Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think

Bruce Campbell Is Playing Evil Dead’s Ash Again, But Not How You’d Think
Ash vs Evil Dead Bruce Campbell proudly stands blood splattered between two companions

Heroes may come and go, but only the most resilient find their way back to the danger. Just ask Bruce Campbell, as his most famous role as the Evil Dead franchise’s Ash Williams is one that’s waxed and waned like our fickle moon. And just when everyone thought he was gone for good, Ash is about to saddle up for action yet again. Only this time, it’s going to be in another realm he’s not unfamiliar with: the world of video games.


Despite Campbell, for the most part, retiring the role of Evil Dead’s Ash Williams after the cancelation of Ash vs. Evil Dead, it looks like he’ll be strapping on the chainsaw again for the multi-platform game, Dead By Daylight. Currently available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, the concept of the game is very much an Evil Dead inspired affair.


With the objective of the game being that the four survivors in play must repair the required number of emergency generators that will allow for their escape, it’s already terra firma for the man who survived three films, three seasons of his own TV show, and various comic book appearances. The similarities only increase in Dead By Daylight’s gameplay when it’s hindered by the fact that there’s one player hunting those survivors as the killer, whose objective is to clear the board in vicious, bloody fashion. And, you’ll get to play through it all, with the likeness and vocal stylings of Bruce Campbell being fully integrated into the game’s killer engine.




So, yeah, adding Ash Williams as a playable survivor is as good of an idea as when a previous Dead By Dayilght update brought fellow horror legend Laurie Strode to the game. If you’re one of those types that’s liable to want to cross over famous franchises such as Halloween and Evil Dead, this news from Variety just gave you further incentive to go out and buy yourself a copy. Unless you’re a Nintendo Switch owner, in which case you’ll have to wait until this fall. Still, it’s pretty exciting news.


Though he’s had plenty of video game adventures of his own on various console generations, seeing Ash Williams heading to Dead By Daylight so soon after being told we would probably never see or hear from him again has us hopeful. Should this recent offering in a long line of famous franchise themed DLC sell like hotcakes, maybe there’s a possibility that Bruce Campbell could snag an Evil Dead themed game franchise as previously promised; which opens up a pathway for him to rope dear friend and series creator Sam Raimi back in to tell more stories in that particular sandbox. It’s far from a given, but fans can dream, can’t they?


If you’re looking to try out Dead By Daylight’s latest, boomstick toting survivor, and just happen to be at the PAX East convention this weekend, stop by their booth and hail to the king! Otherwise, the DLC featuring Ash Williams will be available on April 2nd.




Solo 2: Writer 'Grateful And Galvanized' By Viral Campaign For Star Wars Sequel

Solo 2: Writer 'Grateful And Galvanized' By Viral Campaign For Star Wars Sequel
Solo: A Star Wars Story Han and Chewie Alden Ehrenreich Lucasfilm

The first Star Wars movie opened 42 years ago today on May 25, 1977. That's when we first met Han Solo, as played by Harrison Ford. Over 40 years later, we finally got Han's backstory in Solo: A Star Wars Story, with the young scoundrel played by Alden Ehrenreich. Solo ended up a Star Wars scapegoat, since the box office wasn't quite what was expected for a franchise movie. Reviews were mixed, but the fans who loved it are staunch defenders for it. Those fans recently launched a campaign to continue the story, getting #MakeSolo2Happen trending. Solo director Ron Howard had a simple reaction, but co-screenwriter Jon Kasdan had more expansive thoughts:


Yeah, Solo was set several years before the first Star Wars movie and ended with potential for how to continue Han's story until reaching the point of Episode IV - A New Hope. Solo 2 could've filled that timeline easily -- and maybe still could?


Jonathan Kasdan worked on the Solo script that his father, longtime Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, had started before joining the The Force Awakens writing team. Solo infamously hit a rough patch when initial directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left the film. One of the rumored issues behind-the-scenes was the directors encouraging a lot of improvisation away from the script. Ron Howard took over as director for the rest of filming, and reshoots.




The resulting film has a 70% fresh rating from 442 critics and a 64% audience score from nearly 41,000 RT users. Solo also has an A- CinemaScore from polled moviegoers, which is slightly down from the A that Rogue One, The Force Awakens, and The Last Jedi all received. But the A- ties all three prequels, and it's still better than the B- that The Clone Wars got in 2008, marking the lowest Star Wars CinemaScore.


