The Flash is incredible. It’s also the best superhero film since Avengers: Endgame.
Starting after the events of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and James Wan’s Aquaman, DC’s The Flash speeds straight into action. The opening scenes are thrilling, inventive, funny and relentless. If you have any fingernails left by the end of this first scene you’re a better person than me. We’re also gifted the return of Ben Affleck’s Batman. Here he’s in fine form, in what will sadly be his last outing as the Dark Knight.
The film’s first quarter briskly sets up the movie’s premise without it feeling rushed, laboured or forced. Personal issues aside, Ezra Miller puts in a career defining performance and is one of the best things about the film. Playing the dual roles of present day Barry, Miller also plays an 18 year old incarnation who grew up with his mother. This juxtaposition adds real emotion to proceedings, with one Barry hurting and the other living in ignorant bliss. There’s also a conflict is created between a happy-go-lucky kid who grew up in the perfect family home and an older Barry who lost everything. Young Barry also bears a resemblance to Bill and Ted, in one of the film’s many time travel film references.
The dual Barrys are also convincing making it easy to forget there’s only one actor on screen. This twisted Parent Trap is a pairing second only to Oscar Issac in the brilliant Moon Knight. In both Moon Knight and The Flash, the actors’ chemistry with themselves is off the charts.
Batman Returns
Director Andy Muschietti should also be commended for delivering a fast paced movie. Here we have a director who crams his work with great ideas. There’s also a real love for the source material, and for the fans. It’s clear that, aside from a few unnecessary tweaks, Warners have finally learned their lesson to let their artists their job.
One of the most exciting and main selling points of The Flash is Michael Keaton’s Batman returns. His reintroduction is epic, as is Keaton’s performance. If you don’t get a kick out of this, then you clearly went to see the wrong film. There’s full on Back To The Future vibes here too, reminiscent of when Marty seeks Doc’s help in 1955. Keaton is therefore both a hero and mentor to Barry, as well as a friend. Back To The Future is a film referenced both thematically and visually throughout the script. And its influence is both welcomed and celebrated. This all brings with it a Flash movie that is a fun, brighter and more inventive the DC than we’ve seen in the past.
Barry’s butterfly-effect antics also bring about the introduction of Supergirl. This is a more aggressive version of Kara Zor-El than previously portrayed in the movies or on TV. She’s darker without brooding, and Sasha Calle brings an intensity to the role that is both exciting and believable. Supergirl’s screen time serves the story perfectly whilst leaving you wanting more. It’s the perfect introduction to a new vision for the character. It’s therefore a shame we’re unlikely to see more of Sasha in this role. The Flash was due to set up more films that sadly have likely been axed, evidenced by a disappointing change in the film’s ending.
Empty Your Bladder
At 2hrs 24mins, The Flash uses its time wisely and is never slow or boring. If you’re looking for that dull moment to nip to the loo, prepare to jiggle in your seat. The Flash packs so much into its runtime you’ll need to fully empty your bladder before the film. That, or take a catheter into the cinema; you won’t want to miss a thing.
Then there’s much rumoured cameos. Oh my gosh, those cameos. These are reason enough to see the film. One particular cameo had me in tears as, just like the Flash, I was transported back to my childhood. There’s been accusations of “ghoulish grave robbing” but those are from people are digging for negativity. This is a film made by fans for the fans. The Flash makes our dreams come true and does it with heart and integrity. There is one cameo you won’t want to miss. I ain’t saying what it is, just trust me.
The Box Office
Early reports are that The Flash’s box office isn’t performing to expectations. There’s multiple reasons for this but it sure isn’t the quality of the film. These could be:
Toxic fandom
The Snyder fans are out in force boycotting the film because of James Gunn’s takeover. This makes no sense considering this is still part of the Snyderverse. If anything they should be seeing it over and over, that’s how to prove their point. Add to that the ardent Marvel fans who detest everything DC and you have a perfect storm of toxic fan-crying.
