 What happens when Earth's saviour isn't always cracked up to be? What happens when Superman is the bad guy? Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Matt Rogers and today we're reviewing Brightburn. Now I don't usually weigh in on cinematic movies, but Superman and horror movies are my specialties, so I just couldn't resist. I'm going to try and keep spoilers to a minimum, but I will be touching on a few main plot points. Now Brightburn is the classic story of Superman, parents hoping for a child who are gifted with one from the heavens, who is himself gifted with powers which inevitably outcast him from the other kids. But that's where Brightburn departs the hero's tale and takes a dark turn. Instead of Clark Kent rising to defend the citizens of Earth, Brandon rises against them, and even kills them for fun. I actually loved the parallels director David Yorovsky drew to this and 2013's Man of Steel, which wasn't the best Superman movie, but I must admit I did get excited seeing the almost identical shots of the farm used in both films, even down to details like having the blue pickup truck. Producer James Gunn previously worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, so he obviously knows his way around a superhero movie, but I'm a massive horror fan and an even bigger Superman fan, so I can say my expectations were unreasonably high, but I can say it did not disappoint. The movie literally opens with Brandon's arrival to Earth, so it doesn't mess around with getting to the plot, which I had a problem with at first as we don't really know the first thing about these people. But you soon realise that unlike a superhero film, horror movies don't need as much of a backstory. This becomes apparent when the violence starts, and oh boy, this is where I got on board. So in the States, Brightburn got an R rating, another tick in my box. It definitely deserves it in the gore department. Without ruining what specifically happens, let's just say Brandon doesn't like being mindlessly inconvenienced. As what he inflicts on the residents of this far-flung town is ungodly. We're talking Mortal Kombat type shit. I always hate when movies cut away at the grossest moments and leave it to your imagination, but there's none of that here. You see it all. These murderous acts all whilst Brandon wears this horrific mask, which in my opinion instantly became an iconic horror costume, and the red cape was a nice touch. The mask was actually designed by the director's wife Autumn Steed and James Gunn himself. All horror villains need a costume if you ask me, and they definitely deliver it on that. Returning to what I was saying before on backstories, I'm fine and obviously used to having little backstory and horrors, but the interesting thing about Brightburn and a couple of spoilers here is that they hinted this demonic species, hell-bent on world domination, with cool spaceships and Latin-esque ramblings, which they don't really touch on as much as I'd like. Now that I think about it, I'm open to a sci-fi prequel with a proper backstory to flesh out the lore a bit, which brings me to my only gripe with the film. It's a bit too predictable and linear. Now, a real spoiler alert for those that haven't seen it, but there's no real twist at any point. You know what you're in for, and although the premise is good, that's exactly what you get. Of course, he had his own kryptonite of materials from his home planet. I did like that it didn't kill him in the end though. I love a bad guy wins ending, but they really should have showed us more of the aftermath of his world domination, and more than just what we saw in the end credits. But these are just small issues and didn't really ruin the movie for me, and the acting, especially from Elizabeth Banks and Star Jackson Dunn, was top notch. In fact, in the good horror drought we've had this year, Brightburn was a bloodthirsty breath of fresh air. Seriously though, what is with the horror movie so far this year? Absolutely terrible. Anyway, if you love hero movies and love a good slasher, Brightburn is for you, but don't expect any surprises. But if you've seen it already, be sure to let me know what you thought in the comments. But until next time, this is Matt Rogers, and that is all.