The Flash (2023)

**The Flash uses the vast catalog of DC history to create an experience that celebrates the past films, highlights the good of the current DC movies, and opens the door for the future.**

The Flash reaches a high point on the roller coaster that is the inconsistent and directionless DC film universe. The story, the action, the laughs, and the cameos make The Flash a worthy cinematic debut for the Scarlet Speedster. The movie tone finds its influences more in the Marvel and Joss Whedon realm than the DC and Christopher Nolan universe, with humor overflowing in almost every scene of the movie. Despite the controversy, Miller’s Barry Allen is well done and entertaining, but the film is not great because of The Flash. It’s great because of all the outstanding fan service to long-time and committed DC fans. Ben Affleck’s Batman pummels thugs. Sasha Callie’s Supergirl unleashes her rage on evildoers. But the best part? Michael Keaton’s return to the cowl. His delight to once again portray the Caped Crusader is obvious, and that infectious joy makes the crowd eat up every scene he is in. The other DC cameos inspired plenty of applause from the theater and, I’m sure, will be entertaining for fans. Despite the nonstop humor in the film, Andy Muschietti creates some very emotional and moving moments that help give The Flash a more potent and satisfying ending. While it’s great, it is not a perfect film. The humor gets excessive in some places, and some of the character arcs end more abruptly than I would have liked, but The Flash is a fun, fresh, and entertaining superhero film that superhero fans can celebrate!

The main story of _The Flash_ regarding time travel and how it all plays out is solid even if everyone, including the audience, knows it’s the dumbest thing in the world to do. But the film is overwhelmingly goofy and the jokes never land properly. The film is special effects heavy and yet most shots involving an adequate amount of CGI are abysmal.

Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton look like they’re having fun, but Ezra Miller is obnoxious as the focal point of the film. There’s no sincerity in his performance even when it seems like he’s being genuine. _The Flash_ is a superhero film that prioritizes silliness with a cheese factor of gargantuan proportions, but no actual entertainment values whatsoever.

**Full review:** https://bit.ly/hsalfeht

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-andy-muschiettis-the-flash-movie-is-a-fun-love-letter-to-dc/

"The Flash contains excellent performances - Sasha Calle as Supergirl is mesmerizing - truly epic "super-speed" sequences, and countless moments of surprising humor.

The interesting, profound parallels between Barry Allen's arcs, the emotional moral dilemmas about life's scars, and the return of Danny Elfman's iconic Batman theme are some of the aspects that make this blockbuster a very satisfying, nostalgic viewing with more heart than meets the eye, despite not being able to escape the predictability of its narrative formulas.

Too bad that the visual effects are so inconsistent, and that the dependency on dreadful deepfakes is such a negatively impactful distraction. That said, it's one of the best movies from the nearly-extinguished DCEU."

Rating: B+

Now I know that you are not supposed to put baby in a corner, but is a microwave ok? (Mind you, I've been on enough flights lately to find that latter idea has definite merit!). Anyway, this takes a while to get going as we are introduced to "Barry" (Ezra Miller) and taken through the family scenario that led his mother to be slaughtered in a burglary and to his father being charged with the murder. Desperate to save his dad from the chair and and to reincarnate mom, he decides to use his great speed to take on time itself! Despite being warned against this potentially reckless action by "Batman" (the most fleeting of appearances from Ben Affleck) he goes for it; gets knocked out of the timeline and finds himself face to face with - himself (only much better looking with wavy hair). This isn't the only thing that's changing on the old space-time continuum and shortly after, "General Zod" (Michael Shannon) arrives bent on avenging the destruction of his home world of "Krypton" on the people of Earth. "Barry" has to think on his nimble feet, and try to assemble what he can of the "Justice League" to combat this threat. Turns out "Bruce Wayne" (now Michael Keaton) has rather let himself go and "Superman" is being held in an impenetrable metal scrotum in Siberia. Time to galvanise and get a-rescuing before his future, all of their futures, are lost. Can they all save the world? I liked this film. It's got loads of action, plenty of pith in a script that is at the more adult (without loads of expletives) end of the spectrum and Miller has the "P" word. Personality. They are clearly enjoying this, and there is loads of charisma emanating from both performances from a star who bucks the normal trend of being handsome but rather wooden. Miller is the former, certainly, but they bring life to the role. It's fun, and abetted by a story that has some weight and plenty of pace to it, we are taken on a series of lightly comedic adventures that make 2 hours and 20 minutes quite literally whizz by. Sasha Calle gives us some diversion from the Ezra show as Superman's cousin - no slouch in a fight either, and Keaton does fine as he rehabilitates his disillusioned "Batman" character using his gadgets and gizmos to great effect. It's so much better than I was expecting and I have to say that I enjoyed the quirkiness of Miller's interpretation of "Barry" - nowhere near as sterile and simpering as Grant Gustin's pure as the driven snow portrayal. The multiverse can keep on inventing and reinventing scenarios and the visual effects can work wonders making just about anything possible - but without strong and personable characters then I am sure I will just bore of the relentless repetition of these stories. Miller is different. Sure, we all know of their much publicised flaws, but I hope the studio look past that and commit to a sequel that allows this actor to continue to do what they do well here - and that's to entertain us. Needs a big screen, it will look very ordinary on the telly.

_The Flash_. First announced in 2014 and released in mid-2023, it is arguably one of the worst DC movies to this date. Throughout all the problems, the most incomprehensible is certainly how Warner kept allowing such a person as Ezra Miller to be cast as the main role to be the face of a hero. With a budget of $200 million they were able to deliver the worst possible CGI ever seen, and with it a crumbled plot that wishes for more of everything but Flash.

Michael Keaton has done a brilliant performance within this movie as a throwback to the 89's Batman. And with it, the new addition to the Justice League, Sasha Calle has done a fantastic job as Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), but both get rushed plot points that makes the audience wish for more of their screen time or even a solo movie and not the teenage nuisance that Barry Allen is. One minute, Supergirl rushes out ignoring everything, the other she's at the door regretting her decision and trying to help the rest of the characters. The same can be said about Michael Keaton's character.

The movie dives into the concept of time and its dangerous potential, later forgetting everything about it and labeling it "multiverse" instead, following Marvel's recent movies like _Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness_ and _Spider-Man: No Way Home_ and not adding a single spark of creativity with it. But those movies at least have decent scores, the music within this one must have been selected from a random kid's playlist...
The movie is also 2h 24m long, being completely unnecessary. Various scenes are completly descartable, an action scene at the start was put there with no thought whatsoever and is 15m of wasted narrative that could be used to invest in Supergirl's story (if she is here to stay). Iris West has no reason to be put into the movie. And for some reason they decided to make a bunch of cameos using CGI, and as previously said, that didn't go well.

In the end, DC is still the same mess. They can't properly build a plot and create a movie that sustains its own beliefs. Ben Affleck's Batman, at the start, said we can't change our past due to the fact that those key moments that leave scars are the moments that build our foundation and make us who we are. It seems that Barry Allen didn't learn shit from this two-hour journey.