Brightburn hits the spot in mainstream horror, but it never quite delivers the subversion of the Superman origin story it promised. However, given the opportunity, it’s a universe I wouldn’t mind visiting again.
Unless you have been living under a rock, the origin story of Superman is well known, even to those who have never picked up a comic or watched a film – a baby is sent to Earth, their home planet facing imminent destruction, crashing in a cornfield in the Midwest of America, the baby is secretly adopted by a childless couple living in a quiet town. As the boy grows, so does his difference, and as puberty begins, his superhuman powers grow with him – lightening fast speed, laser vision, unparalleled strength, invulnerability, and flight.
In the Superman universe, these skills and abilities, backed by two caring adoptive parents, become a force for good, eventually leading to the adult blue-and-red-clad hero we all know. But what if things had been different? What if the kid who arrived was pre-programmed for destruction as soon as puberty hit?
Brightburn cleverly takes the Superman origin story of power, alienation, coming of age and destiny and subverts it into a tale of corrupted power, destruction and alienation. This is a coming-of-age story that puts power in the hands of an alien, following his prime directive whether he likes it or not, with his emotional maturity and morality not yet developed, despite a caring and supportive childhood.
The premise is not only highly creative but also delivers a film that cleverly plays with the cornerstones of the coming-of-age and the comic book genres. However, Brightburn also struggles to devote enough time to the journey from child to teenage god, given its limited runtime; at times, it almost feels like two movies compressed into one. This creates a jump from innocence to evil that is too abrupt and lacks the buildup necessary for solid character development and audience connection.
Brightburn also owes a huge amount to The Omen (1976) and Omen II (1978), and, interestingly, it’s here that the film truly works. Director David Yarovesky and the screenwriters, Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn, effectively explore the classic Omen premise of an adopted child’s true nature and the horrific interface of parental enlightenment. Brightburn’s best scenes centre on Tori and Kyle, Brandon’s loving and increasingly alarmed parents (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman), as they slowly realise that the child they have loved unconditionally may harbour darker thoughts and actions – a clear echo of the parental realisation of the Thorns in The Omen 1976, even down to the eventual conclusions of his adoptive father.
This brings us to the boy at the heart of the film, Brandon Breyer, played by Jackson A. Dunn. Less Clark Kent and more Damien: Dunn delivers an impressive performance, linking the onset of bodily change and volatile emotions to the realisation of complete power, with a beautifully nuanced, horror-filled performance. Brightburn hits the spot in mainstream horror, but it never quite delivers the subversion of the Superman origin story it promised. However, given the opportunity, it’s a universe I wouldn’t mind visiting again.
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