The Corner Penthouse

Brightburn is genre-bending horror/superhero film. Is it any good? Read on to find out...


Brightburn posits the question: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With that line of thought, the film creates a radical new genre - superhero horror - by telling the tale of 12-year-old Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn), an alien boy who was adopted by loving parents Tori (Elizabeth Banks) and Kyle Breyer (David Denman) after his spaceship crash-landed in Kansas near their rural home.


If that synopsis sounds like a reverse Superman, that's because it is. Brightburn takes the Superman origin story and shows what happens if Kal-El decided to "go into business for himself" instead of using his powers for the good of all mankind. Suffice to say, what happens is not good for humanity, especially when they're at the mercy of the whims of a child. Think of Anthony Fremont from the classic Twilight Zone episode "It's A Good Life", only taken to more vicious extremes. Oh, and extreme it is. There are gruesome special effects that will delight gore hounds, with glass placed in an eye, a severed jaw, and stuff even worse than that. An enjoyable film from start to finish, and I hope they make a sequel.


Brightburn is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:30:25. Audio languages include English, English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. The film includes English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.


All of the bonus features that can be found on the disc are also on the Blu-ray and 4K releases. Yeah, I'm surprised that the DVD did not get the short end of the stick, as it usually does.

• Audio Commentary - With director David Yarovesky, director of photography Michael Dallatorre, and costume designer Autumn Steed.
• Nature vs Nurture (5:05) - A discussion of our new anti-hero, Brandon Breyer.
• Hero-Horror! (4:46) - The filmmakers talk about combining the Horror and Superhero genres.
• Quick Burns Social Vignettes (2:41) - The cast and crew promote the film. Includes "Elizabeth Banks" (0:38), "James Gunn" (1:12), and "David Yarovesky" (0:56).

Brightburn is available on 4K/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, and individual DVD.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film. This item has been provided by Sony Home Entertainment for review on this site.