Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

BrightBurn

also known as “Brajtbern,” “Brightburn - Filho das Trevas,” “Brightburn - O Filho do Mal,” “Brightburn: A lángoló fiú,” “Brightburn: Hijo de la oscuridad,” “Brightburn: L'enfant du mal,” “Brightburn: Son Of Darkness,” See more »
MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for horror violence/bloody images, and language.

Reviewed by: Pamela Karpelenia
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Very Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: • Young-Adults • Adults
Genre: Horror Sci-Fi
Length: 1 hr. 30 min.
Year of Release: 2019
USA Release: May 24, 2019 (wide—2,607 theaters)
DVD: August 20, 2019
Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainmentclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Relevant Issues

The anguish that may come with infertility

Violent, gory and vulgar movie content

Evil

Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment
aliens (extraterrestrials)

What does the Bible say about intelligent life on other planets? Answer

Are we alone in the universe? Answer

Does Scripture refer to life in space? Answer

Questions and answers about the origin of LIFE

Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment Copyright, Screen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Featuring Elizabeth BanksTori Breyer
Jackson A. DunnBrandon Breyer / Brightburn
David DenmanKyle Breyer
Jennifer Holland
Matt Jones … Noah
See all »
Director David Yarovesky
Producer The H Collective
Brian Gunn
Mark Gunn
Distributor Screen GemsScreen Gems, a division of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment

“Take the world”

What if Superman was evil? What if he swore to destroy people instead of protecting them? “Brightburn” poses these questions and attempts to answer them.

The film begins by panning over many books dealing with infertility. We soon see a couple attempting to try again to have a child, when a seemingly erratic earthquake occurs and the lights go out. The story fast-forwards 10 years to the couple with a child. We learn that he came from a spacecraft, and the adoptive mother and father (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) took the child and raised him as their own.

Everything seems perfect with this little family, but their son (played by Jackson A. Dunn) starts to behave uncharacteristically, and it’s causing concerns for his parents and others around him.

I found the acting to be mediocre and underwhelming. It appears that the actors relied a lot on the Superman angle and didn’t focus on the script at hand. They portray emotions based on what they expect the audience to feel aligned with the source material they’re trying to mimic. Consequently, the acting is flat and boring. There are no great performances; all are bland.

There are quite a few scary and gory scenes with graphic violence. There is also a lot of foul language, including blasphemy.

The film deals with mature themes, including infertility, the longing for a child, adoption to an extent, and pulling from the Superman-angle hero worship. Our society now has become obsessed with relative-truth, glorifying humans and ever-growing dog and animal worship. We have lost sight of our only Savior which is Jesus Christ. Act 4:12 says,

“…in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.”

I do not recommend “Brightburn,” the story is not fully developed and the objectionable content does not help the film’s plot or consistency.

  • Violence: Extreme— • various bloody scenes • murders • sketches of violent acts • dead bloody animals • girl struck with sharp broken glass in eye and face—pulls large glass shard out of eye slowly • jaw violently broken with gurgling after-effects • crushings • fall from great height • very impacts • collapsing building
  • Profane language: Very Heavy— • Oh J*sus f***ing Chr*st • Oh J*sus Chr*st • Oh Chr*st • J*sus • G*d d*mn (3) • G*d (6) • damn (4) • h*ll (3)
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Very Heavy— • f-words (20+) • s-words (19)—incl. “Stupid piece of sh*t,” “bullsh*t” • a** (2) • j*rk off • p*nis • p** • pervert
  • Nudity: Minor— • teenage boy in a towel • shirtless teen boy
  • Sex: Moderate— • foreplay of couple in bed, while talking about making a baby • reference to childhood sexual activity • kissing • mention of porn • father-son talk about puberty and being attracted to girl’s bodies • comments about masturbation
  • Occult: None

Learn about DISCERNMENT—wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Negative
Negative—While the what-if-Superman-were-evil concept was intriguing, at first, the movie quickly devolved into one of the most horrifyingly gory things I’ve ever seen. Unlike many war movies which show realistic injuries but quickly move on, the camera here lingers on each wound and scene of violence, essentially rubbing viewers faces in it. It practically revels in the evil of its main character. That fact—combined with the complaints of the reviewer above—form my deepest reason for not recommending this film.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2
Christina B., age 26 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics
…There’s some truly nasty stuff here—both violence-wise and in its outlook on evil…
Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times
…a meaningless mishmash of disparate genre elements… The way the film shuttles through its 90 minutes, it’s as if it’s been stripped of its most crucial narrative parts… a spectacle of violence that exists for its own soulless sake… [1/4]
Ed Gonzalez, Slant magazine
…the soul of an ’80s slasher film… Let’s hope “Brightburn” is not the beginning of a trend toward superhero horror stories. If such a thing were to happen, it would confirm the darkest suspicions surrounding the superhero genre as a whole, that there’s nothing idealistic at the heart of it; that it’s really just a way for audiences to channel their hostility and enjoy spectacles of destruction…
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
…a body-count-style horror movie… A machine to deliver gore and violence… even if you watch “Brightburn” knowing that it doesn’t have much going for it beyond a few disturbing kill scenes, you will still be disappointed… [1]
Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com
…The movie has nary a thought in its red-hooded head, only a lot of blood…
Oliver Jones, Observer (NYC)
…labored, derivative narrative… giddy sadism (it gets off on Brandon’s adolescent power trip, and expects its audience to do the same)…
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Daily News
Comments from non-viewers
Negative—I did not view this film, since I did not want to support anything that would take something meant to be good and inspiring in entertainment (“Superman”) and twist it into something that would glorify evil. That is just what the devil wants—for something that is meant to be good and moralistic to be twisted into a disgusting parody of itself that will glorify his evil. That is why I did not see it, because though I am not a big fan of superheroes, I am a fan of the good which God installs within us from our birth and our growth to understanding it later in our lives to help others with. And this, judging by the promotional materials, is the opposite of anything respectable or good for viewing in my opinion. Thank you for reading.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: ½
Patrick M Ullmer, age 22 (USA)