Rating of
3/4
The Shape of Goo
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/31/26
James Watkins takes his cues from The Substance and David Cronenberg, presenting us the first R-rated superhero offering and delivering a body horror experience that you didn't know DC needed.
We open with up-and-coming actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) finding out he has become a best-actor nominee, much to the delight of his long-time friend Corey Bowery (Joshua James), his agent Hildie (Nancy Carroll) and advisor Frank Fitzpatrick (Eddie Marsan). What's more, he's returning to his home in Gotham City to celebrate. Out on the town and under the influence, he gets up close and personal with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), despite Corey's warning she's the girlfriend of notorious gangster/businessman Markos Szabo (David Dencik). Upon waking up after sleeping with Mia, he's greeted by Szabo and his goons - who proceed to send a message by turning him into IRL "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" - at least the lyric about a jigsaw puzzle with couple of pieces gone. Disfigured, he tries to do the right thing and use the police and courts to make things right - but Szabo has much influence and power - and uses that to turn the tables on Matt, painting him as a troubled man with a troubled past. What's more, he's spent what money he has left on failed surgery to get his face back. Frank advises him he's out of money, out of a house and out of work.
Back in Gotham, with a dank, dirty apartment as his new home, a face mask covering his scarred face, he has hit rock bottom. But it is at this critical juncture he finds Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who has come up with a revolutionary nanotech to fight debilitating illness - but Matt sees as a way to heal his injuries. Playing his cards right, he manages to convince her to be a human guenia pig - with some startling results. Corr's longtime boyfriend - and one of the not-corrupt Gotham police officers - John Borrelli (Max Minghella) is wary of her new client, even as he realized he truly was railroaded by the system. Of course, Matt finds his new treatment is not without side effects.
Clayface is truly a unique entry into the superhero cannon - Rhys Harries is a standout as you at first sympathize with Matt before realizing just how far he is willing to go. The effects are suburb and unnerving - drooping, melting, transforming - it really does the character justice. Likewise, the film doesn't shy away from violence - the final club scene is astoundingly brutal, but the film has plenty of those moments, from using scissors in a turbulent airplane bathroom to some graphic kills. Even Matt's initial run-in with Szabo is hard to watch.
Besides Rhys Harries, Ackie and Minghella are a great pair and the relationship between all three is tense and great to watch. Marsan, Ribeiro and James are excellent in supporting roles with Dencik and his goons (played by Jake Curran, Corey Johnson and Wil Coban) coming across as perfect mobster-esque villains. The film does a good job of balancing out the brutality with quiet moments - and you want Matt to BE the good guy only to watch him succumb to something dark. The movie hints at an abusive childhood (Aaron Paul shows up in a blink-and-you'll-miss it cameo as his father) but apparently it was too dark for test audiences and it was dropped. It begs the question is evil born or is it shaped.
Clayface is not anywhere near a typical DC film - but for someone like me, who enjoys the hell out of good horror - it was a pleasant surprise. I'll be interested to see if we get another like it or even if Clayface shows up in any other films but even if this is a one-off, it's certainly a memorable one.
