An alien that looks like a human boy uses its powers in sinister and destructive ways.An alien that looks like a human boy uses its powers in sinister and destructive ways.An alien that looks like a human boy uses its powers in sinister and destructive ways.
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- 1 win & 2 nominations total
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Featured reviews
There's not much else to say. The concept of this movie is very interesting. Unfortunately, the acting and the story leave much to be desired. I really wanted to like this movie more because the plot descriptions are so cool.
I wish they had put more effort into this movie. It could have been great.
I wish they had put more effort into this movie. It could have been great.
Tori and Kyle Breyer are a young couple living in Brightburn, a small town in Kansas. They long for a child but are unable to conceive. Then one night a craft crashes in the woods; in it Tori finds a baby boy. They see it as a gift, name him Brandon and raise him as their adopted son. He seems fairly normal apart from being exceptionally intelligent; then, as he reaches puberty he starts to change. He gradually becomes much stronger and develops superpowers; powers which he tries to hide from his parents. Occasionally they become obvious and anybody who crosses him or discovers his secret is in real danger... and if he isn't stopped the rest of the world might be too.
This film is a fun mix of a superhero and horror genres. It starts at a fairly gentle pace but once it becomes apparent that Brandon isn't like other children the horror elements kick in. There aren't a lot of deaths but those that there are, are surprisingly gory. The idea of having somebody with superpowers who has no intention of helping anybody, has zero concern for others and a willingness to kill makes a nice change from those films centred on all the do-gooding superheroes. The way Brandon discovered his powers and quickly started to abuse them was handled well enough although it might have been good to have a couple of off screen incidents before showing us his darker side so it wasn't obvious he was bad so soon... that is a minor quibble though. The special effects are pretty good; making the gory scenes disturbingly impressive. The actors do a fine job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of horror and superheroes... it could almost be an origin story for a new character in TV series 'The Boys'.
This film is a fun mix of a superhero and horror genres. It starts at a fairly gentle pace but once it becomes apparent that Brandon isn't like other children the horror elements kick in. There aren't a lot of deaths but those that there are, are surprisingly gory. The idea of having somebody with superpowers who has no intention of helping anybody, has zero concern for others and a willingness to kill makes a nice change from those films centred on all the do-gooding superheroes. The way Brandon discovered his powers and quickly started to abuse them was handled well enough although it might have been good to have a couple of off screen incidents before showing us his darker side so it wasn't obvious he was bad so soon... that is a minor quibble though. The special effects are pretty good; making the gory scenes disturbingly impressive. The actors do a fine job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of horror and superheroes... it could almost be an origin story for a new character in TV series 'The Boys'.
I must admit, I wasn't sure at first what to take from the trailer when I originally watched it, but I must admit the result was pleasantly surprising. As with any film, and any review, everything gets a mixed bag, some will expect more story, but this isn't a story you need more to explain, everyone knows the idea of an alien coming to earth, much like good old Superman, based on that concept alone you role with what bits of information you are given, much like the bee story, a hive, now with no spoiling any of the content, like with everything I'd say check the film out for yourself, form your own view, but don't expect a back story, as this film focus is on the what if. As always it's good to see good reviews and bad, always like to see how people take things home. Now I hope this helps, but with every review it is an opinion. Take care. And be forever watchful of those skies.
I almost didn't give this a shot. Have been considering watching the modern "Firestarter" movie. A reviewer on another site suggested that Brightburn was better. I don't watch trailers, as they tend to destroy movies (for me). I prefer a brief description, and perhaps the leading cast.
Camera/video effects were more than acceptable, acting was acceptable, the gore was a welcome surprise (lol), and the story was certainly more than engaging enough.
I'm not sure what I was expecting. I do prefer to go in fairly ignorant. At less than 90 minutes, it felt a little rushed. But for some, that might be the sweet spot for such a flick. I could definitely see watching this again. Probably in the near future! And I'm definitely interested in a sequel!
Camera/video effects were more than acceptable, acting was acceptable, the gore was a welcome surprise (lol), and the story was certainly more than engaging enough.
I'm not sure what I was expecting. I do prefer to go in fairly ignorant. At less than 90 minutes, it felt a little rushed. But for some, that might be the sweet spot for such a flick. I could definitely see watching this again. Probably in the near future! And I'm definitely interested in a sequel!
What would happen to the world if Superman was evil ? This film tries to explore this intriguing concept with mediocre outcome. They were able to provide some really chilling & gory scenes to project the horror, but lack of character development and a weak script, made me disengage from the film. Hopefully there may be other films which will try to explore the dark side of Superhero genre successfully, like Joker did.
Did you know
- TriviaThe middle school scenes were shot at the now-defunct Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia. This is the same location used for both Hawkins Middle and Hawkins High Schools in seasons 1 and 2 of Stranger Things (2016).
- GoofsIncorrectly regarded as a goof. Wild wolves did leave Kansas for a while, but have since started to return.
- Quotes
Brandon Breyer: Who am I?
Tori Breyer: You're our son.
Brandon Breyer: What is this? Where did I come from?
Tori Breyer: Listen, baby, I... I know it's been difficult for you lately, that you feel different from other kids. You *are* different. After your dad and I got married, we prayed for a baby for so long, to God, to the universe, to anyone that would listen. One night, one perfect night, someone listened.
- Crazy creditsSPOILER: There are a few short scenes during the first part of the end credits where news reports and a conspiracy theorist reveal there are other super beings, including a half-man/half-sea creature and a witch who chokes her victims with a rope.
- Alternate versionsThe UK version is cut in two scenes to reduce strong gory images in order to obtain a '15' rating.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movie Villains of 2019 (So Far) (2019)
- SoundtracksFireflies in a Steel Mill
Written by Blake Sennett (as Blake Sennett)
Performed by The Elected
Courtesy of Sub Pop Records
- How long is Brightburn?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Hijo de la oscuridad: Brightburn
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,300,439
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,845,658
- May 26, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $33,224,654
- Runtime
- 1h 30m(90 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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