Clayface comes to us from DC Studios but rather than be another save-the-world superhero movie, I’d describe it more as a quirky anecdote – the sort of tale which makes page three of the newspaper as opposed to page one.  It’s a reminder that there’s lots of other annoying stuff happening to regular folk in Gotham City when Batman isn’t around.

One thing I learned early on – they have the Academy Awards in Gotham City!  The film’s fictional protagonist is Matt Hagen (Harries), a young, recently nominated actor on the verge of a huge career.  He can’t walk down the street without being hounded, and his fan base continues to grow thanks to late night talk show appearances and magazine covers.  He’s the Timothee Chalamet equivalent of this comic book inspired universe.

Not for much longer though.  When a powerful crime lord (Dencik) learns Matt had a one-night stand with his girlfriend, he exacts revenge by slicing Matt’s face open with a sharp blade.  This scene is not for the squeamish.  Bravo to the writers for crafting such a horrifying moment and to the make-up artists for having it look so convincing.  Without his handsome face, Matt’s career disintegrates and it’s not long before he’s gone from a high-rise apartment to a cockroach infested dump.

They say looks aren’t everything but yeah, in Matt’s mind, they are.  After a series of botched plastic surgeries, he visits an unheralded researcher (Ackie) developing a drug which can rejuvenate dead tissue and heal wounds.  He forcibly volunteers to be her first human test subject and while the early results are promising, a massive overdose provides him with new problems… and unexpected abilities.  Matt’s body can now “mould” itself and, helping explain his titular nickname, he can take on the appearance of others.  Will he use this skill for good… or evil?

I’ll shout out the make-up team again but aside, Clayface is a forgettable movie.  It’s like a mid-range episode of a tired, long-running television series.  The dialogue between the characters lacks spontaneity, the camera trickery becomes repetitive, and the storyline struggles to hold its flimsy logic together (e.g. how Matt can change his appearance instantaneously at times but not at other times).  The storyline also needed more heart.  There’s no one you’ll be cheering for, or rooting against, with any vigorous passion.

As we head into awards season, it’s been a busy month for new cinema releases here in Australia.  Like some of the villainous henchmen in the movie, I suspect Clayface will die a quick death.