Clayface reviews are in: critics split on DC's gory body-horror film, out in US and UK cinemas on 23 October

Clayface, the third film in James Gunn's new DC Universe after Superman and Supergirl, opens in US and UK cinemas on Friday, 23 October, and in Australia on 22 October. The first reviews, published on Wednesday, are sharply divided, which is why "clayface movie" was among the top searches in Pakistan on Thursday.

The verdicts

For it

• "In nearly every department, Clayface exceeds expectations," wrote Guy Lodge in Variety, calling it more interesting than recent DC films because it does not feel tied to the superhero machine.
• "Clayface emerges as one of the year's big surprises," said Frank Scheck in The Hollywood Reporter.

Against it

• The Guardian called it "very gory but not very good", saying it looks more like a network TV series than a film and that the hero's powers are so loosely defined that he becomes "a screenwriting device".
• IndieWire's Kate Erbland found it different but said it "confounds much more than it compels".
• ComicBook.com summed up the middle view: it "could have been worse", but could have been better too.

Rotten Tomatoes, which collected the first reactions, describes the consensus as a "messy but distinctive" horror story with a strong lead performance.

What it is about

Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt, a working-class Gotham boy turned rising film star who, after his first Oscar nomination, crosses a gangster on a trip home and has his face slashed. Desperate to get his career back, he turns to an experimental skin treatment from a doctor played by Naomi Ackie, and his body starts to change shape with his emotions. David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan also star.

It is directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake, My Little Eye) and was made for around $40 million (about Rs 11 billion), cheap by superhero standards. Liverpool stands in for Gotham. An earlier script by horror director Mike Flanagan was rewritten, The Guardian notes. The film is R-rated in the US for its gore.

Will it release in Pakistan?

A Pakistan release date has not been announced. Dates and any censor-board cuts are confirmed only when local cinemas open bookings, so check your cinema's website this week. Parents should note the heavy body-horror content.

Planning a trip to the cinema? Our directory lists restaurants in Lahore for dinner after the show.