Clayface: Movie Review

Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Ruby Sear, Eddie Marsan, Max Minghella
Director: James Watkins

"The reviews are in," one character says. 

"I hope they're kind," another replies to them.

It's this kind if inadvertently meta-aware moment in Clayface that signals all that's wrong with this body horror origin tale of DC villain Matt Hagen.

(Also, the reviews will categorically not be kind to this.)

When we first meet Hagen (Harries, stoic in the face of a script that's blessed with some clunkers), his stock is rising. Nominated for an Oscar and a star in the making, the actor appears destined for greatness. But while out celebrating, he chooses to sleep with a gangster's moll (Sear), leading to a morning after confrontation that sees him disfigured after being cut up by goons, headed up by local mob boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik).

Scuttling off like The Phantom of the Opera into the backstreets, Hagen falls fast, his life in ruins, dropped by agents and Hollywood before he's even had chance to process what's happening. With nowhere to go, he turns to medical research doctor Caitlyn Corr (Ackie), whom he discovers is using cutting edge nanotechnology to try and cure illness after losing her brother.

Despite her insistence that she's not doing human trials, Hagen convinces her to take him on as a patient...

Clayface may come from prestigious heritage in terms of Haunting of Hill House and Carrie writer Mike Flanagan and Speak No Evil director Janes Watkins, but it's a resounding thud of a film that depressingly signals another bomb for DC after the unfairly maligned Supergirl left them reeling. 

Flat direction, a workmanlike script and the awful dialogue that signals what's happening rather than showing it, Clayface becomes as muddy as the melting face on its villain, played with relative aplomb and occasional blank canvas Harries.

Despite proudly shouting about its R16 rating and with some body horror close ups and scissors near eyes, it feels like the film's not secure enough to reach into darker territory to leave a lasting impression, preferring instead to deliver some lazy jumpscares, rote dialogue and action that - bar one club scene and a sequence on a plane that's likely to leave some squirming - feels non-existent.

It's a crime that this doesn't deliver - its lead, a mix of Marc Warren and Willem Dafoe, tries his best to mine the tragedy, but the ascent and descent come so fast, there's barely time to care or indeed scare. With little chemistry with Ackie and with Minghella more or less playing the same cop he did in the Saw franchise, the most frightening thing about Clayface is how much wasted potential it had as it descends into body morphing, body swapping and fakeout territory.

And Watkins knows how to get tension from little more than actors, as he did with the brilliantly unsettling Speak No Evil. Here, it feels like a film direction constrained by studios and dealt to by a committee, rather than someone given creative freedom to mine the macabre and dial up the unease.

Ultimately, Clayface is one cinematic slab of clay that should have been re-moulded in the early stages - because it's a disaster James Gunn's DC Universe could well do without.

Klara and the Sun: Movie Review

Cast: Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Natasha Lyonne, Mia Thiara
Director: Taika Waititi

It's easy to see what would draw a director like Taika Waititi to make and adapt a film like Klara and The Sun.

Given its childlike innocence, naivete and vein of tragedy within, it has a lot in keeping with the elements of Boy and Hunt For The Wilderprople where odd quirky edges hide deep heartache and issues with the human condition.

But the problem here is the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's book, is that the film never once gives any real depth to its heftier themes, despite a third act that shows so much promise when the darkness creeps in and hints at what the film really could have been, if it had been swathed in more melancholy.

Jenna Ortega is artificial friend Klara, a robot companion that's looking for an owner. Swamped by newer models, she and her kin are forced to stand in shop windows by their owner (Natasha Lyonne) to try and attract a mate. But ignored due to newer models, Klara faces a bleak future until she's discovered by Josie (Thiara, largely brilliant until the third act sidelines her) and taken home.

Once back at Josie's country house, where only her icy mother (Adams, thin-lipped and distant) and housekeeper (Rachel House, once again deploying her familiar schtick as a brusque individual with a heart) live, Klara discovers all is not as it seems as she tries to bond with Josie and find her true happiness.

