Scott, I had to wear shades for this film as it was too bright for me.

We’re introduced to Kyle and Tori Breyer (David Denman, Elizabeth Banks) who are a rural couple trying to start a family. One day, a meteor crash lands in their backyard and they find an infant inside. We flash forward 10 years and young Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) is a happy lad trying to get along in grade school. His parents are loving and attentive, and yet something seems to be troubling our young hero. He can’t seem to gain the affections of a young girl in his class and he’s becoming increasingly petulant with his parents.

Scott, this is obviously a different take on the Superman story, asking the question, “What if Superman were evil instead of good?” The parallels to the Superman mythology are clear and clearly not accidental. There are also echoes of other “child monster” movies like The Omen and Pet Sematary. Tori believes there is good in her child and tries to protect him, while Kyle quickly realizes that Brandon is not of this Earth and needs to be destroyed. Ultimately, Tori comes around and tries to destroy Brandon, but it’s too late. Brandon destroys her, too.

Brandon is a clear anti-hero (albeit not one that we like) in that he is a villainous character who is the lead in the story. By the end of the movie he has not realized the error of his ways, but (through a montage of news video reports) is increasing in power and also increasing the scope of his destruction. This seems to prep for sequel films – perhaps films in which mankind tries to destroy the young super-villain.

I have a much more positive view of Brightburn than you do, Scott. I think this is a compelling exploration of a theme you and I have talked about in the past – the difference between the Hero’s Journey and the Villain’s Journey. The hero faces a devastating failure or missing inner quality and deals with it – overcoming that lack of something allows the hero to move down the “good path.” However, the villain never does overcome this lack. In never overcoming it, the villain’s pain festers and causes him to lash out and become a destructive force.

I enjoyed Brightburn as a counter-story to the Superman myth. Many people have wondered what would happen if Superman had been raised by immoral people instead of the kindly Kents. In fact, there are several incarnations of the Superman comic book that allow Superman to wander down the dark path – even a whole character named Bizarro who is Superman’s evil counterpart. While there were no real surprises here, I constantly hoped that Tori would find the good in Brandon and “turn him to the light side.” Or, that she would have the wherewithal to finally kill Brandon with a piece of the ship that he was brought to Earth in (Brandon’s Kryptonite). In the end, this is, for me, a complete Villain’s Journey and origin story for the villain. I didn’t feel the need for a complementary “hero” to rise to face Brando. I give Brightburn 3 out of 5 Reels.

I won’t rate Brandon on the usual hero scale, as he’s an anti-hero (as we define the anti-hero in our book Reel Heroes & Villains). He’s a villainous character who happens to be the main character of the story. If Brandon had seen the error of his ways, we might have called him a redeemed hero. Or if he had been killed, we might have called him a fallen villain or even a tragic hero. But, by the end of the story, he kills everyone in sight and is becoming ever more villainous. He gets negative 4 Heroes out of 5.

Like you, Scott, I feel the message isn’t clear – and that’s fine as it isn’t really a “message movie”. Brightburn is a “what if” counter-example movie on a popular trope. Still, if I were pressed at gunpoint, I might argue that (like we found in The Intruder) we should “trust our gut” when we see something is wrong. Sometimes our vision is clouded by love or by the need for love. I give Brightburn just 2 Message points out of 5.