What if a child from another world crashed on Earth, but instead of becoming a savior to mankind, he became something far more evil? This question is answered in the 2019 movie, “Brightburn,” which follows 12-year-old Brandon Breyer and his adoptive parents, Tori and Kyle, who found and raised Brandon after he crash-landed on their farm in Brightburn, Kansas.
Written by Brian and Mark Gunn, and directed by David Yarovesky, the film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the horror elements, gore, and concept, but criticized its writing and pacing, feeling that the film did not deliver on the full potential of its premise.
I agree with some of these critic’s claims, as the movie had very good actors such as Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jackson A. Dunn as Brandon’s parents and Brandon respectively. These actors do the best that they can with the writing that they were given, but some of the decisions that Elizabeth Banks’ character makes cause some confusion. It takes away from the movie as these actions are very ignorant of previous things that have been established in the movie. David Denman’s acting is very good in the movie as Brandon’s father, and he is probably the most reasonable character in the movie, showing his love for Brandon, but also his concern of his supernatural powers. Jackson A. Dunn’s performance of Brandon is eerily good, being able to portray the power that his character possesses, and also being able to give off the creepy vibes that would come with a child of his age that lacks remorse.
The horror and gore elements of the movie were also very well done. Tension is built up easily which creates effective jumpscares that are predictable but scare the audience nonetheless. There are scenes with very intense gore, such as glass shards in someone’s eye, and someone’s head being fried with laser beams. These effects were done with CGI which is pretty good throughout the movie but in some instances is very obvious.
Despite these elements, there are many places where the movie lacks: plot holes, background, and missing full potential. The movie barely goes into the background of Brandon or his family, so it is hard for the viewer to really care for them and worry for the safety of the characters. Brandon’s full powers are also very convoluted throughout the movie, as he just does things that somewhat contradict themselves based on what has happened previously. This leaves the audience wondering about Brandon’s true powers, as well as where he came from. His origins are barely touched on, other than the few times his alien pod was shown.
Overall, “Brightburn” was a fairly good movie that was limited by a few missed opportunities. Hopefully, with the promise of a sequel, they capitalize on critiques, make the movie better. and expand on the universe of the film.
