Brightburn (2019) #471

What if Superman had been born evil? This simple premise is the foundation for the 2019 film "Brightburn", written by James Gunn's brother Brian and his cousin Mark, and directed by David Yarovesky. "Brightburn" stars Elizabeth Banks ("Slither") and David Denman, and special cameo but Michael Rooker.

Just like Superman, Brandon crashed landed on Earth and was found and adopted by Tori and Kyle Breyer, a young couple who couldn't have children of their own. They raise him well and he turns out to be a typical, awkward preteen. One night, Brandon wakes up and is drawn to the family barn, to where Tori and Kyle had hidden Brandon's ship. This is when his powers begin to manifest and he starts to realize that he isn't as limited as everyone else. Brandon is devastated when the girl who he has a crush on calls him a pervert, causing him to begin acting on his feelings. Later, when he does discover the ship hidden inside the barn, he becomes encouraged and begins chanting "Take the world". Kyle becomes suspicious of his son and only Tori believes that Brandon is still her innocent, little child.

Jackson A. Dunn is perfectly cast as Brandon, portraying him with all of the wonder of his new powers while having moments of conflict of what he should do compared to what he is learning that he can do. The transformation between innocent preteen to an unemphatic killer who sees himself as untouchable. Although he's developing his powers, Brandon is still just a 12 year old boy who is still learning on how to deal with his feelings. This is the tilt on what makes Brandon turn into Brightburn and Kent into Superman. 

The visuals for "Brightburn" as fantastic, including his outfit that he creates. It's simple, homemade, and utterly frightening. The special effects work well and the scenes are graphic and detailed. I love the scene where he flips a truck and examines his handiwork. I was impressed that the trailers for the film did not give away too much, leaving the context unspoiled while showing some of the action sequences. The music for the end credits is Billie Eilish"s aptly titled radio hit "Bad Guy".

The Belko Experiment (2017) #470

 

"The Belko Experiment" is an ultra violent, gore filled film written by James Gunn ("Slither" and "Guardians of the Galaxy), and directed by Greg McLean ("Wolf Creek"). The star studded cast includes John Gallagher Jr ("Hush" and "Cloverfield Lane"), Michael Rooker ("Slither"), John C. McGinley, and Sean Gunn. It had received mix reviews when it was first released but remains a favorite among genre enthusiasts. 

The film opens with everyone heading into work at the Bogota, Columbia branch of the Belko Industries. The office building is secluded from the rest of the city and is surrounded by fences and armed guards. This is all for the protection of the mostly American staff. All staff members receive a small tracking device that is planted near the base of the skull in case they fall victim to kidnapping or demand of ransom. For some odd reason, all of the guards are new and no one knows where the previous ones are. Once everyone has reported to work and their day begins, an unknown voice comes over the intercom speakers and announces that two employees must be killed or else there will be serious consequences. Panic ensues, people try to escape but they find themselves trapped in the building. When the time elapses and no one has been killed, four random employees die killed when their "trackers" detonate. Further instructions are given to kill or be killed, and the building fall into utter chaos.

The film explores the morality of what people would do in a situation like this, and how those who consider themselves in power prey on those without. In this case it's the management team and those who see their lives as more important that others who try to control the situation and decide who gets to live and who gets to die. It's a gut wrenching scenario to watch as the employees who are old, single, or who do not have kids are lined up to be executed. But not everything goes to plane because not everyone agrees with what the few have decided...

What makes this film interesting is watching those who don't want to follow the orders to kill. They try to find ways to escape, to cope and manage their stress, and try to fight back. Mike, played by John Gallagher Jr, tries to protect his girlfriend/coworker Leandra, ensure that no breaks into the gun locker, and tries to flag down help from the outside world. The people who are trying to do the right thing are the ones whose deaths come most shocking as the experiment comes to it's epic conclusion.

Slither (2006)

Watching the movie “Slither” had some unexpected challenges during my first viewing. First and foremost, I could not help comparing this film with one I saw many years ago called “Night of the Creeps”. It turns out I wasn’t the only one to think this as there was a small amount of controversy over the issue. Truth of the matter is that both films may sound similar but vary enough to be their own film.

Secondly, While I had high hopes for “Slither”, I was not expecting it to have such a dark comic side to it. When the scene where the town mob is hunting the “monster” because he’s been killing livestock, I had to turn the movie off and watch something else that night. When I came back to it and watched the second half, I was delighted by what I saw and I learned a valuable lesson; never expect anything. If I hadn’t finished the movie I would never have enjoyed how the dark comic moments really shine in the second half.

Before joining the Marvel team and directing and co-writer “Guardians of the Galaxy”, James Gunn’s directorial debut was the dark science fiction horror comedy “Slither”. Knowing more about him as an artist, as well as Michael Rooker as an actor, the film’s chemistry makes so much more sense. Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks round out this talented crew. The make up team and special effects should also receive kudos for the outstanding work they did in this film.

“Slither” is almost your classic tale of alien life form falling to earth and takes over the first human that comes stumbling along and quickly spreads. We’ve seen this in “The Blob” and “Creepshow” and “Alien” (sort of) and others. But what is different is how it multiplies and once the nest is released, the movie really gets going!

Favorite moment – A teenager is hiding in a truck while her possessed family is asking her to come out. One of her younger sisters, who standing next to the driver’s side door, looks and sounds really creepy. What is it with scary little girls???