The first reviews for DC Studios’ Clayface landed on Wednesday, and the verdict is mostly positive. The R-rated body-horror film holds a 75% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes across 83 reviews. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film opened with a much higher score than DC’s previous release, Supergirl, which sits around 52%.
Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil, The Woman in Black) from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, Clayface follows Matt Hagen, a rising Hollywood actor from Gotham City. After a crime boss disfigures his face, Hagen undergoes an experimental procedure that turns him into a shapeshifter. Tom Rhys Harries plays Hagen in his first major leading role, with Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, David Dencik and Eddie Marsan in the cast.
What critics like
Even the film’s detractors are praising Harries and the practical makeup effects. The Hollywood Reporter’s own review calls Clayface “one of the year’s big surprises” and compares it to the work of David Cronenberg and Sam Raimi. Slant calls it “a surprisingly sturdy, compelling horror-thriller” and says that, as a quiet setup for a coming Batman story, “it’s a stroke of brilliance.”
The Telegraph praises Watkins for a “stylish and stomach-twisting” film made without “pandering to fans.” IGN says the movie takes a while to find its groove but calls it “a fun body horror romp” that pays off in its final act.
What critics don’t
The negative reviews are blunt. USA Today calls the film “a messy DC miss,” arguing that the screenplay “does almost nothing” with Hagen as a character and barely uses Gotham. Rolling Stone compares watching it to “eating a handful of Play-Doh, and twice as flavorless.” Other critics on Rotten Tomatoes, including Polygon, say the film has gross-out moments but never feels truly scary.
Budget and opening
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clayface cost a reported $40 million, which is modest for a superhero film. The trade says it is projected to open north of $20 million. Warner Bros. Pictures releases the film in theaters on Friday, Oct. 23.