Solo wasn't everyone's cup of blue milk, but it's clear the film still has a lot of fans out there, and they have "galvanized" Jon Kasdan. Maybe he's gearing up to make a new argument to Lucasfilm to give Solo 2 a chance -- either in theaters or (more likely?) on the new Disney+ streamer launching in November. Never tell him the odds!


Meanwhile, there's disagreement in the rest of the galaxy when it comes to the Star Wars movies that will hit the big screen. There's a petition against the Star Wars movie being made by the Game of Thrones showrunners, and some fans aren't excited about The Rise of Skywalker after The Last Jedi. But on the flip side, some fans are thrilled about the new Star Wars movies coming, especially The Rise of Skywalker as it ends the nine-film Skywalker Saga. Keep up with everything heading to theaters this year with our 2019 movie schedule.




Monday, October 28, 2019

Twilight Alum Dakota Fanning Thinks Robert Pattinson As Batman Is 'Awesome'

Twilight Alum Dakota Fanning Thinks Robert Pattinson As Batman Is 'Awesome'
Dakota Fanning's Jane and Robert Pattinson's Edward

Despite his other work and serious roles in indie films from auteurs like David Cronenberg, actor Robert Pattinson is still best known for playing sparkly vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise. That perception is likely part of the backlash to the reports that he is in talks to play the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves’ Batman film. That aversion to his casting is not shared by fellow Twilight alum Dakota Fanning, who supports Robert Pattinson in the role, as she explained:



I think it's awesome. I love Rob, and he's great, and he's great in whatever he does.



While speaking with Variety at the Cannes Film Festival where her new film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is premiering, Dakota Fanning expressed real confidence in the talents of Robert Pattinson to be great in whatever role he takes on. That includes Batman, and Dakota Fanning seemed to be genuinely excited and happy for her fellow Twilight alum.




Although I wouldn’t expect Dakota Fanning to boo the casting of her former co-star or advocate people sign a silly petition (those always work) to have him removed from the role, it is nice to hear that she has positive feelings about him and what he can do. And she would know. The actress starred in three Twilight movies as Jane, a member of the villainous Volturi coven set against Robert Pattinson’s Edward and Kristen Stewart’s Bella.


So she has gotten to know him and seen his acting in person on set, giving her greater insight into his abilities. It’s also possible that she’s actually seen him in more than just the Twilight movies and has a better knowledge of his work and range as an actor and that informs her faith in him playing Batman.


Robert Pattinson has Dakota Fanning in his corner, but as is seemingly the case with every big time superhero casting, he’ll have to prove himself to many fans. Rightly or wrong, he is still known mainly for Twilight-- even though he has proven to be much more than that in plenty of other films. But even if fans acknowledge he is a good actor, they may still not see him as Batman.




That’s understandable and like Ben Affleck before him in the role or Heath Ledger as Joker or Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it will take time if that acceptance is to happen at all. Now may be the right time for him to take on the role though, with DC trying new things and the details about Matt Reeves’ exact vision for his movie The Batman still under wraps.


It's also important to note that we also still don’t know with 100% certainty that Robert Pattinson will be Bruce Wayne in The Batman. That seems to be the way things are trending but until the deal is final it’s not final and other reports say that Nicholas Hoult is still in the running for the part. Whoever gets it, he’ll be possibly be facing off with Penguin and Catwoman, two of the film’s reported villains.


The Batman is scheduled for release on June 25, 2021. While we await that, there are plenty of other movies hitting theaters this summer, check them out in our 2019 Release Schedule.




Triple Frontier Has A Donkey Scene That Was Hilarious To Film

Triple Frontier Has A Donkey Scene That Was Hilarious To Film
Triple Frontier Charlie Hunnam leads a donkey through the jungle

In the new Netflix action thriller Triple Frontier, there’s a serious montage of scenes where, as part of said montage, actors Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund are seen shepherding a couple of donkeys across a river in the South American jungle. So leave it to their animal co-stars to make things interesting when it came time to actually shoot those scenes, as the actors recently spoke with CinemaBlend about a particularly hilarious day on set involving donkeys, water, and bathroom humor. Here’s how the actors described the scenario, when asked what day on set made them most feel like an action hero:



Hunnam: Probably the day we had to swim with the donkeys, right?


