The current version of DC movies have been crawling towards a slow death for years. As we near the end now, we are finally getting a movie that has managed to see a release despite the constant behind-the-scenes controversy and losing several directors, to boot. As with any new DC movie, early access reviews have hyped it up to be the best DC movie since the Dark Knight. In reality, it might not even be the best DC movie since Black Adam.
Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is going through a few struggles. He feels undervalued as a Justice League member, but also refuses to move past the death of his mother 20 years ago. Seemingly by accident, he discovers that he can run so fast that he can reverse time (a power shown much better in Zack Snyder’s Justice League). After a conversation with Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), he decides to find a way to prevent his mom’s death and his dad’s incarceration in the past without screwing up the timeline too much.
Of course, events in the timeline are screwed up and he ends up stuck in 2013 and meets himself just prior to the accident that created his powers. The two Barrys attempt to coexist when Zod’s arrival threatens the planet. In order to stop these invading Kryptonians, these Barrys seek the help of a surprising version of Batman (Michael Keaton) and the planet’s lone Kryptonian hero in Supergirl (Sasha Calle).
This is actually how the movie looks!
Your mileage for this movie will depend on a few factors, but the unavoidable one is that of its star, Ezra Miller. Miller is prominent in this movie, not only because Barry is the main character, but there are two Barrys for the majority of the flick. If you had issues with Miller’s plucky performance previous to this movie, get ready to test your patience, because the younger version is twice as aggravating. He makes the older/original Barry seem brooding in comparison. It creates an interesting dynamic that allows the audience to experience The Flash’s origin story, but is mostly too much of a bad thing.
The highlight of this Flash movie is the usage of the Batmen. Affleck gets five minutes to have a ball in the role. Halfway through the flick, we get to finally see Michael Keaton’s return to the Batman role. And while he has to force some meme-able lines, his introduction finally makes the movie worth watching. Batman and the Barrys (good band name) are soon joined by the captive Kara Zor-El. She almost brings some screen presence, but she is largely relegated to abrupt and angry line delivery during big, dumb action scenes.
And wow, these climactic battles are so dull and confusing. The Flash has such a unique set of powers that could inspire creativity in a big-budget movie such as this. Yet, every time director Andy Muschetti (It, Mama) attempts to highlight The Flash’s abilities, it all comes off looking like bad snapchat effects. I’m flabbergasted that a movie that has been so hyped and been in development for years can have the worst effects I’ve seen since The Green Lantern. Not one effects scene was convincing. In fact, there’s a scene with CG babies that will haunt my nightmares for years to come.
This is just a hideously filmed movie that spits on the legacies that it so badly wants to cash in on. It has a waterfall of nostalgia bait and some fans will gobble that right up, but it all feels tasteless and pointless. It’s so bizarre that they chose to use Zod and elements of Man of Steel without actually putting respect on anything Zack Snyder created. In fact, this shoddy delivery just proves how great Man of Steel (from 10 years ago) actually looks.
Don’t get me wrong, there are positives. This isn’t a throwaway movie. The oft-forgotten narrative of Barry saving his mom provides real emotion. There are moments between Barry and his mom (played by Maribel Verdu) that bring the heart and almost convinced me to like the experience. Sadly, these sweet moments are fleeting and overcrowded by bad one-liners and hollow action scenes.
The Flash could have easily been cancelled along with Batgirl and maybe should have been. You won’t be wrong for enjoying it, as it does deliver buckets of DC nostalgia. Yet, just as WB has bungled the DCEU and will leave it unfinished, The Flash feels unfinished when it comes to the script and effects. WB/DC didn’t learn any lessons from Joss Whedon reworking 2017’s Justice League failure, and have only doubled down on it with The Flash. It’s not the worst cape flick this year, but it’s far from the best. C-
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