At the start, Klara and the Sun has a goofy appeal as Ortega's sweetly charming wide-eyed robot tries to fit in. Like a child with nothing imprinted on her yet, Klara has an innocence that the film mines for comedic effect, but soon the whimsy grows tiring as the house of cards is built on little else.

While the rejoinder to the cynicism is perhaps welcome early on, it soon becomes clear that Klara and The Sun has little idea of what it wants to do other than tell a seemingly happy story with a sad heart to it, something Waititi has largely made his oeuvre out of. 

But by dabbling in bits of sci-fi, elements of family drama and melodramatic edges, the film rarely delves deeply into any of them, proving to be a shallow and frustrating experience than frustrates rather than thrills.

Pitching juvenile and not quite adult enough for its themes, Klara and the Sun's highlights remain with its core cast members. 

Ortega has enough to carry the film and imbues Klara with a joy that's initially hard to deny and as Josie, Thiara shows depth beyond her young years, mining the tragedy of her character and the frailty of her situation. However, the third act sidelines her and her missing presence is deeply felt.

Perhaps the biggest frustration with Klara and the Sun is how little of Waititi there appears to be on show here, crafting a film that feels inert and lifeless when it's the perfect kind of story for his back catalogue. 

But on this showing, perhaps the sun needs to set a little on his ambitions and he can go back to basics.

What's on DocPlay in November

Here's everything that's streaming on DocPlay in November 2026.

This November, remarkable documentary films from across the globe stream exclusively on DocPlay. An enticing high-stakes fued spills across the screen in The Oligarch and the Art Dealer, while Broken English offers a surprising genre-bending portrait of the musician Marianne Faithfull. Two films from American documentarian Ross McElwee come to the platform - Sherman’s March (1985), and his devastating new festival favourite, Remake. Offering a similarly-themed meditation on life and death, The Oldest Person in the World is the new film from Sam Green, who develops a fascination with the world’s oldest living people.

Plus, Claude Lanzmann’s opus Shoah, a landmark of documentary cinema, streams on DocPlay from mid-November.

2 November

The Oligarch and the Art Dealer (Exclusive) | Series

When a Russian oligarch accuses his trusted Swiss art dealer of a billion-dollar betrayal, their explosive feud pulls back the curtain on the secretive world of the ultra-wealthy – where masterpieces are currency, fortunes are hidden in plain sight, and power is everything.

5 November

Broken English (Exclusive)

A posterchild of counterculture and lead artist of the British Invasion of music in the United States, Marianne Faithfull was a singular pop talent. Exploring her six-decade journey through music, fame, and reinvention, Faithfull’s final artistic work comes in the form of a genre-bending documentary, weaving reality and imagination to present a full reflection on a one-of-a-kind life.

9 November

Bye Bye Tiberias

In Bye Bye Tiberias, filmmaker Lina Soualem travels back in time and place to capture the stories passed on by four generations of daring Palestinian women in her family.

9 November

The Oldest Person in the World (Exclusive)

Filmmaker Sam Green follows successive record holders for the world's oldest living person, creating a moving meditation on longevity, fate, time, mortality, and the meaning of life.

12 November

Shoah

Over a decade in the making, Claude Lanzmann’s nine-hour-plus opus is a monumental investigation of the unthinkable: the murder of more than six million Jews by the Nazis. DocPlay is proud to present this landmark documentary.

30 November

Remake (Exclusive)

In his most devastatingly personal work to date, veteran auto-documentarian Ross McElwee probes his home movies for insights into his son’s death. Remake premieres on DocPlay alongside Sherman’s March (1985), also directed by Ross McElwee.

Masterplan: Movie Review

Cast: Stanley Tucci, Simona Tabasco, Victor Belmondo
Director: Thomas Vincent

A very European take on the heist movie, Masterplan's flashiness serves it well as a light, frothy evening's entertainment, but once the film's finished, it's hardly likely you'll think on on it.

