by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Expectations. Expectations play an interesting role in film viewing and criticism. Those you have at the start of a film can vastly affect your feelings throughout its run time, and be the determining factor of your enjoyment. I personally have experienced the full spectrum of varying expectations when going into a movie. There are movies like Marvel’s The Avengers or Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse where I entered the theater with expectations so high that they couldn’t possibly be surpassed. And in these two specific instances, I was still blown away by the experience. Then there are movies like Zoolander 2, which I expected was going to be a disappointment, and I was not proven wrong. Conversely, and possibly the darkest of all the timelines, is when you go into a movie with the highest expectations and are met with soul crushing defeat on a level which you begin to question the fabric of reality when people give that movie praise… Looking your way, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice… But once in a while, you are presented with a list of varying circumstances that take place over the course of a decade which make it impossible for your expectations to be any lower. When that happens and you manage to leave the theater with a smile on your face and a feeling of satisfaction, that is a reason to be happy. Or at the very least, a miracle of science.
In 2014, Warner Bros. announced The Flash for an optimistic 2018 release, and for the next nine years, the comic fan and movie lover community were bombarded with the most ridiculous ride imaginable. There were the reports of multiple director and writer changes, the change in executives and producers due to the sale of Warner Brothers, twice, first to Apple then to Discovery. There was behind the scenes drama of The Justice League movie, the controversial online discourse of not acknowledging Grant Gustin’s Flash, or the success of the DC TV universe, and the overall failure of the “Snyderverse,” leading to WB deciding to use The Flash to blow up the potential cinematic universe, and to reboot by utilizing the Flashpoint story arc. Then, in more recent years, a global pandemic, alleged improper civil and criminal conduct of Ezra Miller, and around eight movies and shows covering the topic of multiverse shenanigans being released in the five years since The Flash’s original 2018 release date. The fact that this movie even came out baffles me beyond belief. So when I say expectations play a part in my feelings of this movie, you can believe me. There was no way my expectations could have been any lower.
The Flash tells the story of Barry Allen (Miller) several years after the events of the Justice League movie (the first one I assume; I am not sure if Zack Snyder’s director’s cut counts canonically). Barry is struggling to balance his life as a superhero, frustrated about being relegated to cleanup duty for Batman (the Ben Affleck version), while still managing to work his day job as a criminal forensics specialist for the Central City Police Department. He had a rough upbringing, as his father was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of Barry’s mother. On the eve of his father’s parole review, Barry receives a cleaned-up version of the security footage that was originally too damaged to clear his father’s name as an alibi. Unfortunately, his dad never looked up at the camera, making the footage another disappointment that Barry must suffer. In the midst of his anguish, he begins to run so fast that he manages to travel back in time. Realizing that he now has the ability to correct the tragedy of his past, Barry comes up with a plan to save both his parents from their terrible fate. Of course, with any time travel story, it is never that simple. Barry is pushed out of the Speed Force by an unknown sinister looking being, while traveling back to his own time. Unknowingly, he emerges on the day he received his powers, and he discovers that his life is completely different. Not wanting to be stuck in the past forever, he must convince his younger self to recreate the accident that gave him powers in order to return home to his own time. Even more shenanigans ensue, which sends him on an adventure of navigating the past with an annoying, entitled version of himself, searching for friends in a world that is unfamiliar, and discovering certain unbreakable truths that exist in the universe that require him to make an impossible choice.
I want to start positive here, because overall, I really enjoyed this movie. As I said, my expectations were at rock bottom, so seeing a cohesive story that does not drag, with entertaining humor, both intentional and possibly unintentional, as well as the first DC movie in a long time to have an ounce of an emotional core, is a miracle. The Flash should have been a terrible dumpster fire, and the very fact that it isn’t, really pushed me into the liked-it camp. Let’s start with the emotional element, because that always sways me to liking a movie more. A character with as tragic a backstory as Barry Allen needs to have convincing performances, and say what you will about the actor, but Ezra Miller holds up their end of the bargain performance-wise (if you are able to separate art from artist). However, the true standout for me, who really hammered home the landing of every emotional beat, is Maribel Verdú who plays Nora Allen, Barry’s mom. Her performance is so subtle but endearing; she is the kind of mom that makes you want to break the fabric of space and time to save her yourself. My other favorite performance is Danny Elfman’s Batman theme, primarily because it’s been one of my favorite pieces of music since childhood. Nostalgia rears its ugly and loving head a lot during this movie, and although the cynical use of nostalgia is employed a lot, the good kind is there too.
Also, I very much enjoyed the comedy; young Barry is extra stupid, which adds to old Barry’s frustration. There is a particularly great joke revolving around the casting choices of several late-’80s movies that left me laughing at the horror of living in the “darkest timeline.” I also really enjoyed the comedy choice involving a handful of babies, a nurse, and a very concerned and adorable looking service dog. I love absurd humor, and although it doesn’t persist throughout, when used, it is used effectively. Be sure to stay during the beginning of the credits, because there is an amazing callback to the adorable dog.
