Unsettling and genre-bending, CLAYFACE is an unconventional win for the DCU

Introducing Matt Hagen in a cinematic universe without Bruce Wayne seemed like a questionable choice at first; however, Clayface could not have come at a better time, since one of its greatest qualities is not being bound to any specific DC hero. Having Supergirl (2026) rely on the greatness of Superman (2025) was one of the main points of criticism towards Gunn and Safran’s DCU, so having a film that explores a complex and interesting character that is not overshadowed by Batman was a necessary — if not great — choice. Throughout the film, the storyline had me sufficiently immersed that at one point I stopped asking myself if there would be any sort of a Batman reference soon. 

The premise follows exactly what was shown in the trailers and promotional material — a rising star coming from a troubled background loses it all when his face is quite literally torn apart by a Gotham city mobster. One of the film’s most surprising factors personally was the gothic-love inclined chemistry between Matt Hagen and Caitlyn, the doctor that hesitantly agrees to use him as a test subject for her cellular replacement technology. Clayface also makes good use of its stance in the body horror genre, with some gruesome scenes and a few actually functional jumpscares (although the airplane scene is definitely not as ‘bad’ as people made it seem, which was honestly a disappointment). 

Its biggest hit is by far Tom Rhys Harries; he completely understands the role of an actor that is cursed with what would otherwise be a dream — the ability to effortlessly transform into any ‘character’ immediately. Casting a relatively unknown actor for its first live action adaptation makes it easy to only see Matt Hagen when looking at the screen. Harries was such a perfect choice for casting simply because he has that ‘too perfect’ look — there is something unsettling, disturbing in how he perfectly resembles the Coast City archetype for the first 15 minutes of the movie. Naomi Ackie’s Dr. Caitlyn is a layered character that, with the guidance of a fair script, does not fall into any stereotypes that could be used in the plot.  

Clayface’s overall pacing works well enough but would have benefited from an extra 15 minutes in the final battle scene, which felt somewhat rushed and is one of the film’s only lowpoints. Matt Hagen attacking all of those that have done him wrong once makes the scene more of a bloodbath than a plot-forwarding and character-defining moment. His first two murders, of his manager and his lifelong best friend, seem much more significant and adherent to the body horror genre in the way they were depicted. The last sequence in Club Vesuvius seemed like some generic DC content (in fact, it reminded me of Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad — and I don’t mean it as a compliment), not part of a body horror film. 

Special effects and overall production are one of the most interesting aspects of Clayface. While the body horror/gore/makeup is remarkably well done in the first and second act, it inexplicably worsens during the Club Vesuvius scene and forward. Clayface makes you spend nearly two hours wondering about how they will make the comic accurate look work in the end, only to deliver its worse CGI in the third act. Another downside was the establishment of Gotham city, or the lack thereof, since it definitely has unexplored potential with regards to its darkness, unmercifulness, and cruelty. This would have been a great place to showcase a great worldbuilding strategy, with a DCU that has a clear visual difference between Superman‘s Metropolis and Clayface‘s Gotham.