Brightburn (2019)

 

What if...?

Yes, on occasion, fun stories are created that start with such a simple idea. The same goes for the enjoyable 'Brightburn': this is in essence the same story as Superman, but the twist is that in this case the child with superhuman powers turns to evil. 

Tori and Kyle Breyer are a farming couple desperate for children, but for some reason, they can't seem to conceive. But then one day something crashes in the woods nearby and they find a baby. Of course, they decide to adopt this little one and their family is now complete and everything is hunky-dory.

Things start to change when Brandon (the child) turns 12. For one, his pod/spaceship begins calling to him and his character changes immensely (insert any reference or joke to puberty here). He becomes belligerent and downright creepy as he realizes that he has powers no one else has: he's superfast, almost invincible and incredibly strong. 

Oh, and he is able to fly. 

He has no idea how to deal with his powers, but he does keep them hidden from everyone. However, when he is shunned by the girl he has the hots for, things get out of hand. He crushes her hand in a fit of anger and when he goes to talk to her, she tells him her mom doesn't want her to talk to him. His solution is killing the mom. From then on it just gets worse every step of the way, culminating in something pretty harsh.

Well, you can probably guess what will all happen, but that's not why this film is enjoyable. 

See, 'Brightburn' is no high art, but it still satisfies, because it is done convincingly. Sure, some of the scares are predictable, but a lot of the time, the makers keep you on your toes and it is a lot of fun to see what would happen if a superhero-like character was downright evil. And most of the actors, especially Elizabeth Banks, do a decent job. 

The few scenes containing gore are also pretty yikes. Well, okay: there are only two, but they did make me cringe just a little, so well done.

Not everything works, though. The story plays out fairly predictably, which is a bit of a shame. Even the ending is not all that unexpected, to be honest, even if it was a nice change of pace from most films in this vein. And the kid playing Brandon is a bit bland. Okay, this could be due to the fact that he has to portray an emotionless and evil alien child, but it's laid on a bit thick as soon as the spaceship starts talking to him. The shift in his character is a little much and his blank expression doesn't really fit most of the time. But at least the pacing is spot on and this film is clearly made with the idea of 'short and sweet' in mind, as it clocks in at roughly 80 minutes anyway. 

Yes, they could have done more with this, but as is, 'Brightburn' can be quite entertaining. It doesn't claim to do anything new in the horror genre, but you could do a lot worse. And if you want a different spin on the whole superhero-craze, this is a good choice to watch. 

Don't forget to wait for the end credits to roll to enjoy some incredibly random Michael Rooker. He doesn't even appear in the rest of the film, but Michael Rooker is always a win.