By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 20, unless otherwise noted: Brightburn Details: 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, horror violence, bloody images, language The lowdown: The simplest way to describe “Brightburn” is as the anti-Superman. Basically, what would have happened if, instead of growing up to be the protector of mankind, the Man of Steel was its destroyer. The mythos of “Brightburn” follows a similar path as that of the last son of Krypton. A childless Kansas farm couple find a baby in a crashed spacecraft and raise the child as their own. But on his 12th birthday, the boy, Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), begins hearing voices emanating from the ship that brought him to Earth. Soon after, people begin to die. The problem with the movie is that it fails to stay its true course and veers into horror tropes — quick cuts, menacing music that announces every upcoming atrocity and people unexpectedly jumping into frame. That is too bad because, “Brighturn” had potential to tell an interesting story of nature vs. nurture. And despite strong audio and visual transfers, the movie is just a gimmick. Many critics agreed with that assessment, awarding the movie a tepid 57 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
New to View: Aug. 20
New to View: Aug. 20
New to View: Aug. 20
By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Aug. 20, unless otherwise noted: Brightburn Details: 2019, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, horror violence, bloody images, language The lowdown: The simplest way to describe “Brightburn” is as the anti-Superman. Basically, what would have happened if, instead of growing up to be the protector of mankind, the Man of Steel was its destroyer. The mythos of “Brightburn” follows a similar path as that of the last son of Krypton. A childless Kansas farm couple find a baby in a crashed spacecraft and raise the child as their own. But on his 12th birthday, the boy, Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn), begins hearing voices emanating from the ship that brought him to Earth. Soon after, people begin to die. The problem with the movie is that it fails to stay its true course and veers into horror tropes — quick cuts, menacing music that announces every upcoming atrocity and people unexpectedly jumping into frame. That is too bad because, “Brighturn” had potential to tell an interesting story of nature vs. nurture. And despite strong audio and visual transfers, the movie is just a gimmick. Many critics agreed with that assessment, awarding the movie a tepid 57 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.