10 Awful Horror Movies That Threw Away Brilliant Premises
3. Brightburn
Brightburn is a dark superhero flick that explores a common hypothesis in comics: What if Superman turned evil?
The movie begins by following the Superman lore to a tee. After a loving couple from Kansas discovers a humanoid baby - who they name Brandon - inside an alien spaceship, they decide to adopt him. When Brandon hits puberty, though, he develops superpowers, leaving him frustrated and scared.
Even though Brightburn feels like a reboot of Superman at first, it slowly turns into a full-blown horror after Brandon's powers kick in. Believing he's superior to humanity, Brandon dons a supervillain costume and murders everyone who wrongs him or stands in his way.
This terrifying concept is compounded by the fact this unstoppable extra-terrestrial is a confused child who's unable to control his emotions or godlike power, but although Brigthburn offers what it promised, it's woefully predictable. And with James Gunn penning the script, fans were probably expecting something more innovative than a super-kid lasering everyone to death.
Since TV shows like The Boys and Invincible have effectively demonstrated how to explore the darker side of superheroes, Brightburn's wasted potential is now more apparent than ever.