So with that said, having gone into this movie knowing beforehand that it was receiving mixed reviews, with all the usual online noise around production budgets and whether it was going to be a flop, I went in expecting nothing and kept an open mind. And honestly? I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it. Let me explain.
The Plot Breakdown
Matt Hagen is a humble actor who has worked his entire life to get to where he is: a respected performer on the verge of receiving his first Oscar after landing a nomination. During a night out, a woman approaches Matt, and while the attraction is there, that night of passion takes a dark turn and leaves his face completely disfigured.
After undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries with little success, Matt learns of an experimental scientific procedure offered by a scientist named Caitlyn Corr. It hasn’t cleared human trials yet, but desperate to salvage his life and career, he proceeds with it anyway. While the trial initially seems to be a success, things quickly start to go wrong. But as his body begins to mutate, Matt realises he has gained unique abilities—and he immediately sets out on a path of revenge.
The Verdict
Like I said, I went into this with an open mind, expecting a mediocre movie at best. I fully thought I’d walk out thinking, "Yeah, I didn't like that," or at most, "You know what? It was ok—not bad, but just ok." However, by the time the credits rolled, I walked away thinking, "You know what? I really enjoyed that."
The acting wasn't anything to write home about, but a lot of that comes down to the script and the overall direction they decided to take. I mean, if you want Shakespeare, you write Shakespeare, do you know what I mean? It actually reminded me a bit of the recent Street Fighter movie situation: if you don't have deeply developed characters, a massive storyline, or top-tier dialogue, what else do you have to entertain the masses? In Street Fighter's case, it was the nostalgia, the character roster, and the signature moves. In Clayface, it strikes a "good enough" balance across the board.
The storyline and motivations are nothing new—expected, even—but aren't all revenge quests fundamentally the same? The acting is serviceable because you can only do so much with what you're given. What they had wasn't amazing, but it did more than enough to get me on board.
The dynamic between Naomi Ackie and Tom Rhys Harries was just ok. It didn't feel like they had great chemistry, though that may have been a deliberate choice given the direction of the movie and characters. It didn't feel overly forced, but considering the type of character they were pushing into the narrative, I was expecting a little bit more payoff. There’s even a moment towards the end where I genuinely said to myself, "Yeah, we didn't need that," though as the scene played out, what they actually pulled off was pretty cool.
As for the rest of the cast, everyone was serviceable to varying degrees—especially the main antagonist. He was a little lame, but I guess not every villain can be a Thanos, a Killmonger, or The Penguin. At the end of the day, he was just a street criminal with a bit of sway in the city—nothing more, nothing less.
Where the film surprised me was in the special effects department. They were used sparingly, with a heavy emphasis on practical work. If I'm being honest, seeing the subtle shifts in his skin—like when his eye starts to slowly droop—was masterfully done. It was gradual, slow-moving, and worked a treat. It didn't even look like digital effects, if that makes sense.
The shape-shifting into other people was handled through clever, blink-and-you'll-miss-it practical body swaps. There’s one scene in a nightclub near the end that was executed brilliantly and got a genuine laugh out of me. While a part of me would have liked a bit more flashy spectacle, what they did do worked successfully, so I couldn't be mad at it.
On the topic of practical effects, I will say the body-horror element wasn't actually that scary—even during the airplane sequence. The film relies heavily on atmospheric dread, leading your mind to imagine the worst, but I never felt the need to look away or turn my head during any of it, which was unexpected.
I can't recall much of the score, so the music didn't particularly stand out, but what kept me hooked throughout was the core storytelling. I genuinely wanted to see how far Matt would take things and how many different people he could transform into on his rampage. Plus, there’s definitely an element of feeling sorry for the guy at first, even though the film makes it very clear he isn't built to be a classic anti-hero.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Clayface turned out to be much better than I anticipated (which, again, was non-existent going in). Honestly, this is how you handle a villain origin story correctly. We don't always need him to be a misunderstood anti-hero or a good person turned bad just so the audience has someone to root for. He’s simply an actor hell-bent on preserving his career by any means necessary, who gains terrifying abilities and uses them to go on a killing spree.
I can imagine plenty of people in the real world doing something similar if they were put in his position—but with that said, there's always a line, you know? And Matt Hagen skips right past it.
