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Brightburn is, at its core, a creepy kid movie. That creepy kid, however, is basically Superman. As many horror movies in the past have done, Brightburn takes a swing at capitalizing on the recent pop culture influx of superhero films and gives it a new, horrifying, twist.
The Upside:
Brightburn has a surprisingly original premise for the horror genre, and does its best to capitalize on Brandon’s (creepy kid) powers in surprisingly gory ways. Fans of gore-fest films, such as the saw franchise, will be very pleased with the graphic and creative kills that come with Brandon’s rampage over those who have wronged him. There is also a lot of tension built up between these situations, which helps bridge the gaps between kills.
The Downside:
Although Brightburn has a (somewhat) original premise, it doesn’t do anything new that the Babadooks, Omens, Exorcists, and even Prodigies (2019) haven’t done before. Like I said, it’s essentially a creepy kid movie, and progresses as such. Which means the plot is fairly telegraphed, leaving little to no room for surprises. Also, In typical Gunn fashion, there is a good amount of dark humor written in as well, but the humor rarely if ever hits, and usually comes off as awkward and out of place.
The Verdict:
Similar to the Prodigy earlier this year, Brightburn doesn’t bring a whole lot of new things to the table aside from its Superman-esque main entity, but everything it does, it does competently. The gore and creativity are bound to keep fans of horror entertained, even through a familiar plot.
6/10
The High Point: Jawbreaker
The Low point: Plot progression
💀💀-Low Scare factor
FlickFix 