[Hunnam and Hedlund break into laughter]


Hunnam: Garrett and I picked the short straw. Or, I guess, in his usual Machiavellian way, J.C. [Chandor] went and asked all of us, independently, if we would be prepared to swim across the length of a swimming pool with a pack of mules. And everybody else said no, apart from, I guess, Garrett and I.


Hedlund: It was more of a fecal matter issue for some of the cast.



While the finished product is a sobering experience, when the heroes at the center of Triple Frontier are at a particularly difficult time in their heist, the story above is anything but. And watching Hunnam and Hedlund laughing it up during the telling of said story only makes the tale that much more interesting.





This is only compounded by the fact that, of course, this story involving animal actors contains a moment where the donkeys involved had to relieve themselves. It's a classic trope in humor that has legs, and for very good reason. At this point, the story gets even more interesting as this old saw gets a new spin through some colorful descriptions from Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund. The Triple Frontier co-stars elaborated on this story with the following:



Hunnam: Well it was when we got into the pool, and they started defecating all over the place.


Hedlund: The fun thing is, my donkey had to go first, and when a donkey gets in the water, they tend to try and get to the other side…


Hunnam: That’s going to be the name of your biography, ‘My Donkey Had To Go First.’


Hedlund: ...so if a donkey gets in the water, they tend to try and get to the other side as quick as they can. So trying to see Charlie keep up with his donkey, following my donkey, was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life.



It’s certainly not the easiest thing in the world to work with an animal actor on a set such as the one for Triple Frontier. Considering they’re one of the two types of performers that have historically been on the list of collaborators not to work with, you can kind of see why. Just imagining two actors such as Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund, trying to get through the day of shooting with a donkey that really had to go is enough to break even the most stoic spectator into a fit of laughter.





Of course, describing their humorous reactions to filming this particular stretch of Triple Frontier is one thing. But if you want to watch Hunnam and Hedlund really delight in the reveal of this story, you can see it all for yourself below.


Don't let that story about the donkeys fool you, as the behind the scenes story you've just experienced doesn't sour the Triple Frontier experience at all. If anything, it proves that all involved, particularly Charlie Hunnam and Garrett Hedlund in this specific instance, are total professionals. It takes an extremely focused actor to portray a dramatic scene of crime and consequences, while wading through donkey dung; and this cast passes that test with flying colors.


Triple Frontier is in theaters now, with its Netflix streaming debut set for March 13th.





6 Great Reasons Marvel Should Bring Back The One Shots

6 Great Reasons Marvel Should Bring Back The One Shots
Ms. Marvel Kamala stands defiantly in her costume

There was an idea that Marvel Studios could maintain its Marvel Cinematic Universe with a series of MCU shorts that could tell stories that the movies never could. At least, not at the times they were released. They were called Marvel One Shots: shorts exclusively created for the home video release of each Marvel film from 2011 until 2014, and dedicated to taking the still fledgling franchise everywhere it could go, without having to spend a feature length budget each trip.


Before Team Darryl from Thor: Ragnarok, it had been a while since we’d seen anything close to being known as a One Shot. And even then, the comedic short explaining Thor’s absence from Captain America: Civil War wasn’t technically branded as a One Shot. But it does embody the spirit of the One Shot, and its success helps remind us of just why they should exist.


As we approach Avengers: Endgame, the long-awaited finale of the Infinity Saga, here are six reasons why Marvel Studios should go back to the practice of doling out One Shots with each home video release.




It Could Help Set Up Crucial Characters And Plot Points For Phase Four


Avengers: Endgame is about to wrap up eleven years of storytelling that make up the first arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While there’s definitely a plan in play for Phase Four to introduce new franchises like The Eternals and Shang Chi in the near future, as well as handing off the leadership reins to Captain Marvel, that’s only just the beginning.


If Phase Four is going to be more diverse -- and more ambitious -- than the first three phases, it’s going to need a lot of new and exciting content to do so. Which means, the One Shots could very easily help do a little of the heavy lifting by supplementing characters and plot points that start in mid or end credit sequences, and bridge into new films.


Imagine if Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel finally had an opportunity to show up, without the need of a TV series or a full film. That short could lay the groundwork for her character, and keep her in play until she’s used in either capacity. Meanwhile, she’d finally be onscreen, ready to return at a moment’s notice in a natural context.




