Clayface

Tonight, I went and saw “Clayface,” which came out four days ago. Seeing how I have liked the new “DC Universe” so far, I wanted to see a film about a Batman villain that never made an appearance in any Batman film. Seeing how this is a difficult one to pull off, I thought of looking at how they succeeded, and if you want to know, just read.

Mini Anthikad Chhibber started her review by saying, “Eye trauma and flight turbulence: Can Clayface be more revolting? One is tempted to ask in the manner of Chandler Bing.” “Clayface” is the third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s four-year-old “DC Universe,” following “Superman” and “Supergirl.”

Chhibber noted,

Directed by the excellent Speak No Evil’s James Watkins, Clayface tells the origin story of the popular villain and sometime ally of Batman.

With a story and screenplay by Mike Flanagan (who could not direct because of scheduling conflicts with the mini-series Carrie and The Exorcist: Martyrs coming out in 2027), Clayface eschews the 1950s iteration of the science fiction-inspired treasure hunter for the shapeshifter’s origins in the 1940s Detective Comics.

Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, has everything he wants. Coming from a rough background, Matt is now the hottest actor of Hollywood. Actually, when we first meet Matt, he is getting ready for a tryout, and an announcement happens. Matt and his best friend, Corey, played by Joshua James, who is also an actor, hear the Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards. He gets congratulated by everyone when Matt’s name is announced.

Matt and Corey go to Gotham for an interview with a popular talk show host, played by Rob Brydon. While celebrating at a nightclub, Matt sees a beautiful woman, Mia, played by Joana Ribeiro. Corey warns Matt to stay away from Mia, as she is the girlfriend of the local mob boss, Markos Szabo, played by David Dencik, but Matt still sleeps with her.

When we wakes up, Szabo and his men are at his bedside, and he cuts Matt’s face with a switchblade. Matt’s friends and associates, including his agent, Hildie (Nancy Carroll) and manager, Frank (Eddie Marsan), rush him to the hospital.

Chhibber said, “Following a smear campaign and six expensive surgeries, Matt becomes an outcast, refusing to step out of his roach-infested apartment and unable to face the disgusted looks his badly disfigured face garners.”

At his lowest, he sees a news report on a research done by Dr. Caitlyn Corr, played by Naomi Ackie, where nano cells infiltrate the body to heal it. Matt visits Caitlyn and lets him be used as a test subject, but she says they are at least a year away from human tests. Matt says he is willing to sign anything, and even if he dies because of the treatment, it is better than living the way he currently has been.

Chhibber said, “The treatment at first seems to go well, and Matt’s face is healed, but of course there are side effects (also thanks to one of Matt’s desperate gambits), and Matt soon finds his body taking on the consistency of clay.” As his body changes, his mind and soul does too, letting himself turn evil.

After “Joker,” “Clayface is another attempt to give a Batman villain an origin story to show a tragedy which causes all the evil to come out. Chhibber said, “Clayface works best when leaning into its pulpy (pun intended) heard, as the attempt to make an anti-hero of a villain does not earn its space.”

Chhibber continued, “Going full body horror is fun, if predictable – we instinctively know who Matt will impersonate next and that bowl of nuts was signaling louder than a lighthouse what was going to happen next.”

Rhys Harries is great as the vulnerable, impulsive star celebrity, and his chemistry with Ackie is one of the best parts. Max Minghella brings serious intelligence to his role as police detective John Borrelli, investigating the recent violent crimes.

The complete absence of wisdom is redeeming. Chhibber ended her review by saying, “As long as one does not wander too deeply into the metaphor of clay being the building block of life, Clayface is interesting enough. Some gorgeous visuals offset the stomach-churning ones. Images of Matt in the bathtub and the lovers entwined like the couple of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss are veritable works of art.”

I’ll be honest, when they showed Matt’s face after Szabo’s attack up to when he was being Caitlyn’s test subject, I was feeling uneasy. Meaning, I was nauseous, loosing feeling, I had to put the recliner seat down, felt like I was about to pass out, excessive sweating that I had to ask the person next to me for a napkin, and body chills that I had to put my hoodie on. Other than that, the movie is good. I would recommend it, but only if you can stomach the graphic details in this film. I first heard of Clayface from “Batman: The Animated Series,” which is different than this film, but this is definitely dark and gory that it deserved the R rating. I will say check it out, but only if you can handle what they show in here.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this Friday for the finale of “Halloween Month 2026.”