Which is a shame because director Thomas Vincent crafts together a pacy film about thieves Jay and Chiara, one an Italian cybercriminal (The White Lotus' Tabasco) and the other, an explosives expert (Belmondo) who are thrown together in an attempt to steal the Mona Lisa.

Spearheaded by Stanley Tucci's suave (and exceptionally well-dressed) former criminal Roger, the twist comes when he reveals to the pair that they are his estranged children, adding a more complex element to the stakes.

Or so you'd think.

Unfortunately, Masterplan is more interested in flashy cuts and zippy graphics, soundtracks and montages than the need to deploy much tension in this high-faluting adventure.

Despite Tucci delivering a more than capable performance that showcases his usual wit and charisma, the film's never quite sure of what it wants to achieve, other than zipping around locations, providing a chance to showcase a multi-international co-prod and just leaving the two thieves squabbling with each other (after initially awkwardly flirting).

As a result, Masterplan does what it says - and even with a final act twist, it never quite rises above its intentions, delivering a highly capable Friday night streaming choice. That's perfectly fine to do and given there are no real clangers of performances here for a script that hardly challenges its cast, it's perhaps enough.

But the biggest crime here is that Masterplan will steal away just under 2 hours of your time in a kind of streaming heist that'll leave you scratching your head where the time went and why you can't remember much about it after its credits have rolled.

Masterplan is streaming now on Prime Video.

What's on Disney+ in November

Here's everything that's streaming on Disney+ in November 2026

Rivals (November 11)

Based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s best-selling and beloved Rutshire Chronicles, the critically acclaimed series returns with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday 11 November on Disney+ internationally, and Hulu in the U.S.

As the return to the scandal and excess of 1987 edges closer, the residents of Rutshire reunite for more revelry, rivalry and romance, but as the stakes ramp-up they must face tragedy, heartbreak, backstabbing, and betrayal head on.

Episodes 7-12 pick up after the heartbreaking mid-series finale. Tony Baddingham and Declan O'Hara's battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black is forced to confront his own personal demons. Against a backdrop of hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise war, Taggie O'Hara must find the courage to follow her heart, while those around her face the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that can no longer remain hidden. But as series two draws to a close, who will get their happy ending?

Ahead of its highly anticipated return and following rave reviews, Disney+ also recently announced it had been greenlit for a third season, with twelve new episodes confirmed.

Reprising their iconic roles are David Tennant (‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’) as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell (‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, ‘The Boys’) as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner (‘Poldark’, ‘The Suspect’) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (‘Black Lightning’, ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody’) as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean (‘Sex Education’, ‘London Tide’) as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson (‘Humans’, ‘Here We Go’) as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer (‘EastEnders, ‘The Football Factory’) as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit (‘Bloodlands’, ‘Once Upon A Time’) as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook (‘Sherwood’, ‘Ali and Ava’) as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris (‘The Crown’, ‘Trying’) as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis (‘Maternal’, ‘Mum’) as Valerie Jones, Emily Atack (‘The Emily Atack Show’, ‘The Inbetweeners’) as Sarah Stratton, Rufus Jones (‘W1A’, ‘Home’) as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino (‘The Musketeers’, ‘Shantaram’) as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O'Hara (‘Wild Cherry’, ‘Pistol’), Annabel Scholey (‘The Split’) as Beattie Johnson, Gary Lamont (‘Boiling Point’, ‘Outlander’) as Charles Fairburn, Hubert Burton (‘Wolf Hall’, ‘Living’) as Gerald Middleton, Gabriel Tierney (‘The Winter King’, ‘Enola Holmes 2’) as Patrick O’Hara, Lara Peake (‘How To Have Sex’, ‘Reunion’) as Daysee Butler and Bryony Hannah (‘Call The Midwife’, ‘Unforgotten’) as Deirdre Kilpatrick.

Supernatural, Aliens and High School Musical Reunions Bring the Buzz to Armageddon Expo 

Reunions of top film and television franchises are adding excitement for the Spring Armageddon Expo, happening at Auckland Showgrounds this Labour Weekend. 

