New 'Clayface' film costs $44 million and gets a C grade

The estimated $44 million budget for 'Clayface' sits at the center of a new assessment of the Batman spin-off. The film arrives in theaters this week with an R rating and a 108 minute running time. Reviewer Robert Garver of The Forum of Fargo Moorhead gave the movie a C grade. He noted that the film keeps both its financial costs and creative ambitions low.

The plot follows Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries. The character is a successful actor in Gotham City who holds an Oscar nomination. His life changes when he falls for Mia, played by Joana Ribeiro. Her best friend Corey, played by Joshua James, warns Matt that Mia is the girlfriend of gangster Markos Szabo, played by David Dencik.

Szabo discovers the affair and attacks Matt. The gangster mangles the actor's face. Matt loses his career and his status after the injury. He cannot hold Szabo legally responsible because of the gangster's power. Expensive plastic surgery fails to fix the disfigurement. Matt turns to Dr. Caitlyn Corr, played by Naomi Ackie, for help.

Dr. Corr develops radical cell rejuvenation technology. She agrees to let Matt become a human test subject. The treatment is meant for serious medical issues, not cosmetic fixes. After several weeks of high risk treatments, Matt regains his normal appearance. However, the new cells cause unexpected changes in his body.

Matt's new cells sometimes create unwanted coverings over his eyes. He performs an impromptu surgery in an airport bathroom to remove them. The cells also allow him to take on the appearance of other people. Matt initially fears these developments. He soon realizes he can use the changes to get revenge on those who wronged him.

Dr. Corr becomes the de facto hero of the story. She is engaged to John Borrelli, a Gotham detective played by Max Minghella. The couple must survive the wrath of the monster Caitlyn has created. The reviewer noted that the film relies on a familiar villain origin formula. Matt spends most of the movie taking out bad guys while slowly becoming a bad guy himself.

The visual style includes impressive body horror. The cells do not always know what a healthy human body looks like. Matt also decides to do unnatural things with his body. Several transformations happen silently and instantaneously. The reviewer called these moments clean but suggested they were a shortcut due to the limited budget.

The reviewer criticized the story for being a cookie cutter. Matt jumps quickly from understandable revenge to outright villainy. This shift happens because the movie requires it. The reviewer is not recommending the film but expressed a desire for more movies like it. He noted that the Batman rogues gallery is one of the most colorful in all of media.

The review highlighted the potential for low stakes attention on underutilized characters. The right set of hungry young filmmakers could do wonders for an as yet unexploited baddie. The reviewer sensed a good Batman villain spin off on the horizon but stated that it is not this one. The film is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity, and brief drug use.