slightest whiff of cynicism about Brightburn, a film that combines two huge movie trends (superheroes and horror) and makes the antagonist’s logo a plot point. But it has a great pitch – essentially, what if Superman was evil? – and producer James Gunn made killer B-movies such as Slither and Super before Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Directed by relative newbie David Yarovesky from a script by Gunn’s cousin Mark and brother Brian, Brightburn is a family affair that does not mess about. The opening scene has childless couple Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) finding a baby in a crashed comet in Brightburn, Kansas. Before you can say Kal-El, they’ve adopted him, and he’s grown up to become mussy-haired, moon-faced odd kid Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn).
Soon Brandon’s pissed off, practising his logo – two B’s Zorro’d together for Brandon Breyer, or Brightburn – and menacing the townsfolk with his pubescent superpowers and creepy mask. The best sections see him stalking those who threaten his not-very-well-kept secret, particularly during an eye-popping encounter in a diner.
Since it’s hard to make a 12-yearold boy (let alone one who can fly) properly scary, and since Tori and Kyle already know his extra-terrestrial origins, what follows is played for dark laughs rather than high drama. From the whirlwind opening to the whizzy climax, there’s barely time to stop and draw breath, which is probably for the best. Even the end credits, featuring a fun, Gunn-centric cameo, work overtime to suggest this may be the first part of something bigger. The BCU? Don’t bet against it…
THE VERDICT
A diverting spin on the superhero story that doesn’t quite live up to the Gunn standard, but has a good time trying.