They’re A Great Way To Tell Additional Stories Outside Of The Films


As we saw with the One Shot All Hail The King, the continuation of the story involving Trevor Slattery and his guise as The Mandarin in Iron Man 3 was eventually used to twist the character in another way. Were Marvel to pursue the eventual fallout of this short, with Slattery being brought to meet the actual Mandarin, there would be a potential to tell an entire story in One Shots.


What if the “true” Mandarin’s story was a serialized happening, scattered throughout home video releases of Marvel Studios titles? Instead of just being a juicy tease for a massive retcon of Iron Man 3, it could be an entire story that adapts the character closer to the comics.


Or, say the idea of telling the stories of jailed villains caught on? You don’t need a full Iron Man movie to tell that story, or at least not to start off. You could bring back Justin Hammer, or the Vulture, or even Colonel Zemo for one short and round off their stories in captivity. Of course, were they popular enough, there would always be the chance to expand further.




One Shots Help Test The Popularity Of Potential Concepts And Characters


Peggy Carter of the Captain America series is the best example of how testing the popularity of a character before launching them into greater things can work perfectly in the One Shot laboratory. While she was pretty beloved in Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as her guest appearances on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., her One Shot short Agent Carter provided the best piggyback for her character to jump into her own TV series.


Again, the foundation was laid out in a short that, at the very least, would have stoked fan support for the character. But at the most, you find the people that really get the fans riled up and ready to come back to the fold, which indicates that it’s a good time to jump back into TV and Movies with said character.


The Marvel Comics universe is so vast that no one is a guaranteed hit, so using One Shots as the test kitchen to cook up further adventures of side characters that are primed for a spinoff makes a lot of sense. If Inhumans had been a One Shot rather than an expensive theatrical event/season of TV, Marvel’s approach to the material, as well as the viability of the property itself, could have been tested in a less costly manner.




The Shorts Are A Nice Extra To Tide Fans Over Between Films


While Marvel Studios seems pretty set with its three-films-a-year layout, they tend to be front-loaded into the earlier part of the year. In 2019, March, April, and July all see the release of an entry into the MCU, leaving the rest of the year untouched except for home video releases.


Should those three films have additional One Shot content on each of those shelf loving physical copies, fans would have at least three more times to get excited about a new gem of information or a new character to fall in love with. It would basically be giving fans extra content in the off season.


Why should the comic movie fan be content with merely switching to another comic company’s films, when Marvel can keep its name in everyone’s minds with fresh supplies of events and characters? And what about the die hards who don’t even touch the competition? Those true believers deserve something extra for this devotion, in my opinion. Besides, it’s not like there’s a shortage of ideas in the One Shot canon.




There Are Already Unused One Shot Scripts That Can Be Made


It has been mentioned on multiple occasions that there were One Shot scripts that simply never got made, post 2014’s All Hail The King. Producer Kevin Feige, and even Marvel creative player Drew Pearce both talked about ideas that were laid out, but never executed for different reasons.


However, with Disney having more clout and position in the entertainment world to call its own shots, some reasons such as budget and effort could theoretically be overcome quite easily. While this isn’t a reason to advocate spending an obscene amount of money on a young Loki or Nick Fury short, it’s also a call to move past such limitations.


Should Marvel spend more money on the studio’s One Shot projects, that would mean that home video might not be the best or only home that those shorts should inhabit. If only there were a streaming platform that Disney owned, that could use such content to entice subscribers.




One Shots Past And Future Could Be Great Disney+ Exclusives


Perhaps the greatest reason that Disney and Marvel should resurrect the One Shot initiative is, quite simply, that Disney+ needs content. While the What If animated series, as well as plenty other spin-offs of popular characters are coming to the platform, there’s so much more potential here.


This new streaming home could take all of the lessons learned above, and turn them into gold. With Loki already getting a spin-off series, the problem of cost involving any Asgardian shorts is solved. Just use the assets already provided with that series.


Think Agent Carter is worth another spin? Make a short that shows us what Season 3 would have looked like, and see where the public lands! Having merely the test shorts of such concepts on Disney+ would be enough to start winning those hungry for more Marvel, all the time. And if Chris Hemsworth wants a TV show between Thor and his human roommate Darryl, you can practically chalk that success up to the unofficial success of the One Shots that was Team Darryl!




There is a tremendous opportunity to expand the depth and scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the redeployment of the One Shots. All that has to happen is for the studio to see the possibilities, and make them happen in reality. For now, we may have to content ourselves with other longform streaming projects.