I feel like I need all of my hands and toes to count how many multiverse or time travel movies and shows have been released in the five years since The Flash was meant to be released. I know, for some, this makes The Flash, ironically, late to the party. However, even after seeing Across the Spider-Verse three times in the last two weeks, I was not bothered by the seemingly rote nature of one more multiverse tale. The reason for this is that Flash is a more original take on the concept, from the nature of the discovery of the multiverse, to the in-movie explanation of how it works, all the way to the visual elements which help showcase the many multiversal worlds. This is a fresh take on a now-overused idea. It is a shame that The Flash would have been first and started the trend had it come out in 2018. However, who’s to say it would have even been a Flashpoint adaptation if released in 2018. The idea of multiversal crossroads which inevitably draws certain people or events to be universal constants is a nice touch. It allows Barry to hop realities without the need of a special watch, magic, or something, something quantum something, something. It is a clever, fresh take, and adds to the emotional decision that he must inevitably make in order to solve the ever-growing mess that he inadvertently created.
I also very much enjoyed the action scenes, especially the ones involving Batman. Michael Keaton’s Batman was not known for his acrobatics or fighting prowess. They had to make do with the limited mobility of the ‘89 batsuit. So to see Batman ‘89 beating up foes in a manner similar to Affleck’s Batman is big fun.
For as much as I enjoyed the movie, it is not without its flaw which are very much the result of a decade of behind-the-scenes hijinks that should have left this movie crippled. For one, the CGI is atrocious at times. I know Andy Muschietti, the director, came out and said it was meant to look the way it does because the Flash’s perspective in the Speed Force is warped. I think there are moments when that is true, and a stylistic choice was made. However, I think it is mainly a cost-saving play which ended up backfiring on them. The Speed Force time warp bubble-o-images aside, the more photo-realistic a baby plummeting from a building is, the less funny it becomes. There are also so many slow-motion scenes with fighting what are essentially rubber Neos throughout this movie that just says to me that they didn’t want to waste money on the VFX budgets for a movie that would not be furthering the DCEU as a franchise. On the same level of poor CGI is the shameless use of archival IP during the aforementioned showcase of the many worlds of the multiverse. I won’t spoil who or what shows up here; however, I will say that the choices of who shows up feels less like a fun homage, and more like a cynical, “We don’t have to pay for rights and re-shoots to include these particular cameos”. There is only one cameo that I feel is deserving, due to the legendary nature surrounding the production of that particular project. But it makes no sense to me that the Warner Bros. had a hit Flash TV show that ran (pun unintended, but not removed) for nine seasons, and they didn’t use any of that footage in their Flash movie. I am also not even sure if Michael Shannon was physically in this movie, or if they just used archival footage and AI to recreate his performance from Man of Steel, and add a few new lines. What should have felt like a great cameo left me wondering what exactly went on behind the scenes, which took me out of the movie a couple times during the third act.
I very much understand that your mileage may vary when it comes to this movie, because as I said, it’s all about expectations. I took my family to the drive-in last night for a Flash/Spider-Verse double feature, and they all felt varying degrees of hatred towards it. My wife, who enjoyed the Flash show, felt that young Barry was the worst version of a stereotypical, obnoxious Gen Z person. So every time he was on screen, it was nails on a chalkboard for her. Young Barry plays a major role throughout the entire movie, so not connecting to him will definitely taint your whole experience. My daughters both thought it was boring and really didn’t like the resolution. They haven’t been as invested in the live action DC characters, mostly because recently DC has been too mature for their age range. They do like the Burton/Schumacher Batman movies and a lot of the animated shows, so if you are not a huge fan of DC, the elements of the movie meant to persuade you with nostalgia won’t work either. The Flash was made with a very specific subset of fan in mind, and from what little discourse I have seen online, that will play a large role in your enjoyment. Case in point, after the movie I overheard someone tell their friend it was the best superhero movie since Endgame, which is definitely a hot take I wish I could have unpacked with him.
Overall, my incredibly low expectations allowed me to enjoy The Flash. My family’s high expectations left them extremely disappointed. This isn’t a movie that can be quantified as good or bad — it really is a matter of expectations. What are you looking for? What are you hoping to see? If you saw all the Batman scenes in the trailer and have been excited to see the new Batman movie, you might not get what you wanted. This is a Flash story — I appreciate that they kept it focused on him. Expectations are a funny thing, but if you want to enjoy The Flash, I highly recommend you temper yours. I did, and was rewarded. Between the DCEU offerings and the 2023 superhero movie lineup, you could do a lot worse.
Score: 7/10
The Flash is currently playing in theaters
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