Ever wondered what an evil Superman would be like? Brightburn gives us a look at one of the possible answers to said question. Following the reverse path of “Krypton’s favorite son”, we get a glimpse at what the world’s first super villain could be like in this fun spin on the super “hero” genre.

Brightburn is a 2019 superhero horror film, it is produced by Screen Gems and distributed by Sony Pictures. It is currently in theaters now.

Editor’s Note: Near complete to complete spoilers for Brightburn are present within this review. Check out our sponsor Otaku Picks for all of your anime and manga based merchandise needs at this link here.

Brightburn is director James Gunn’s third attempt at the superhero film genre, the first being Super which starred Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Kevin Bacon as the leads & the second of course being Marvel & Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s clear Gunn has a certain style which contributes well to the genre with all four films (including Guardians 2 & Brightburn) being moderate to huge successes. Gunn attempts to adapt a classic comic book hero into the ultimate supervillain with his latest efforts into superhero film and it’s a hell of a good time. 

THE GOOD: Brightburn stars Elizabeth Banks & David Denman as Tori & Kyle Breyer; a loving couple attempting to have a child but with little luck, suddenly a spaceship crashes into their farm with an alien baby inside it. The two opt to adopt and raise the baby as their own. Back in 2019, the now twelve year old Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn)  begins to have strange dreams and undergoes behavioral changes. This is soon realized to be related to his crashed ship feeding him messages in his sleep about his true origin and purpose. As Brandon and his mental connection to his ship grows, he begins to act erratic, violent, and has developed a much more arrogant personality. 

As time passes Brandon’s violence increases beginning with him crushing the hand of his classmate and crush after she caught him spying on her one night and calling him a pervert in front of other students. Having early beginning to understand his powers and abilities, Brandon becomes furious when his mother tells him the truth of his origins. After coming to terms with his true nature, Brandon kills his crush’s mother after she forbids their interaction with one another. He then kills his uncle after he catches Brandon attempting to kill his aunt. The increase in violence within the small town gains the attention of the police and puts Brandon on notice. He then dons a makeshift costume in an attempt to hide his destruction. The sheriff begins an investigation after finding Brandon’s calling call at the scene of several crimes. He is easily able to connect Brandon to the wave of violence and confronts Tori over it, which she promptly denies.  

Kyle begins to piece the puzzle together on Brandon and the murders and attempts to inform Tori but again she refuses to believe. Forcing Kyle’s hand he takes Brandon on a hunting trip and tries to kill him with a rifle Brandon’s uncle gave him for his birthday which Kyle had taken earlier. The bullet ricochets from the back of Brandon’s head unharming him, Brandon heartbroken over his father’s attack kills him with his heat vision as he begs for his life. Meanwhile, Tori missing Brandon & Kyle lets her doubts seep in and eventually finds Brandon’s notebook depicting drawings of his murders. Horrified she calls Kyle only for Brandon to be on the other line informing her of his return home. Brandon in costume, destroys his house as Tori calls the police. The sheriff and his deputy arrive, with Brandon killing the sheriff almost immediately. Tori hides as Brandon kills the deputy, but escapes into the farm where Brandon’s ship is located, recalling an earlier moment in the film where Brandon was harmed by it. 

As Tori returns outside Brandon seemingly more calmed is confronted by Tori who begins to plead with him to “do good”. Brandon appears to submit to Tori’s request, only to feel betrayed when Tori tries to kill him with a piece of his ship. He grabs her and flies high into the sky, dropping Tori to her death. An oncoming airplane is forced down by Brandon and crashed into his home as a cover up for his parents murders with Brandon being viewed as an orphaned survivor of a tragedy. During the mid-credits we learn from a character played by Michael Rooker of Brandon’s continued destruction as well as other superpowered beings (such as evil parodies of Aquaman & Wonder Woman) including the aforementioned Rainn Wilson character from Super existing within the world.

Brightburn takes the superhero genre to familiar, but still refreshing territory with it’s twist on one of comics’ purest heroes. As someone who went ballistic seeing Bruce Wayne murder a ton of people in Batman vs Superman allow me to give fair warning for anyone who has an emotional attachment to these characters: come into this with an open mind & and let go of your emotions if you’re expecting or hoping to have a good time. The difference between a murdering Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent is the fact that murder is 100% against Bruce Wayne’s code. Yes we’ve seen variations of a killer Batman or Batman’s associates killing, but in case of the former this was usually Thomas Wayne portraying Batman in an alternate universe and going on a villain killing spree after Bruce and his mother were killed. Bruce’s parents dying with what seems like silly reasoning (according to Bruce) is what shapes his very character and defines him. Clark being heartbroken over lies his parents hid from him for years and turning into a violent psychopath is not only believable but also plausible when you consider the reaction some adopted from birth children have upon learning the truth. 

THE BAD:  Don’t come into this expecting scares. The truth of the matter is Brightburn just isn’t scary, and I kind of think that was Gunn’s point. Most of the horror is there to kind of freak you out rather than make you jump with fear. And in that regard Brightburn succeeds with flying colors (Brandon vs Erica anyone?).

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Brightburn isn’t a new idea, but it’s execution while not for everyone is refreshing in the current crop of live-action superhero films and a most definite welcomed one. Acting performances and horror elements shine and increase in impact as the run time goes down to zero. Otaku Dome gives Brightburn an 80 out of 100.