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The Flash Review
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Directed By: Andy Muschietti
Written By: Christina Hodson, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Joby Harold; Based on the DC comics and characters
Runtime: 144 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity
Ezra Miller – Barry Allen/The Flash
Ben Affleck – Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michael Keaton – Bruce Wayne/Batman
Sasha Calle – Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
Michael Shannon – General Zod
Ron Livingston – Henry Allen
Maribel Verdú – Nora Allen
Kiersey Clemons – Iris West
Jeremy Irons – Alfred Pennyworth
Rudy Mancuso – Albert Desmond
Saoirse-Monica Jackson – Patty Spivot
Antje Traue – Faora-UI
Ian Loh – Young Barry
After nearly ten years in development and production, DC Comics’ very own Scarlet Speedster receives his first theatrical motion picture in The Flash. The DC Extended Universe has had its ups and downs over the years, but it’s not quite over yet. Ezra Miller finally gets an opportunity to star in their own movie as the Barry Allen version of The Flash, carrying over the continuity first established in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Miller made their big-screen debut as The Flash in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Miller was cast in the role way back in 2014. The Flash is a comic book superhero film that is years in the making, but was it worth the wait? Well, the truth is … it’s complicated.
The Flash picks up after the events of Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League. Barry is still working with the Justice League as the hero The Flash, while also employed in his real-life job as a crime lab tech in Central City. Barry was driven to work at a crime lab due to the tragic murder of his mother, Nora Allen (Verdú), during his childhood. Barry’s father, Henry (Livingston), was wrongfully blamed and imprisoned for the crime. The loss of his mother still looms heavily on Barry until the anguish makes him run so fast that Barry realizes he can tap into the Speed Force and outrun the space-time continuum. Barry soon realizes he can see and alter events of his past.
Barry imparts this new ability to Bruce Wayne (Affleck), who had been attempting to offer a technological solution to help strengthen the alibi of Barry’s father. Even with the knowledge that Barry could undo the trauma that provoked Bruce to become Batman, the implications of altering time are too great of a risk. However, Barry manages to convince himself by changing one act within his history: his mother won’t be murdered, and his father will not be falsely imprisoned for the act. Barry alters time by saving his mother. However, a mysterious dark force strands Barry in the altered reality where his mother is still alive. Barry’s actions create unintended consequences. While his mother is alive, Zod (Shannon) is now arriving on Earth, much like he did in 2013’s Man of Steel, and Superman is nowhere to be found. Barry is also forced to deal with his younger self, who is 18 and has no speedster abilities. Barry manages to fix that problem but loses his powers in the process. With no heroes and no metahumans on speed dial to contend with Zod, Barry must now conceive a way to save this new altered timeline where his mother is still alive.
Ezra Miller is still wildly miscast as Barry Allen. Personality-wise, they hue much closer to Bart Allen, aka Impulse, over the Barry Allen version of The Flash. That said, Miller holds their own in the film’s emotional moments. Miller skillfully captures the emotional devastation that Barry faces. Coincidentally, pairing Barry with a younger, less experienced version of himself, also portrayed by Miller, serves to make the older Barry more likable and tolerable. That is likely due to the younger Barry being purposefully characterized in a much more juvenile, obnoxious way. Nonetheless, while Miller is not a great Barry Allen, they do well in imbuing the character with an emotional depth that is at least believable.
Andy Muschietti successfully imbues the film with a cool comic book style and energy. He does well in showcasing The Flash’s powers and abilities onscreen in ways that have never been done before. The Flash is capable of doing more than just running fast, and Muschietti understands that. Not to mention, Barry finally looks like The Flash now. He has a new, less over-designed suit that looks like a much more traditional Flash suit from the comics and not the previous excessively complex outfit. The new suit changes the tint of Barry’s lightning to yellow. It’s nice to see The Flash have a proper costume that gives off the proper golden yellow and red blur.
The movie loses its footing in the third act when it both literally and figuratively falls apart. Using Flashpoint as the basis of the first movie adaptation of The Flash may not have been the best idea, since Flashpoint itself is an overwrought story with a messy conclusion. The film’s resulting final act is a big CGI blunder. Not only that, the final act renders the rest of the experience rather pointless, especially when Barry himself is the chief cause of all the problems.
The Flash woefully lacks a proper Flash villain or rogue to tie things together and push the story forward. The narrative does manage to include a quasi-villain in the movie, but the character is poorly conceived and an afterthought for most of the film. The movie needs someone to match Barry up against, such as Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash, or a more well-suited counterpart for Barry. Instead, the only true villain is Barry’s incompetence. Michael Shannon’s Zod does have a presence in the film, but the character is largely relegated to the final act. Zod’s actions do not drive the plot forward, and he is not the true figure standing in the way of Barry’s goals.
The film’s CGI is a mixed bag. Some of what Muschietti pulls off here, such as Flash’s new abilities, look impressive. The opening sequence, when Flash suits up and speeds off for the first time, embraces a visual comic book style, which is brought to life onscreen in a satisfying fashion. However, The Flash still features large amounts of rough-looking CGI visual effects throughout the film. In some areas, it’s understandable, but in others, it’s shocking to realize this feature has a budget well north of $200 million. In multiple scenes, the CG visuals look unfinished. Characters routinely look cut and pasted in various shots. There is one sequence in particular where Ezra Miller’s facial movements and reactions look like they were rendered by a computer but taken out of the CGI oven too quickly. As a result, some of the CGI looks like a goopy mess.
On the positive side, it’s fun and worth the price of admission to see Michael Keaton return to the role of Batman. The spectacle of seeing Keaton wear the cape and cowl one last time while also growling, “I’m Batman,” has not lost its impact. Watching Keaton’s version of Batman finally interacting with other superheroes is also entertaining, along with his reaction to the idea of Superman. It’s unexpected but still amusing. One can argue whether Keaton was the best onscreen interpretation of Batman or Bruce Wayne. However, what is inarguable is that Keaton has an undeniable presence and charisma as Batman, and he still brings that charm and appeal to the forefront. In addition, hearing that iconic Danny Elfman music while the Batwing takes flight still induces spine-tingling chills.
Sasha Calle does decently enough in her relatively limited screen time as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Considering how late she comes into the picture, she exhibits some impressive moments. Unfortunately, Supergirl acts more as a plot McGuffin and rival for Zod. It’s hard to call Supergirl’s role in The Flash a proper introduction for the character.
Admittedly, there is a heavy fan service, nostalgic-laden element to The Flash, especially with the presence of Keaton as Batman. Muschietti does manage to figure out some fun things for Keaton to do as Batman, and it’s more than just a cameo since Bruce Wayne Batman receives the Thomas Wayne Batman role from the original comic book storyline. At the same time, the way certain characters react resembles how Muschietti asserts his reactions in the world, rather than how a person who exists in the same world as Keaton’s Batman would naturally behave. There are copious amounts of fan-service-heavy references, some of which achieve mixed results.
The Flash has its moments and moves relatively well until the final half hour. The experience features strong comic book energy and flair, but Flashpoint may not have been the best starting point.
