Superheroes, a whale of a time and Ben Affleck’s latest thriller

The Screen Critic with Jim Schembri

From a shape-shifting superhero and a sinister animated adventure to a journey inside a sperm whale, Jim Schembri casts his eye over six new films, with plenty of thrills, spills and a few surprises along the way.

Clayface

Easily one of the most diverting and dramatically engrossing films to spring forth from the world of comic books, Clayface follows the misadventures of Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a hot young actor whose handsome face is disfigured by an arch-criminal.

With his career in tatters, he seeks the illegal services of a doctor whose experimental treatment restores his rugged good looks – but at a cost.

Because of the unstable cells rushing through his body, Matt discovers his rejuvenated face can suddenly melt, but that he can also transform into other people.

Boasting a terrific thriller story, strong direction and a host of intriguing themes about identity, deception and betrayal, Clayface adds up to a ripper superhero yarn.

Just be warned: the scenes of surgery and violence get pretty gruesome.

Wildwood

While it’s superbly made and its stop-motion visuals are beautiful to behold, the animated action fantasy Wildwood is definitely not for kids – or even sensitive adults.

When her baby brother is snatched by a flock of crows, teenager Prue leaves the safety of her hipster home in Portland, Oregon, and ventures into a forbidden forest where her search for him reveals a hidden society ruled by Alexandra, an evil, emotionally damaged overlord.

What starts out as a standard adventure soon ventures into some pretty dark territory involving death, bereavement, violence and – would you believe – human sacrifice.

It’s very well done, but strictly for grown-ups, especially those who love the art of stop-motion animation.

Whalefall

And now, some great news for all those people who have ever lain awake at night wondering what it would be like to be stuck inside a sperm whale.

Thanks to the Movie God, you can now live the experience via Whalefall, a survival eco-thriller about a lad who, well, gets swallowed whole by a sperm whale.

When Jay (Austin Abrams) goes diving in search of his whale-obsessed dad (Josh Brolin, in another role as an eccentric elder), he crosses paths with a whale on a lunch break that gobbles him up while chasing a squid.

Look, this is not a great movie. There’s way too much schmaltz, too many flashbacks and a lot of barely comprehensible yapping as Jay struggles for air amidst the whale’s intestines.

Still, as silly as it gets, it’s a fun ride, with the vivid recreation of the whale’s innards accounting for some enjoyable “ick” moments.

Street Fighter

Equally silly is the martial arts action party Street Fighter, based on the classic video game (which you don’t need to have played) and the 1994 Kylie Minogue movie (which you don’t need to have seen).

Everything here is over the top, including a raft of cheesy performances as former celebrity fighter Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) and estranged buddy Ryu (Andrew Koji) enter a prolonged chop-socky tournament overseen by the overdressed, evil Bison (David Dastmalchian).

A good time-killer, it’s basically a live-action cartoon best seen with your brain in neutral.

Klara and the Sun

There have been some great movies about robots that want to be people. Sadly, Klara and the Sun is not one of them.

Jenna Ortega plays android Klara, a discontinued “Artificial Friend” purchased by an anxious mother (Amy Adams) for Josie (Mia Tharia), her super-intelligent, physically frail daughter.

There’s some humour early on, but the overlong film soon runs into trouble maintaining interest in a thin, dull story that lacks conflict.

It’s a disappointing effort, especially given how director Taika Waititi has given us such delights as Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, Next Goal Wins and, of course, Flight of the Conchords.

Ah, well. They can’t all be masterpieces.

Animals

In the fine thriller Animals, Ben Affleck pulls double duty as star and director of a pretty taut kidnap drama in which he plays a cash-strapped politician whose campaign to become mayor of Los Angeles is derailed when a disgruntled citizen schemes to nab his son.

The crisis reveals some dark secrets between him and his wife (Kerry Washington), as a cucumber-cool negotiator (a very good Gillian Anderson) offers them some very sage, very expensive advice.

Catch it on Netflix – and hang tight for one clever, killer twist.

For more visit jimschembri.com with updates on X at @jimschembri