James Gunn and Warner Bros.
James Gunn and WB have mishandled his takeover, despite a creative head being exactly what DC needs. From the unceremonious axing of Superman star Henry Cavil, the Batgirl film and Michael Keaton’s return in Batman Beyond, things have been handled badly. Gunn has supported The Flash but it’s also fair to say the announcement of him killing off the DCEU was misjudged. WB showed little respect to the current continuity, the actors and the fans. A little more patience would have served DC better as they eased out the old and ushered in the new. This should have built to an epic a goodbye, as was Endgame rather than an axe swinging into limbo.
Gunn has pretty much left The Flash alone, but there are still some odd choices at the film’s close that have his hand. The final scene was better as scripted and originally filmed, with one joke cameo being a puzzling and bizarre choice. The cutting of Keaton, Calle and Cavill from the last seen was a mistake and I can’t see what’s been achieved by this if the whole DCEU is dead anyway.
The end credits scene was also cut from something epic to something nonsensical, which would have seen the return of Affleck. Here’s hoping these missteps aren’t a taste of the future. Though I suspect a poorly executed hatchet job is real the culprit here but by dooming the past the future of DC could also be in trouble. Did the producers learn nothing from watching The Flash?
Dead Franchise
Which leads nicely into the next point; People aren’t interested in seeing a dead franchise that will go no where. It feels like a waste of time and money for many movie goers. Especially when the cost of going to the cinema is now so high. The movie studios need to respect our wallets if they want us to fill theirs.
Streaming
Since Covid, some movie companies appear to have lost interest in attracting us back to the silver screen. Disney is of course the worst offender, a studio that pushes Disney + to the point of making their cinema releases struggle. Many movies are out on streaming platforms within weeks of their big screen release, others are even same day. Not only are people saving their money but as soon as it’s available to stream legally a 4K copy is available to pirates. This is bad news for cinema. The studios need to go back to longer gaps between the cinema release and home availability.
Ezra Miller
Ezra is fantastic as The Flash and proves even their most ardent detractors wrong. Ezra’s personal life is however problematic. Whether it’s a mental health issue or something more criminal, Ezra has been a negative shadow over movie. None of this was helped by Josh Whedon’s version of The Flash in Justice League. Whedon made Miller’s Flash unpopular before his personal life went off the rails. Miller is however a fantastic actor and he nails the quadruple roles of the Barry Allens and The Flashes. Miller creates a more relatable, likeable character. This is a stark contrast to the sarcastic jock found in some iterations, though we do still get some of this from young Barry. However, for some going to see The Flash will depend on your ability to separate the person from the art, as well as how much you believe the reports.
The greatest post-pandemic superhero movie
So The Flash has finally arrived after an ironically long time. It’s full of heart, excitement and emotion. It is the greatest superhero movie of the last 3 years, and that includes the fantastic Spider-Man ‘No Way Home’. For me, The Flash just edges Spidey into second place. It is also the best entry in the DCEU, a film that builds on everything that came before it, then forges something new. The Flash also allows the viewer to geek out and have more fun that Synder did. This a film for everyone who loved the Synderverse, for people nostalgic for past DC and for those who want a complex, modern and fun superhero movie.
The Flash is also a great time travel film, it’s up there with Endgame and it surpasses the both excellent Multiverse of Madness and Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s also on par with Enter The Spiderverse. It’s still not as good as Back To The Future, but then nothing is. Those involved should be proud of what they’ve accomplished, there is literally nothing else WB / DC can do now except the great reset and like the symbol of house of El, hope.
You know a DC film is good when the most the haters can manage is that it has a few bits of dodgy CGI. If that is now the bar on which we critique films, then cinema truly is dead. If only The Flash could go back in time and give our heroes this level of quality from the start, DC would be in a very different place right now. Ignore the hate and here’s hoping positive word of mouth accelerates The Flash’s success.
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