This week, Superman is back in theaters in a film from director James Gunn.
Gunn has a lot of superhero movies under his belt, including a far darker take on the Man of Steel called Brightburn.
Gunn produced this film from a script by his brother, Brian Gunn, and their cousin, Mark Gunn, for director David Yarovesky.
Brightburn may not have been a big hit in 2018, but it’s the cracked reflection of every bit of humanity in Gunn’s Superman movie.
Jackson A. Dunn Chillingly Plays an Evil Young Boy
Jackson A. Dunn hasn’t had a lot of credits since his leading role in Brightburn, but he did have a cameo as a young Scott Lang in Avengers: Endgame. If his turn in Brightburn is any indication, Dunn can slip right back into horror if he so chooses. Brandon Breyer (Dunn) isn’t immediately evil in this flick, but it doesn’t take much to push him to the dark side.
Once Brandon has his powers, he starts using them on people in ways that Superman would never do. There’s not even an argument that could be made that Brandon’s victims deserve what they get. His sheer lack of human empathy or normal emotions is also conveyed through Dunn’s performance. This is one creepy kid, and no one is safe from his wrath once he gets started.
Elizabeth Banks Is the Broken Heart of the Film
The tragedy of Brightburn is that Brandon’s adoptive parents — Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) — didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t mistreat Brandon or abuse him. The Breyers did everything they could to give him a good home until things went horribly wrong.
Tori remains sympathetic to the end, and Banks’ performance makes her a tragic figure. She simply can’t believe that her son has become such a monster until it’s far too late. She loved him more than Kyle, and her love is not rewarded in any way. Banks brought out the human side of the story, even though it doesn’t end well for her.
‘Brightburn’ Makes Superman’s Origin Terrifying
Some critics felt that Brightburn didn’t go far enough to make this comic-book inspired flick into a full-blown horror flick. Perhaps seeing Brandon use his heat vision and super strength to murder or maim innocent people wasn’t frightening enough for them.
The truth is, someone with the powers of Superman is far more likely to turn out like Brandon Breyer than Clark Kent. The even scarier thing is that Brightburn‘s world doesn’t seem to have anyone who can match Brandon’s power or even get close enough to harm him. The script hints that Brandon’s placement on Earth wasn’t a coincidence, and this may be what he was meant to do for his people.
If Superman is the superhero embodiment of hope, then Brandon is the embodiment of despair. His origin story goes wrong at every turn, where Clark Kent’s life went right. The critics were wrong. This is a very good horror flick, and the lack of a sequel makes it even more disturbing if we let our imaginations picture what Brandon is putting that world through.
Brightburn is available to rent or buy on Prime Video. It’s also streaming on Starz.
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