Review : Brightburn (2019)
I’ve always been a sucker for movies about individuals with super powers. Be it established comic book heroes translated to the screen, or entirely new characters created to tell familiar (and sometimes new) stories, there’s something about these modern-day mythical figures that intrigues in a way that the average story structure cannot. As a Marvel fan, the ‘What If...?’ realm with the super-powered always fascinated me, as there seemed to be an inherent (but unspoken) ‘moral’ code that went with this level of power. That’s why I was hooked when the ‘what if Superman was evil?’ premise was presented to me via Brightburn.
Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Brewer (David Denman) are a young couple in Brightburn County, Kansas attempting to start a family, but facing infertility issues along the way. One night, a mysterious object crashes in the woods on the edge of their farm, and Tori discovers an infant boy among the wreckage, whom she adopts and names Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn). Over the next ten years, the couple raises Brandon, but as he becomes a young man, everyone begins to take note of changes in Brandon’s behavior, including his obsessive drawing of a symbol and a more aggressive nature. As secrets that the couple tried to keep from Brandon become unearthed, a change begins to take place in him that nobody can prepare for, putting everyone in danger as Brandon seeks to fulfill his newly-discovered destiny.
Taking a look at the Superman mythos under this lens is refreshing, as other directors (who shall remain unnamed) have done their best to try and make Superman a dark character. With Superman being such a modern-day folk hero, using him to study the opposite side of the absolute power and nature vs. nurture debates can be stifled, but using a similar character with inverse characteristics allows the examination to occur without many of the pre-conceived opinions and notions present. Ultimately, it is fertile grounds for debate to toil over whether an alien with powers of this level and a base-level lack of empathy for humans could eventually be shaped and molded into a hero figure, or if his superior nature would always put him at odds with those lesser than.
Though this movie is being marketed as a horror film, I did not find it to be one... I would say it is more of a violent suspense film. The narrative is not full of twists and turns, but it is not meant to be, as the premise is the primer. With the information given in the premise, our mind is forced to dwell on the ticking time-bomb that is Brandon, and knowing that he can turn a bad situation infinitely worse in a heartbeat carries the suspense of the film. Brandon’s tendencies are clearly psychopathic, but seeing as he is not ‘one of us’, it puts the definition of pscyhopathy (in this case) in question... can we truly expect a non-human to value human life the way we do? Essentially, those in the world of the film (and us as viewers) are held hostage by the hopes that what equates to a pre-pubescent God-figure chooses to regulate his own urges and behaviors, for our sake.
The special effects for this film are pretty impressive... the superhero powers are portrayed effectively, and the violence that Brandon implements is executed well enough to make me watch most of these sequences through my fingers. The movie is well-shot, and the lighting throughout (especially in the night scenes) ratchets up the tension further. Color is used wisely throughout the film, as most of it relies on a flat interior, green (read natural) exterior... the two real colorful presences are Tori’s art (possibly to symbolize her as a loving presence), and the red that follows Brandon around (in his costuming/symbolism, the ship hidden in the barn, and the wake of his destruction). Speaking of Brandon and red, the Brightburn costume design was simple, but wonderful, with the hood/cape combo being a nice touch. The button in the credits featuring Michael Rooker was also a nice closing point, but for more feelings about that, see the final paragraph.
Jackson A. Dunn and his quite, brooding sense of power he communicates through his stillness and his piercing stare make him a silent monster on the level of Jason Vorhees, only with the skills of Superman in tow... it’s surprising how well the young actor is able to ground his performance, considering most young actors would probably run a bit wild with the character. Elizabeth Banks has always possessed dynamic range, and her ability to project unconditional motherly love (even in the face of the obvious) plays well. David Denman plays the powerless dad to a tee, easily communicating a man that is used to being at the head of the power table now at his wit’s end and acting desperately, though trying to hold it together. Meredith Hagner brings a lighthearted energy to most of her performances, displaying the love of a family member while managing to keep the distance of an Aunt and counselor, keeping her from direct involvement into the problem. Matt Jones brings his loveable, true-to-life characteristics to his performance, becoming an audience connection point in a film full of the unbelievable. Emmie Hunter and Becky Washington both play solid shades of those who sense and fear the threat that Brandon is. Appearances by Michael Rooker, Steve Agee, and other supporting cast round out the world of the film.
For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed Brightburn, but I do hope that it is a standalone project. While highly entertaining to me, it certainly falls more into the world of the pulp-film or cult-classic more so than the establishment of another ‘cinematic universe’, and hopefully it encourages others to tell similar one-off stories as well, similar to films like Chronicle.