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History has shown that people will always flock to their local multiplex to check out a high concept horror movie, and the superhero genre remains the single most popular and bankable form of cinema. Naturally, then, expectations were high when the two were combined for low budget “evil Superman” story Brightburn, especially when R-rated maestro and Marvel veteran James Gunn’s name was slapped all over the marketing as producer.
The film was indeed a hugely profitable enterprise, earning almost $33 million at the box office on a minuscule budget, even if the critical reception was a lot less enthusiastic than that of the general public. A 57 percent Rotten Tomatoes score was fine by the standards of horror, but a 67 percent user rating indicated that it found much more favor among genre aficionados, and that’s without even mentioning the long-lasting life Brightburn found on streaming.
It’s a hell of a hook, as well as an incredibly simple one, so much so that it’s amazing nobody thought of it before. Dancing around copyright infringement with the greatest of ease, young Brandon is taken in by adoptive parents when his spacecraft crashes onto their property in rural Kansas. So far, so Superman; except for the fact it becomes increasingly clear that he’s eeeeeeevil.
Based on the fact upwards of 150 users have opted to comment on the appreciation post thrown onto Reddit by a first-time Brightburn viewer, too, it’s clear that the dark and twisted tale of rogue superpowers and unbridled vengeance retains a stranglehold over its fandom.
The post-credits scenes even expanded the mythology to potentially set up a sequel, something a lot of people have been clamoring for ever since Brightburn first landed in May 2019. It may or may not end up happening, but the film is still more than capable of making an impact on the uninitiated.