Which means it’s time for you True Believers, you Marvelous Mavens, to take a poll below and let your voices be heard. Do you want more One Shots, or do you think their day has come and gone? Vote and decide, and don’t forget to explain your choice in the comments below.


In the meantime, Avengers: Endgame will be upon us in early showings on April 25th, so there’s still time to cram a very specific MCU catch up session into your schedule.




Sunday, October 27, 2019

Iron Man 3 Star Reveals What Harley Was Thinking In Avengers: Endgame Funeral Scene

Iron Man 3 Star Reveals What Harley Was Thinking In Avengers: Endgame Funeral Scene
Iron Man 3 Harley Keener

Almost every MCU character that you can think of appears in Avengers: Endgame, and perhaps the most star-studded moment in the film is the funeral scene. Just about anybody who's anybody attends Tony Stark's funeral, but the one outlier is Harley Keener, aka The Kid From Iron Man 3. Ty Simpkins reprised his role for the scene, which was a momentous occasion for the actor, who took his real-life love of Iron Man and used it to fuel his acting.


Audience members were likely surprised to see Harley in the funeral scene, but even Ty Simpkins was surprised to get the call. He recently talked about the moment he first got wind he was in consideration to appear in Endgame, and how Iron Man meant so much to him as a kid.



I was about to do an audition and my manager at the time called me and he said they were thinking about putting me in, and I was screaming so much in the car with my mom. My mom is like, 'What? What is it?' And I just didn’t tell her because it wasn’t confirmed. I didn’t want to jinx it or anything. [...] I got the call when I was waiting to go to baseball practice that they were confirming it, and I just remember — because they told me what the scene was about — tearing up and just feeling so nostalgic about everything. ... Iron Man [was] probably one of the first movies I saw in theaters. I was 6, sat in the front row and I was just looking up, and that’s all I can remember. Iron Man was so inspirational and just meant so much to me. That’s how I felt.





Originally, The Russo Bros. were concerned about having older teen Harley appear in that scene because barely anyone in the test audiences knew who he was. However, the directors figured that easter eggs like this were half the fun of the MCU and kept Harley in the scene. That's obviously good news for Ty Simpkins. He told HuffPost what filming the scene was like and what Harley was thinking about during the funeral.



I didn’t get a script, but [the directors] came up to me and were like just think about what Tony meant to you and how he impacted your character’s life and your life. So I just thought about what I said earlier, how Iron Man is very sentimental to me and how he felt to Harley. I imagine Tony was really Harley’s only father figure and that they would’ve stayed in touch over the years. I just kind of took that sentimental part of my real life and Harley’s life into the scene.



Ty Simpkins, now 17, said he and Robert Downey Jr. have kept in touch over the years, and they texted after it was revealed that Ty would be part of Endgame, so it felt nice to be included again for RDJ's final goodbye.




Ultimately, Harley does feel like a pretty random inclusion for the scene, seeing as how he has never been mentioned once since he debuted in Iron Man 3. This has led some fans to speculate that Marvel is setting Harley up for future appearances, possibly as a new Iron Man-type hero or being in a Young Avengers-style team-up movie. Here's what Ty Simpkins had to say about that possibility:



I mean, I’d love that. I have no idea if it would happen, but I love that.



I'm not sure what the future holds for Harley in the MCU, but stick with CinemaBlend and we will keep you updated.




Brightburn Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Think

Brightburn Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Think
Jackson A. Dunn in Brightburn

The last several years have been good to superhero movies and horror movies, as those genres have delivered many cinematic offerings that have been met with critical and/or commercial success. This weekend, the two genres are being merged together for Brightburn, the twisted, R-rated story during by David Yarovesky and produced by James Gunn that shows what would happen if a Superman-like figure became a force for evil, using superpowers like super strength, flight and heat vision to wreak havoc on humanity.


With Brightburn only days away from release, reviews for the movie have started coming in, and it looks like it’s fallen into mixed territory, with some appreciating the story and others being underwhelmed by it. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg gave Brightburn 4 out of 5 stars in his review, saying that it’s not filled with “big, complex contemplations,” but nonetheless succeeds in delivering a number of “fantastic shudder/scream-inducing sequences” and boasting a great cast.



