Brightburn

It leans heavily on jump scares and creeps before engaging with its premise, but when it does it's as chilling as Superman's freezing breath.

A cure for superhero movie fatigue, this lean, gory horror film...has a coherent narrative and pays off with a bang.

If the filmmakers had a modicum of curiosity about the implications of their own idea, the movie might have had something interesting to say.

Brightburn can at least boast an interesting premise - not that it does anything with it.

Although Brightburn's final seconds hint at James' more finely attuned cinematic sensibilities the film is not nearly as strong as its villain. It is, however, just as immature.

The premise is intriguing, but this gruesome origin story plays like just another slasher film with idiots for victims.

The film has some very effective moments, some solid performances, a good idea, but an execution that does not live up to the idea.

Despite its simplicity, Brightburn's premise is filled with potential, but it struggles to find anything meaningful to say.

The conceit works brilliantly until, in the closing 20 minutes, it clatters disappointingly into a fatal uncertainty.

Brightburn takes a cool premise and executes it in a blackly fun but nihilistic manner.