DC’s speedster juggling timelines, cameos, and CGI babies
Directed by: Andy Muschietti
Written by: Joby Harold. Screenplay by: Christina Hodson
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language, and partial nudity
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Runtime: 2:24
This review may contain spoilers
Remember the Justice League?
It’s weird to think that since Justice League, there have only been two movies starring Justice League heroes (Aquaman and Wonder Woman 1984). That was six years ago if you don’t count Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which came out in 2021.
And while the DCEU is in its last year (yeah, that’s right), DC is finally bringing The Flash to the big screen.
DCEU
This is (where are we now?) the 13th movie in the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, beginning with Man of Steel. This was supposed to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
But, the DCEU never had the same success as the Marvel movies. DC has colossal superhero brand names like Batman and Superman, so who can say why (WB rushing to catch up with Marvel, WB interference with just about everything, WB just being WB, everything too damn dark)?
However, The Flash may be the beginning of the end of the DCEU.
Why wasn’t this called Flashpoint?
Part of Barry Allen’s (Ezra Miller, Fantastic Beasts) origin story was finding his mother, Nora (Maribel Verdú, Pan’s Labyrinth), murdered by an unseen assailant when he was still a child, and his father, Henry (Ray Livingston, Office Space), was wrongfully accused of her death. Now that he’s Central City’s speedy superhero, The Flash, Barry discovers he can use his powers to time travel. Fellow Justice Leaguer Batman (Ben Affleck in his last official time as Batman) warned him of messing with timelines because it makes things worse. Barry does it anyway, saving his mother from dying and seeing a timeline where his family is happy and whole.
But then…
General Zod (the bad guy from Man of Steel, again played by Michael Shannon) shows up in Earth’s orbit, restarting the events of Man of Steel, minus Superman. Now, Flash must find where this timeline’s Superman is to fight Zod and find his own way back home.
Ezra Miller
I’m not the biggest fan of Ezra Miller, and not just cause I find their acting annoying. Miller has a whole past with arrests, harassment, and endangering. Needless to say, I think WB should have fired the actor’s ass after multiple controversies.
Miller did play multiple versions of Barry Allen, including his younger self before powers. Remarkably, the younger Barry is more obnoxious and impulsive than the adult version, making them distinguishable from each other despite looking the same.
“Yeah, I’m Batman”
Okay, it’s cool; it’s not a big deal. He’s just an actor in a comic book movie. Just an actor who played Batman a couple of times.
Just… MICHAEL KEATON IS BACK AS THE GODDAMNED BATMAN!
Okay, so I might be a little excited to have Keaton back as Batman. But this is the Batman I grew up with, and honestly, the main reason I wanted to go see The Flash.
Keaton is the kind of Batman you compare the other Batman actors by. Val Kilmer and George Clooney – at least Michael Keaton didn’t have Bat-Nipples. Christian Bale? Seriously, with that Batman voice? Ben Affleck? More like Ass-Chin-Man, amiright?
Maybe I’m a little biased…
Either way, Keaton back in the rubbery cowl again is nothing short of epic. The bat suit is so old-school that Keaton still couldn’t turn his head; I love it. He stole the show, playing the role like he never left it. And the secret to Keaton playing the role so easily again is obvious – he is Batman.
Plus, bringing back that classic ’89 Batmobile and Batwing was a nice touch.
I also love how both DC and Marvel bring back older movies as alternate universes, keeping them part of their respective multiverses. It’s better than just ditching films we grew up with.
CGI Eyesores
Okay, seriously, what was with the bad CGI? It’s so bad that it cannot be ignored. I could forgive it if it was just for the Speedforce scenes, like maybe everything looks poorly rendered when you’re breaking the fabric of space and time. You can call it being stylish or something.
But the CGI babies were just… laughable. Yeah, there’s a whole scene of a maternity ward of babies (including a dog and nurse) falling to their deaths. Naturally, CGI was used for the falling babes, and woo boy, they looked like cartoon babies.
Before seeing all of the CGI, I was laughing my ass off when the maternal nurse accidentally chucks one of the babies out of her arms when the floor gave way.
Yeah, I know, I’m sick – but it was really funny.
Not bad until that third act
The Flash is a superhero film weighing more on humor, which it has plenty of. Obviously, the best part is having Michael Keaton being awesome as Batman again. Once the final battle happens with Flash, Batman, and Supergirl fighting Zod starts up, though, it gets confusing. The final bad guy reveal at the end makes it even worse and leads to the conclusion that Barry not learning from this time-traveling experience. It has some good emotional moments, but really, it just closes with an empty feeling.
With the DCEU on its way out, a new universe building, and Flash screwing everything up, you’d think that there would be something to set up future movies with an end-credit scene. Orrrr, a jokey scene with Flash and a drinking buddy as he tries to explain everything. Wouldn’t he be trying to run the Speedforce to redo things again?
The Flash is currently playing in theaters.