Brightburn is ultimately a fine example of high-concept storytelling: taking an easily digestible idea, and exploring it to its full potential in compelling and entertaining fashion.





io9’s Germain Lussier wasn’t as kind towards Brightburn, writing in his review that although he would have watched a sequel right after Brightburn concluded, overall it’s a “poorly told story.” While Brightburn works within the horror genre structure in how it shows the young Brandon Beyer giving in to his dark impulses and some of the later payoffs and reveals are “satisfying,” the movie as a whole suffered from poor execution, which Lussier speculates might have been fixed had James Gunn directed.



Alas, Brightburn is a competent movie crafted out of incredible ideas. It’s gross, interesting, scary, and has fascinating mythology, all of which would be so much better if nearly all of it wasn’t delivered in such an obtuse way. Still, this is a story worth telling with characters we’d love to see again. Maybe next time, though, with a bit more care taken as to how the story is presented.



Back on the more positive end of the spectrum, Witney Seibold from IGN awarded Brightburn a 7.1 out of 10 score. Seibold noted that many of us have similarly deconstructed Superman, which might make the movie feel “weirdly familiar,” and that rather than providing dark commentary on how power corrupts, Brightburn plays out like a standard slasher, making for a “perfectly entertaining” experience.





… A wickedly fun little horror flick with enough gore and superhero lore to keep fans of both satisfied.



Conversely, The Wrap’s Robert Abele was disappointed by Brightburn, saying that its idea of showing an evil Superman isn’t enough to sustain an entire movie and will not please “either horror aficionados or even a caped-crusader fandom hungry for variations on the theme.” The main character is unremarkable and there's little weight to the actions his parents take when trying to stop his rampage.



But while we can perhaps be grateful that the superficiality of “Brightburn” probably kept it from opting to exploit elements of disturbed-kid narratives that have been all too common in our more tragic news stories, what remains is still never terribly entertaining as either popcorn or a bent take on superhero myths.





Chris Evangelista from Slashfilm was more receptive towards Brightburn, stamping a 7.5 out of 10 score on it and calling it a “bleak, brutal subversion of the Superman mythos” that works. As mentioned earlier, this isn’t a story where redemption is on the table, and Evangelista notes that there a “nihilistic streak” that reminded him of the Rob Zombie Halloween remake. While Elizabeth Banks’ part is “disappointingly underwritten,” it’s David Yarovesky’s direction that keeps Brightburn “flying high.”



Nasty is indeed the name of the game here – Brightburn is cold and unflinching, fully committed to unsettling its audience. It’s the type of movie that will make you thank your lucky stars that superheroes don’t really exist.



The AV Club’s Jesse Hassenger was among those underwhelmed by Brightburn, giving it a C- grade. In Hassenger’s opinion, the movie doesn’t have a “modicum of wit or insight on its human side,” resulting in Brandon’s parents being terribly predictable, and Brandon himself fails to be interesting. Ultimately, Hassenger saw Brightburn primarily as a dunk on Zack Snyder’s depiction of Superman in the DC Extended Universe.





For such a specific, clever-on-paper idea, Brightburn follows a shockingly predictable turn of events, possibly because it has few reference points beyond other pop-culture stories.



Finally, William Bibbiani from Bloody Disgusting bestowed Brightburn a 3.5 out of 5 score, calling it a “exceedingly clever genre mash-up,” albeit a gross one, both literally and figuratively. The movie also doesn’t feel quite “genuine,” and it’s Brandon’s parents that infuse a sense of humanity in the proceedings, but Bibbiani concludes that after watching Brightburn, you’ll be left wanting more, signifying franchise potential.



The film is, in the end, mostly just an ambitious slasher movie about a monster modeled loosely on Superman, and on that level it’s certainly a success. David Yarovesky makes an impressive impression with a film that walks a fine line between wry pop culture commentary and genuine terror, the cast is great and – perhaps most important of all – it leaves you wanting more. Much more. Sequels and sequels after sequels.





These are just some of the reviews out for Brightburn, so feel free to venture into other corners of the internet find out what other critics are saying. Overall, it sounds like Brightburn won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but there are at least a scattering of moments for comic book and/or horror fans to enjoy.


Brightburn’s main cast includes Jackson A. Dunn, Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner, Steve Agee and Becky Wahlstrom. The movie is already playing in various territories worldwide, but it’ll have some competition this weekend in the form of Disney’s live action Aladdin remake and the Olivia Wilde-directed Booksmart.


You can judge Brightburn for yourself starting this Friday, May 24, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more coverage on the movie. In the meantime, you can plan your visits to the theater for the rest of the year accordingly by checking out our 2019 release schedule.