The fastest man alive finally got his own film, and despite its shortcomings, it’s a blast… or at least it will be for some. The Flash is a somewhat unambitious, but entertaining comeback for the DCEU.
If you think about it, it’s kind of funny how The Flash is so late to the multiverse party. Marvel has been dealing with its own multiverse in its latest entries, even the Academy Award for Best Film went to a movie about the multiverse, and only now have we arrived to The Flash? Being late is kind of a Barry Allen thing, even though this probably has to do with Ezra Miller’s incidents in the past years. But let’s not waste any more time, the multiverse awaits!
Barry Allen, trying to prevent his mother’s death and to clear his father’s name, goes back to the past to change the events that made him lose both of his parents. However, even small changes can mean devastating consequences to his universe. In a world without metahumans, Barry must deal with not only himself, but with a Batman he never knew, as well as old and new foes alike.
Veteran comic book fans surely know that Barry trying to save his parents and causing trouble in the process has been the key element of many successful stories about the character, but that also means that there are no significant changes in the story director Andy Muschietti’s tells us. Luckily, Flash and Batman (and every variation of them) are the true heart of this story, and they work exceptionally well together. It’s amazing to see Michael Keaton return as Batman, even though his presence will mean much more at the box office instead of the story. Sasha Calle takes on the role Supergirl with great confidence, and of course, Ezra Miller can finally shine as The Flash, making us feel thankful that Warner decided to release this film with everything going on around the actor.
What irreparably shatters the experience though is the terrible CGI. I’m not sure if they just couldn’t handle the amount of visual effects, or it was something to do with production difficulties, but certain characters in certain scenes were closer to wax than computer generated image. They decided to come up with a brand new visualization for the Speed Force, but it doesn’t work, since you’ll spend most of your time trying to forget the horrific faces you have seen.
It’s a real shame, because despite the mediocre story, the drama of Barry, the half-baked jokes and great cameos make “The Flash” an exciting watch, leaving us with a feeling that all of this could have been so much better. That being said, it also could have been much worse – which is what I expected – so that’s probably why I will think fondly on this film for a while.
The Review
It’s a real shame, because despite the mediocre story, the drama of Barry, the half-baked jokes and great cameos make "The Flash" an exciting watch, leaving us with a feeling that all of this could have been so much better. That being said, it also could have been much worse – which is what I expected – so that’s probably why I will think fondly on this film for a while.
