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After years of multiple delays, The Flash Movie finally came out mid-last month. Unfortunately, the film is underperforming at the box office, and it will most likely lose WB a lot of money. However, the Flash isn’t failing because it’s a bad movie.
Yes, there are certain parts of the film with bad CGI and its third act relies heavily on cameos of past beloved DC characters for unearned nostalgia. But at its core, the Flash Movie is a good and emotional story of a superhero trying to recover from the childhood he never had with his parents.
The Flash Movie Review
Loosely based on the Flashpoint comic, The Flash Movie sees the speedster using his powers to travel back in time to change the events of his past. But when saving his family alters the future, Barry soon becomes trapped in a world without superheroes, and General Zod has returned threatening annihilation. With no other heroes around, The Flash has no choice but to persuade a very different Batman to come out of retirement and help rescue the one person who can save the earth from Zod, Supergirl.
The strongest aspects of The Flash film are its humor, story, and main characters.
I didn’t expect the DC Movie to be as hilarious as it was. The film is littered with several well-earned funny moments that keep it alive (especially in the first half). Yeah, some jokes were borderline cringe, but the majority of them worked, so the film gets a pass.
The Flash’s story wasn’t bad either.
Kicking off with a hilarious opening, the Flash Movie sees Barry trying to help Batman on a mission in Gotham. Sadly, this is Ben Affleck’s last time as the caped crusader (especially considering how good he is in this scene). But given how embattled the DCEU has been since its conception, I think it’s for the best.
The film’s main plot starts when Barry discovers the evidence of his father’s innocence isn’t strong enough to absolve him of his mother’s death. And through this pain, we get a glimpse of Barry’s sad childhood and see how he lost both parents in one day. Barry runs at Lightspeed and ends up in the Chronobowl – a space in the Speed Force that allows him to move between different points in time.
Name and poor CGI aside, The Chronobowl was great. I loved how it appeared as moments from across the DCEU, all the way from Man of Steel to Sydner’s Justice League and more. This would have been so nostalgic if the DCEU wasn’t such a mess, but I digress.
Convinced that stopping his mum’s murder is the only way to save his dad, Barry goes back to fix things. However, altering a minor event in the past can drastically affect the future.
Now The Flash was already a very entertaining film with the opening alone. But when Barry meets his younger self in the past, the film cranks the humor up to an eleven (especially with the Star Wars and Back to the Future references).
Ezra Miller does such a brilliant job of playing both past and present Barry, that it’s hard to believe that they weren’t two different people. I also loved that for most of this part of the movie, Barry has to guide his past self on using his powers. This coaching created a mini origin story that showed the struggles present Barry went through when learning to control his powers.
With no Justice League to stop Zod, Barry results in contacting the only confirmed hero in the universe, Batman.
Now, I haven’t seen Batman 1989, but I really loved Michael Keaton’s Batman in this movie. Keaton’s Batman was always decisive and wasted no time getting into action. As expected, the Dark Knight uses his skill, technology, and wits to rescue both Flashes on multiple occasions.
But things get even better when Supergirl arrives.
Though her story arc is short, Sasha Calle does a great job as an enraged Supergirl who hasn’t seen daylight in decades. Together with the two Flashes and Batman, Supergirl forms the Earth’s last line of defense against General Zod & his Kryptonian army.
Though it’s no Zod vs. Superman from Man of Steel, the fight between Supergirl and Zod had real emotions that Sasha portrays well to the audience. This final fight also allowed us to see both Flashes in action.
Watching both Barrys beating up Zod’s Kryptonian soldiers was hilarious. However, it’s during this fight that the difference in experience between Barry and his younger self becomes very clear. While younger Barry is still figuring out his powers, present Barry shows off his mastery and creativity with his abilities.
However, it’s at this point that the core story of the Flash Movie becomes obvious: “Accepting the Tragedies of the past”
Even with superpowers, Barry learns the hard way that some events cannot be changed (at least, not without severe consequences). And so our favorite speedster is forced to go back and stop himself from saving his mom in other to save the world.
I loved Barry’s farewell to his mom. But still heavy with grief, The Flash still alters events such that he can at least save his father from life behind bars. But even this little change has its consequences.
Verdict
The Flash Movie
Movie title: The Flash
Review
Is the Flash Movie one of the greatest superhero movies ever made? No. For that, check out Across the Spider-Verse.
But flaws aside, the DC Superhero film is a hilarious movie with a good story and excellent acting. I particularly enjoyed how the movie is essentially a what-if scenario of 2013’s Man of Steel and I had a blast watching the movie.
I hope the final movie in the DCEU does better when it comes out on demand because, in the end, The Flash is an entertaining movie that deserves better.
Overall
3.7User Review
( vote)Pros
- Hilarious
- Great acting (Ezra Miller Especially)
- Good Storyline
Cons
- Poor Visual Effects at Certain Points
- Messy Cameo Sequence in The Third Act
