The James Gunn-produced Brightburn might be the most important superhero film of the 2010s.
Brightburn isnt a superhero movie its a horror
Brightburnfeels like a DC Elseworlds story.
What would happen if Superman arrived on Earth, but he used his powers for evil rather than good?
Brightburn / Sony Pictures
They adopt the boy and name him Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn).
Instead of becoming the protector of humanity, he turns into the harbinger of death.
However, Yarovesky pointed out howBrightburnwasnt exactly what you would term a superhero horror.
Sony Pictures
Instead, it was a horror movie influenced by the zeitgeist of superheroes at the time.
Essentially, thats what any good horror movie should aim to do.
Again, think back to the landscape of 2019 and the superhero offerings at the time.
It was origin stories (Captain MarvelandShazam!
Everyone hit the theaters, because it was a comic book movie.
Despite the bright in its name, it was far from it.
A warning not heeded
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
It affected every person and industry.
As the world emerged from a masked-up haze, everything and everyone was changed by the event.
Plus, what was the point when you could stay in and watch bang-average movies on a streaming subscription?
The superhero genre suffered.
Unless it was a mega-blockbuster, people werent showing up for these flicks.
Yet, studios learned the wrong lesson from this.
They threw more money at the problem, believing bigger CGI and more nostalgia would attract the audience.
The diehards continue to show up; however, the oversaturation soured the wider audience.
After a while, how many times can you see the same ideas recycled and repurposed on screen?
Not many people paid attention, and now the genre is in further dire straits because of it.
Who would have thought thatBrightburnwould be the most important superhero movie of the 2010s and nobody noticed?