With eight Supernatural stars, five Aliens performers and High School Musical’s Lucas Grabeel and Bart Johnson, this is a unique opportunity for fans to go deeper into their favourite shows and films with the people who made them.

And there is plenty to talk about with these franchises. Aliens turns 40 this year, High School Musical celebrates 20 years, and Supernatural’s 15 seasons give its cast and fans a considerable history to draw on. Alongside the reunions, a major gaming programme brings console free play, esports and some of gaming’s best-known actors to the Showgrounds.

Armageddon founder Bill Geradts says the reunions are a particular focus of this year’s event.

“When you bring several stars from a show together, they share the excitement of the journey, remember different things of what happened on set and give fans a much deeper insight into the show they love,” he says.

“And that’s important for the fans. Armageddon fans know the characters, the episodes, the jokes, and have questions they’re burning to ask. Getting quality time with a large cast is a big deal.”

Supernatural’s contingent is led by Jared Padalecki, who played Sam Winchester throughout the series’ 15-season run. Joining him are Samantha Smith, who played his mother Mary Winchester, Matt Cohen (young John Winchester), Felicia Day (Charlie Bradbury), Kim Rhodes (Jody Mills), Briana Buckmaster (Donna Hanscum), Alaina Huffman (Abaddon) and Osric Chau (Kevin Tran).

The line-up reaches across the Winchester family, fellow hunters, friends and enemies, giving fans plenty of scope to explore the series and the relationships that sustained it. Individual and paired panels, photographs and autograph sessions run across the weekend, with a full cast panel exclusively for Moose Pass holders.

For Aliens fans, the 40th anniversary reunion brings together Jenette Goldstein, who played Vasquez, Mark Rolston(Drake), Cynthia Scott (Dietrich), Daniel Kash (Spunkmeyer) and Carl Toop, who performed as one of the Aliens.

James Cameron’s 1986 film put its cast through a memorable encounter with one of cinema’s most feared creatures. Four decades on, the actors behind four Colonial Marines and one of their adversaries will share a stage in Auckland, revisiting the production with an audience that knows just how badly that mission went.

Their joint panel takes place on Saturday, with group photograph sessions also available over the weekend.

High School Musical fans have their own anniversary to celebrate. Twenty years after the first film, Lucas Grabeel and Bart Johnson will reunite with an audience that grew up watching Ryan Evans and Coach Bolton at East High.

Saturday morning’s sing-along gives that audience a chance to join in with the two stars. The pair will also appear together in a Monday panel, with duo photographs and autograph sessions available during the event.

The reunion line-up has some familiar voices for gamers too. Felicia Day played Veronica in Fallout: New Vegas and Tallis in Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin, while Mark Rolston plays Norman Osborn in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games and Deathstroke in Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Knight.

They join a gaming guest line-up that includes Christopher Judge, who plays Kratos in God of War, Erika Ishii from Ghost of Yōtei, David Bateson, the voice of Hitman’s Agent 47, and Baldur’s Gate III’s Andrew Wincott.

With gaming and esports on the show floor and performers on stage, fans can spend the weekend playing, watching competition and meeting the actors behind characters they know so well.

Geradts says that opportunity to get fully involved is central to Armageddon’s appeal.

“People come with friends, bring their families, dress as their favourite characters and make a weekend of it. You might have watched a film dozens of times at home, but hearing the cast talk about it in a room full of fans adds something you will remember every time you watch it.”

Across the Showgrounds, cosplay, comics, artists and merchandise give visitors plenty to explore between games and guest appearances. Fans can find artwork and collectables from their favourite franchises, meet the people who create them, and compare costumes with others who appreciate the work that went into them.

“That’s what we want people to come for: a whole weekend enjoying their fandom and being part of the whole immersive experience,” Geradts says.

Armageddon Expo opens at Auckland Showgrounds on Friday 23 October, with a preview evening from 6pm to 9pm. The main show runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 24, Sunday 25 and Monday 26 October.

