Given all the issues surrounding the production of this movie, from the allegations against the lead actor to all sorts of production delays, I wasn’t sure what I would see when I went to the multiplex on Father’s Day. THE FLASH movie turned out to be surprising in a lot of ways…and it does set the stage well for the next phase of the DCEU. There were flaws…and a few plot holes…but overall this movie left me pleasantly surprised. Wanna know more? Follow us after the jump!
ONLY MILD SPOILERS AHEAD – STILL, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Let’s get a few complaints out of the way before we start talking about the truly good things that were in this movie. Here’s my quick list:
- We don’t get an explanation of who/what/why Barry’s mother dies. No Eobard Thawne here…and I’ll explain later why I’m okay with that. But, we are left with “someone broke in” as an explanation and never really get to a culprit.
- The way Barry Allen’s personality is portrayed here (and in the earlier JL movie) has little to do with any other depiction of Barry Allen in any DC media. Barry IS a nerd…but in most comics he’s not obnoxious.
- Some of the CGI was not up to par, particularly during the depiction of prior DC actors. It hit the uncanny valley in some cases.
Okay…that’s about it, and honestly all of that was outweighed by the good that was in this movie. Without giving away too much, here are the good things in the movie:
- The depiction of Barry’s speed was spot on. Ditto for the interesting way they depicted time travel. The CGI budget looks to have been blown here (possibly explaining my complaint above). But, if the budget had to be blown somewhere, this was the right place. Well done!
- Michael Keaton was in the movie!
- Michael Keaton was in the movie!
- Michael Keaton was in the movie!
- Did I mention Michael Keaton? Yes I did! It wasn’t just bringing his character back – it was bringing a lot more of the 1989 movie back, with the hall of armor, the ’89 Batmobile, the silhouette of the Batplane against the moon, and more.
- …and Michael Keaton was absolutely outstanding in this movie!
- Sasha Calle’s Supergirl was also outstanding – she could handle a DC movie all on her own.
- Zod? Yes, Zod worked. I had my doubts going in, but his character frankly worked better here than in his original appearance in Man of Steel.
- There were just enough echoes of FLASHPOINT to make the movie plot work – but also enough departures that it was not a repeat of what happened in the TV series.
- And as for no Eobard Thawne – I get why they didn’t have him here. That would have made the entire movie about Flash vs. Reverse Flash and they would have essentially been copying the TV Flashpoint. They needed something different, so I get leaving him out (though I would love to see him in a future FLASH movie).
And finally, there was the opportunity to create the DCEU Multiverse that has been realized here. James Gunn now has essentially a clean slate – he can pick the parts that he wants to keep and discard the rest…and hopefully create a DC Movie-verse that will be a major improvement.
SUMMARY: In the end, I’m still troubled by the issues surrounding the lead actor. Hopefully the next time we see The Flash a new actor (or an old one we would love to see) will be playing the role. But the overall movie was surprisingly good. It was far better than I was afraid it might be, and frankly better than most DC movies of recent years. I’ll give this one an 8/10 – of course, that’s just my opinion. What do YOU think? Leave your comments below!
I liked the movie, in particular thought the speed effects were great, although yes I’ve always thought that the character of this DCEU Flash is unlike any other representation of the Flash’s personality ever. But if you put that aside, I thought Miller did a phenomenal job playing both roles, actually. My main gripe was the ending … not a plot hole, but a character arc hole. Barry’s character arc is never completed, because he doesn’t learn his lesson fully!
I liked it more than I thought I would, but I think being a departure from the Flashpoint of the comics or the show hurt it. This is the Flash’s first live action movie, and the villain with the most screentime is Zod? The best Easter Eggs are in relation to Batman?
On a smaller scale, I did like Barry’s personal journey. Teaching his past self those Flash tricks was cool. I have no idea what the possibility is for another Flash movie, but it’s got to have the Rogues and be more Flash-centric in general.
I thought the movie was pretty good, but it’s still disappointing that they went with Flashpoint again and made the film so Batman-heavy. Michael Keaton was great though, and I’m glad they went with multiversal shenanigans rather than that universe’s established Batman (no hate on Affleck, but going with Keaton made it more unique).
Wish we could get a full-on Flash movie, but I suppose WB was concerned nobody would go see it without Batman and well known elements from the wider DCU. There’s a sad irony that a lot of people are avoiding the film anyway due to the Ezra Miller controversy.