Gunn, the man behind the seriously weird “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, clapped back when asked who invoked “Back to the Future,” “Casablanca” or “Weapons,” etc. “Clayface” may have no authority that high, but after watching it, the score is, Random Internet Hater, 0; Gunn, 1.

“Clayface” is a surprisingly good revenge thriller-romance, body-horror origin story for a lesser-known villain from the Batman comics. We may not have asked for it, but this is a crowd-pleaser that mimics its title character’s ability to be something for everyone.

James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, part of Gunn and Peter Safran’s first wave of DC Studios films following “Superman” and “Supergirl.”

Tom Rhys Harris plays Matt Hagen, a handsome boy on the rise, whose long journey from poverty ultimately earns him an Oscar nomination and industry honors. Enjoy celebratory drinks at a nightclub.

Except that night when he tangles with a mobster’s girlfriend and the mobster isn’t happy, he uses a switchblade to slice our hero’s face open. And without those cheekbones and shapely nose, he’s finished. “My life is over,” he screams. Harries brings an endearing hangdog defiance to the role.

He soon thinks he has found salvation in Dr. Caitlin Corr, a scientist on the cutting edge of nanotechnology, played with real soul by Naomi Ackie. He offers to become her human guinea pig and she injects him with a serum of his as-yet-unproven stem cells which begins to repair her scarred face.

It works and the movie ends. No, no, not at all. The serum works but only temporarily – Hagen’s face remains more droopy after a visit to the orthodontist – and Corr must find a way to stabilize the experiment.

Wait, did we just detect some other chemicals flowing between the good doctor and his patient, perhaps dopamine and serotonin? Yes, there are indeed sparks flying between them, which the American Medical Association is upset about. Also, she has a boyfriend.

“Clayface” then shoots on two tracks – the race to harness this technology and our hero’s rampage of bloodthirsty vengeance. Overall, it is a sharp satire on Hollywood and its obsession with beauty, led by an actor who is praised for being a chameleon.

“This business is completely superficial,” Hagen was told by an agent who passed him by. The stem cells injected into his face are described as Method actors and a TV talk-show host offers a foreboding question: “There are so many of you. It’ll be hard to find the real Matt Hagen.”

The last third of the film becomes as volatile as the serum, with Hagen strangely able to take on anyone’s identity and become them if he acts well enough. The scientist’s boyfriend is also a homicide detective and, wouldn’t you know it, he is assigned to hunt down anyone murdering people connected to Matt Hagen. Naturally, the final performance takes place, as you guessed it, in a nightclub.

“Clayface” has a charming low-rent vibe after such expensive blockbusters from Marvel and DC. Parts of Gotham were filmed on real streets – thanks, Liverpool – and practical effects were facilitated on computers. No less than a giant cockroach makes us scream and one of the best incidents takes place in the airplane bathroom when our hero tries to cut the skin above his eyes with scissors during turbulence.

One complaint during recent previews is that the film is entirely Batman-less, with only vague references to the Caped Crusader, such as Kane’s candy store being named after “Batman” co-creator Bob Kane. You will get over this. A lot is happening.

The Warner Bros. Pictures film “Clayface,” released in theaters Friday, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity and brief drug use.” Running time: 108 minutes. Three out of four stars.

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