Review - The Flash
Don’t let your tragedy define you.
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Written by: Christina Hodson
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
Running Time: 144 minutes
Rating: 3/5
I had no expectations going into The Flash as I think mentally I had given hope in the Snyder-verse DCEU. There’s too many creative switches, directors and writers dropping the ball and even stars going in and out of their commitments to give some semblance of consistency across this shared universe. Hell, I could even argue that the CW’s own universe across their multitude of shows have more consistency compared to the mainline narrative in film. Even with the COVID delays, Ezra Miller’s shenanigans off screen and the chaos at DC Studios; I admit, I feel like I forgot about this film for years.
So maybe going into this film, I felt a little chip on my shoulder and honestly - it’s much more fun than I ever thought it would be. Muschetti’s The Flash is definitely not the hyperbolic savior of the DCEU and superhero films that it was thought to be by early critics - but it sure as hell not Suicide Squad or whatever that shadow-Whedon Justice League was. It’s a blast, hilarious and surprisingly probably the most emotional DCEU entry to date, though, held down by disturbingly rancid CGI and questionable creative choices.
The Flash is about the relationship of the past and the present - and how every single moment of one’s life ebbs and flows as a connective tissue of our identity. Ezra Miller returns as Barry Allen -when his father’s innocence is called in question after the death of his mother, Barry tries to change the past in an effort to reunite his family. Barry isn’t faced with a megalomaniac, Captain Boomerang or another semi-evil, anti-hero supervillain - he’s faced with an identity crisis. Like the current trend in the superhero genre, The Flash deals with the multiverse and constructs of different lives, paths and destinies of our heroes.
Barry rewinds time and enters a different strand of a shared world - there’s another Barry, another Mom & Dad, a different Bruce Wayne and a world without Superman. Michael Keaton dons the Batsuit again (stiff cowl included) as a reprisal of his version of Batman from the late 80s and early 90s. Trapped in this different timeline, Barry has to relive his past in order to change it - he revisits traumatic events and wrestles with missed encounters and “what-if’s?”. It is everything what could have been, what should have been and what he may ever dreamed of.
But, he knows, it’s not for him.
I want to say that I grow weary of the multiverse saga - Dr. Strange, Spider-man, Marvel’s What If? etc - but there’s no denying how fun it is. Without a doubt, The Flash serves as both a continuation of the Snyderverse DCEU but also effectively reboots the universe. The melding of worlds and timelines gives James Gunn and the new DCEU a chance to recreate itself on a foundation that (hopefully) is stable, consistent and actually good.
The film is full of fan-service moments - unbelievable cameos, references to narratives and pop culture watercooler chats of the past - The Flash speeds across its expansive narrative with relative ease and good fun to boot. Ezra is astonishing, hilarious and magnetic in every single scene they’re in; from laugh-out-loud highs to the sweeping emotional cresendos, Barry Allen has never felt more complete than ever before. Barry isn’t just comic relief in the dark shadows of the Snyderworld - he’s driven by pain and the hope for happiness in the world.
The Flash isn’t all speedy gonzalez though - it does boast some of the most horrendous and maddening CGI I have ever seen in a major motion picture (of this scale!!!!). There are sequences in the Speedforce that blows my mind that it made it past both the editing room and visual effects team. Yes, fine, it could be a creative directorial choice, but folks, there is some unreal uncanny valley stuff going in here. Also - that opening sequence with the babies - absolute nightmare fuel. Flabbergasted, lost, absolute madness. Then there’s the cameos - listen, it’s really cool and fun to see some of these fan-service moments - but….are they really necessary? Especially if you use AI?
I mean….it’s just weird, right? I guess when you’ll see it, you’ll have to believe it…
The Flash is fine. I enjoyed it. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s the kind of film that I sat in a recliner seat and did not even think about catching some z’s. It’s pretty funny and downright hilarious at times even if the CGI will send you a different strand of our universe. It’s definitely no saviour of the comic book world, but it ain’t a zero.
I’ll watch the next one.
