This pathetic movie bills itself as "Superman gone Bad." And when I heard that tagline I was intrigued enough to buy a ticket - something I now regret.
Because this isn't a bad Superman - it's just a bad movie.
Here's the entire plot: A mindless orgy of hyperviolence and grisly murder by an alien child with superpowers. That's it. You now know the entire movie.
There is no backstory, no explanation for the child's homicidal mania. He's just a crazy superpowered murder-machine. The director has no need for story. Instead, he's content to maximize blood & gore - taking great pleasure in depicting each murder with excessive detail. Amplified sounds of crushing bones, bodies suddenly blasted to pieces, close up shots of glass chunks jamming into eyeballs, death-ray vision blowing holes in people's heads.
My advice is to skip this movie entirely and instead watch the terrific 1956 film "The Bad Seed." It's also about a murderous child, but is told skillfully and persuasively - and was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. You might also check out Episode 73 of "The Twilight Zone" (1961). Titled "It's a Good Life," it is a compelling glimpse into the mind of an impulsive 6-year-old child with deadly superpowers. It stars Billy Mumy as the awful child, and Cloris Leachman & John Larch as his very frightened parents. Unfortunately the director of "Brightburn" never saw either of these two excellent productions - because if he had, he would have quickly realized he needed to include a story . . . .
Here's the entire plot: A mindless orgy of hyperviolence and grisly murder by an alien child with superpowers. That's it. You now know the entire movie.
There is no backstory, no explanation for the child's homicidal mania. He's just a crazy superpowered murder-machine. The director has no need for story. Instead, he's content to maximize blood & gore - taking great pleasure in depicting each murder with excessive detail. Amplified sounds of crushing bones, bodies suddenly blasted to pieces, close up shots of glass chunks jamming into eyeballs, death-ray vision blowing holes in people's heads.
My advice is to skip this movie entirely and instead watch the terrific 1956 film "The Bad Seed." It's also about a murderous child, but is told skillfully and persuasively - and was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. You might also check out Episode 73 of "The Twilight Zone" (1961). Titled "It's a Good Life," it is a compelling glimpse into the mind of an impulsive 6-year-old child with deadly superpowers. It stars Billy Mumy as the awful child, and Cloris Leachman & John Larch as his very frightened parents. Unfortunately the director of "Brightburn" never saw either of these two excellent productions - because if he had, he would have quickly realized he needed to include a story . . . .