While the production value is astonishing and Egerton plays the part well, Rocketman is pretty cut-and-paste, beating the audience over the head with its allegories. Breaking new ground with the gay sex scene doesn't excuse other faults of the movie. This one is for diehard fans alone.

If you're reading this, then you've probably already heard that Brightburn is a dark love letter to Superman. I'm not going to break the wheel and suggest otherwise. In fact, I think Brightburn did Man of Steel better. The premise of "what if Clark Kent was bad" is intriguing enough to carry the weight of this horror. Obvious parallels to MoS - cinematography, story themes, and an appropriately identical musical theme - actually benefit Brightburn overall. If you aren't a superhero fan, don't worry; there is plenty to love about Brightburn outside its comic elements. The entire cast - especially Banks and Denman - really gives believable performances. Most horror movies are subject to cringe-worthy dialogue, but Brightburn doesn't stoop down to those dumb levels. The effects were almost all fantastic. I actually had to look away at one point from the brutality because it looked so realistic and disgusting. The editing and cinematography are nearly flawless. "Nearly flawless" is actually the best way to describe Brightburn. While most of the effects are great, there are a couple moments when you can tell they stretched the budget to its limits (particularly in the last two minutes before the credits). There were also 2-3 VERY minor questionable editing decisions that momentarily took me out of the movie, but its relentless precision sucked me right back in. Please go to your local theater and watch Brightburn. Original movies that defy genre tropes deserve to perform well, and the only way we'll continue getting original content in the theaters is if people go support movies like this. Luckily, Brightburn is a fantastic enough movie to warrant a strong recommendation! 9/10