Tickets are available through iTicket. Full guest details, appearance days and schedules are at www.armageddonexpo.com. Photos and autographs carry additional charges. Guest appearances and schedules are subject to change.

FULL GUEST LIST

Current as at 13 October 2026.

Supernatural reunion

●      Jared Padalecki: Sam Winchester in Supernatural; Dean Forester in Gilmore Girls; Cordell Walker in Walker.

●      Samantha Smith: Mary Winchester in Supernatural.

●      Felicia Day: Charlie Bradbury in Supernatural; Codex in The Guild; Veronica in Fallout: New Vegas; Tallis in Dragon Age II: Mark of the Assassin.

●      Kim Rhodes: Jody Mills in Supernatural; Carey Martin in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

●      Briana Buckmaster: Donna Hanscum in Supernatural.

●      Matt Cohen: Young John Winchester in Supernatural; Griffin Munro in General Hospital.

●      Alaina Huffman: Abaddon in Supernatural; Tamara Johansen in Stargate Universe; Black Canary in Smallville.

●      Osric Chau: Kevin Tran in Supernatural; Ryan Choi in the Arrowverse.

Aliens reunion

●      Jenette Goldstein: Vasquez in Aliens; Janelle Voight in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

●      Mark Rolston: Drake in Aliens; Bogs Diamond in The Shawshank Redemption; Norman Osborn in the Marvel’s Spider-Man games; Deathstroke in Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Knight.

●      Cynthia Scott: Dietrich in Aliens.

●      Daniel Kash: Spunkmeyer in Aliens.

●      Carl Toop: Alien warrior in Aliens.

High School Musical reunion

●      Lucas Grabeel: Ryan Evans in the High School Musical films; Toby Kennish in Switched at Birth.

●      Bart Johnson: Coach Jack Bolton in the High School Musical films.

Additional film and television guests

●      Brandon Routh: Superman/Clark Kent in Superman Returns; Ray Palmer/The Atom in Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

●      Anson Mount: Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Cullen Bohannon in Hell on Wheels; Black Bolt in Inhumans.

●      Christopher Judge: Teal’c in Stargate SG-1; Kratos in God of War and God of War Ragnarök.

●      Charlie Bushnell: Luke Castellan in Percy Jackson and the Olympians; Bobby Cañero-Reed in Diary of a Future President.

●      Kirsten Vangsness: Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds.

●      Christopher Lambert: Connor MacLeod in Highlander; Raiden in Mortal Kombat.

●      Sala Baker: Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

●      Tom Lenk: Andrew Wells in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Ronald the intern in The Cabin in the Woods.

Gaming, animation and voice guests

●      Erika Ishii: Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei; a voice of Rook in Dragon Age: The Veilguard; Valkyrie in Apex Legends.

●      Christine Marie Cabanos: Madoka Kaname in Puella Magi Madoka Magica; Mako Mankanshoku in Kill la Kill; Chiaki Nanami in Danganronpa 2.

●      Faye Mata: Lulu in League of Legends; Aqua in KonoSuba; Petra Macneary in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

●      Kayleigh McKee: Voice roles in Jujutsu Kaisen, Guilty Gear, Fionna and Cake and One Piece.

●      Kenny James: Bowser in Nintendo’s Super Mario games.

●      Carolina Ravassa: Sombra in Overwatch; Raze in Valorant.

●      Lucie Pohl: Mercy in Overwatch.

●      Andrew Wincott: Raphael in Baldur’s Gate III.

●      Jason Spisak: Silco in Arcane; Kid Flash in Young Justice; the Joker in Batman: Hush.

●      David Bateson: Agent 47 in the Hitman games.

●      Martin Copping: Mozzie in Rainbow Six Siege; Lucas Riggs in Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Creator and comic art guests

●      Hilly Hindi: Co-creator and performer in The Hillywood Show, known for its Supernatural and other screen parodies.

●      Arthur Suydam: Comic artist known for Marvel Zombies, Deadpool and Black Panther artwork.

Guest appearance days vary. Christopher Judge appears Saturday and Sunday only. Check the official schedules before booking.