Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is the Flash, the fastest man alive. He fondly recalls his loving parents, Nora (Maribel Verdú) and Henry (Ron Livingston), before his happy childhood was shattered by his mother’s murder. His innocent father is in jail. Henry was wrongly convicted. In a particularly vulnerable moment, Barry discovers he can go backward in time when he runs faster than the speed of light. With this newfound information, he decides to travel back to the day of his mother’s death and prevent it from happening.
Naturally, problems ensue. While returning to the present, another mysterious time traveler ruins his trajectory. Barry winds up in an alternate universe where his mother and another slightly younger version of himself are still alive. He’s disrupted a lot of things in the time-space continuum. It’s up to him to fix those wrongs. Otherwise, he may be responsible for different renditions of himself, Batman, Superman, and others. Even worse, their existence might have never happened.
The Flash begins with a cute idea that evokes Back to the Future. Ezra Miller has a lot of personality and is the best thing in the picture. I can separate art from the artist. Likewise, viewers acquainted with the actor’s real-life transgressions will have to table those controversial misdeeds which have become inextricably linked to the actor. Ezra gives two distinct performances here, both seeming like entirely separate individuals. The optics of when Barry Allen interacts with himself are flawless. I completely bought into the fantasy. For about half the movie, director Andy Muschietti (It, It Chapter Two), working from a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey), concentrates on that simple aim, and it’s compelling.
Things fall apart when the story starts shoehorning characters that don’t add value. Batman (Ben Affleck) and a beatifically smiling Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) briefly assist. Others are just cheap inclusions to tick boxes for fans. These have been heavily advertised. In a bit of stunt casting, Michael Keaton appears as a grizzled, world-weary interpretation of Batman. He pops up to explain that various timelines are like a bowl of pasta. Sasha Calle is wasted as a dispassionate Supergirl. They steal focus away from the Flash. Michael Shannon emerges as the main antagonist, General Zod, from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. I get that he’s the villain, so obviously not a joyful guy, but Shannon, the actor, looks unhappy to be here. It’s almost as if programmers pasted his expressionless visage onto the body of another actor and extracted a performance against his will. I got absolutely nothing from his robotic presence. Actress Antje Traue barely registers as Zod’s second-in-command Faora-Ul. These additions — plus love interest/journalist Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) — were more of a distraction from the goal of a clean and simple story.
Oh, and the computer-generated imagery is horrible. I can disregard shoddy effects if the narrative is gripping and graphics are used sparingly. The saga opens with an egregious example. A hospital falls into a sinkhole ejecting newborn babies (plus a nurse and a dog) out of a window to their potential death. I’ll forgive that scene because it’s ridiculous enough to be entertaining. However, the CGI is excessive and ubiquitous. When Barry runs fast, the background becomes an uninteresting blur of red and yellow streaks while he moves in stylized slow-motion, looking like an idiot on a stationary treadmill.
The climax is terrible. The Flash fights General Zod but must zip back in time whenever the battle doesn’t go well (i.e., someone dies). Barry Allen’s ability to interact with the past is visually represented by the Chronobowl. It’s hard to describe. In this dimension, big spherical globes turn around and bump into each other. Each has shelves displaying representations of the same people throughout various timelines. They look like evil statues. It’s as tacky and ugly as anything I’ve seen in a major Hollywood film. This Chronobowl also includes a series of regrettable cameos. They don’t talk, just lazy insertions to titillate fans and provoke a reaction: “Hey look! That famous actor once played a superhero!” In one case, the casting choice never came to fruition. I won’t spoil the surprises, but the examples range from an eye-roll to downright embarrassing. The final act is an affront to humanity.
The last third of The Flash is a difficult sit. Incredibly depressing since the chronicle boasts a promising beginning to an interesting character and turns the production around them into a chaotic, disjointed mess. I left the theater saddened by a promise unfulfilled. A poor start that ends strong can still be good. Hard to recommend a movie that begins well and concludes badly. The chronicle devolves into an unforgivable use of garish CGI. There are a lot of contenders. The Mummy Returns, Blade II, Hulk, Green Lantern, everyone has their go-to example. Van Helsing used to be mine. This supersedes it and achieves the new dubious distinction. The Flash is memorable but for all the wrong reasons.
06-15-23
5 Responses
Same rating, similar issues, but for me Keaton really did the most to hold my intention (even if his return was used solely to generate more revenue for the struggling DC brand) and I thought Miller was unbearable throughout most of his performance, let alone putting up with two of them haha. Good read!
I like the idea of Michael Keaton returning, but she was so cranky. It didn’t live up to all the acclaim he’s getting. Ezra Miller is a huge [part of this picture, and when the narrative focused on the plight of his parents, I appreciated those emotional stakes. That moment he shared at the end with his mom was a brief positive in a sea of dreck. Thanks for commenting!
Seems like a bit of an oof. Might have landed better with everyone if both Ezra Miller didn’t go and be a weirdo, and if they weren’t so late to the multiverse trend. Think I’ll skip it.
Miller is good, but yeah, his real-life shenanigans are off-putting. I completely understand why some might skip this for those reasons.
Good review. I felt that the movie was good, but not as great or overhyped as it was. It was choppy in its narrative structure and its third act felt clunky. However, it was better than both Black Adam and Fury of the Gods. It’s just as shame that the DCEU ended prematurely. Let’s hope that Gunn’s new cinematic universe proves to be effective.