This Clayface movie review was always going to be personal.

When I watched the Clayface trailers months ago, I already knew I was going to like this movie. It wasn’t because it had anything to do with it being a DC character or even the wider cinematic universe they have been trying so badly build. I could already sense from the trailer that this movie was going to be very personal to me.

The reason I say this is that I, too, have gone through a similar phase when my face was distorted beyond recognition. And it still is. Everything I saw in the trailer convinced me that this movie was going to rip me apart in many different ways.

I have always been interested in villains’ stories. Clayface is one such villain I remember from watching Batman: The Animated Series while growing up. He nestled in my heart and stayed there because of how sorry I felt for him.

I was always a big Batman fan. As a kid, I would generally be rooting for Batman. But there was always this sense of empathy towards a villain who had become a puppet in the hands of fate.

Clayface Movie Review: A Story That Felt Personal

Watching Clayface was difficult because of the similarities it echoed in my own world. I, too, felt that I had a great life when everything was fine and my face looked normal. Then came the tragedy that took that away, and I could no longer be the same.

I left no stone unturned to make things right. Watching Matt Hagen’s character, portrayed brilliantly by Tom Rhys Harries, I couldn’t help empathising with someone who was ready to do anything to get back the face he once had.

Making him a movie star adds another emotional layer. In that business, his face means everything. It is the face that sells. When something unfathomable takes it away, his whole world comes spiralling down.

The protagonist then has only one thing on his mind after the tragedy: How do I set it right? How do I make everything right?

Those were my thoughts, too. The restlessness in his heart mirrored mine during a similar phase. Director James Watkins makes sure we feel every bit of it. We constantly feel sorry for this actor, who never asked for any of this but was punished nevertheless.

Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini’s screenplay does justice to a DC character who has always felt close to my heart. It isn’t what he ends up becoming that draws me to him. It is the circumstances that turn him into this person, this villain.

Chemistry and Screenplay

The movie resonated with me on so many levels, including the emotional connection between Matt and Dr Caitlyn Corr, played by Naomi Ackie. She is doing everything in her power to make things right for him. In the process, Matt falls in love with her, even though she is already seeing someone.

Spoilers ahead, including discussion of the ending.

There are so many poignant moments that make you feel so much in such little time. The screenplay turns words into brilliant thoughts, including the line:

Clayface movie review: Matt Hagen and Dr Caitlyn Corr in an official film still

“It’s just skin. It’s just a small part of who we are.”
Matt Hagen · Clayface (2026)

Promotional still: DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures. Matt Hagen’s dialogue accompanies a still of Matt and Caitlyn.

The chemistry between the two actors is very tangible, with Harries doing much of the heavy lifting.

Clayface Movie Review: A Performance That Stays With You

You can sense why the lead actor was perfect for the role. He simply slays it. He is a very talented actor, and the way he wears this skin almost contradicts the story, in which he is shedding it. Even that is performed so impeccably that it is going to stay with you for a really long time.

There is a lot of gore in the movie, which might be upsetting for viewers who are sensitive to graphic violence. But I think those moments were necessary. They feel deeply personal because you are living through Matt Hagen’s experience and feeling everything he is feeling firsthand.

Without the blood, I don’t think we would react as strongly. It would be harder to feel the distress and mental breakdown that Matt is going through.

Clayface Movie Review: Transformation and Vengeance

Some of the most powerful parts are the resurrection and the scenes in the middle, where Matt gets back the face he has always wanted. At the same time, he begins discovering everything that is going wrong with his body. He is wearing this new form almost like a power, even as it starts to betray him.

His acts of vengeance feel very satisfying, despite this being a villain’s arc. Watching him get justice, even in such theatrical ways, gives you a sense of relief, as though justice has finally truly been meted out, like God aligning things to make it all appear poetic justice.

Those revenge sequences are among the film’s most iconic scenes. Each one is unique, something you will be talking about with your friends in days to come. The inventiveness of the ways he takes down his enemies deserves credit.

There is one scene in which Matt is dancing in a crowd and seems to dictate the flow of the dance simply by being there. Watching him perform like that is pretty cool. It is almost as though he is luring his prey into this cosmos of chaos.

Love Beneath the Clay

We already have some idea of how the movie will end because we know the titular character. Even so, the writing and direction make him feel powerful, particularly in the way they show how deeply love affects him.

The final scene shows why he has to remain hidden. He cannot be with the woman he loves after what he has done and after what she has done to him. Yet he still cannot let go of her.

Now that he has become this clay figure, he can even conjure up her likeness to keep feeling what he has always felt for her. That is an interesting and painful angle to leave us with.

The film also gives us the idea that an electric shock helps give his body its final, distorted form. The shock from the Taser at the end leaves him in a very different, disfigured shape; from there, there is no return, and now he is compelled to walk through the hidden valley of shame and perennial discontent.

You can see how this has been done for the wider universe. There are so many possibilities for what could happen when he eventually meets Batman in a future story.

The Final Verdict

For me, Clayface will always remain a villain who is very close to my heart. I am going to cherish him because his arc feels deeply personal, especially the injustice that is meted out by the hands of fate.

Watching him go through that trauma, I could sense my PTSD kicking in. Having to watch this character endure all of it made the experience feel very close to home.

Its performance, writing and deeply personal emotional impact are what stay with me.

For another horror film whose relationship themes stayed with me, read my Obsession review.