REVIEW #295 The Flash (2023)

Worlds collide when The Flash uses his powers to travel back in time and change the past. When his attempts to save his family inadvertently changes the future, he becomes trapped in a reality where foes like General Zod still wreak havoc.

One of the most discussed and controversial films of the year, The Flash actually takes us on a humour filled, yet heartfelt journey exploring the multiverse and time travel. I must say that Ezra steals the show with their comical timing, as well as their dramatic execution of Barry Allen’s more emotional plot points. Playing two identical characters that work so incredibly well together, looks very difficult, but it was super entertaining. Then you throw Michael Keaton into the mix and suddenly you have an amazing dynamic that elevated the film ten fold. They seemed to bounce off of each other, not to mention Keaton just looked like he had so much fun returning as Batman. The final actor that deserves praise is Sasha Calle who had pretty limited screen time, yet illustrated all of the complexities of this version of Supergirl. I was hesitant about a Supergirl movie prior to watching this, I just wasn’t sure if I would be that interested. But Calle has absolutley converted me. A movie dedicated to that entire arc would be so interesting to see, she would knock it out of the park!

The storyline itself is very predictable, you can guess how the movie ends as soon as it starts but nonetheless it’s enjoyable to witness the events play out. I do feel sorry for true fans of The Flash because apart from him being the main hero trying to save his mum, it didn’t have much else related directly to him. I can’t say I know a lot about his villain library but surely they could have decided on a villain associated with the Flash and not a Superman villain? At least we got to dive into the emotional side of the character and the loss of his mum, which is ultimately what the entire film is built upon. Muschietti done well to reel the audience in, connecting them to that feeling of loss and therefore connecting them with Barry Allen. We also saw some development with his powers which was nice to see, some things I never even knew The Flash could do, I have only watched the first three seasons of the CW show so my knowledge is pretty limited! But I do think this movie could help peak people’s interest in the character!

The CGI: 

The elephant in the room is the visual effects which has been heavily criticised across all platforms so I wanted to dedicate a segment to just that. For me there were two main set pieces in which the CGI was awful and could, in no way, be explained by “it’s weird because it’s from the flash’s perspective”. The first of the two comes in the opening scene, where we witness cartoon babies, I can almost forgive this due to the fact I’m yet to see a baby created realistically on CGI within any film, but that being said, why include something if you know it’ll look awful? Secondly it’s the viral scene of the battle with Zod that has exploded everywhere and rightly so! The desert in which this battle takes places looks like an environment you would see in Minecraft, I’ve seen better whilst dropping into the warzone on Call of Duty. It’s simply unacceptable, it’s not because the characters are moving fast because it’s at its worst when they’re stood still! When the flash is in full swing it actually improves slightly, with the lightning effects masking the poor environment underneath. I just hope Hollywood wakes up soon and puts an end to this horrible trend of bad VFX, audiences across the world deserve better! However with those two scenes aside, the rest of the visual effects and the cinematography in general is actually pretty good, relatively speaking. The movie has a lot of great still shots that are really creative and pay homage to the comic book style art. 

In conclusion The Flash is an enjoyable movie which finally gives the fastest man alive his own solo film and I can certainly understand why they didn’t want to scrap the film, despite the controversy. We would have been deprived a Keaton return, a stellar Sasha Calle performance and a whole lot of fun just for one persons mistakes. I’m not excusing Ezra Millers actions and given the huge shakeup of DC, he shouldn’t continue, especially since they’ve axed the definitive Superman! But I will say that Hollywood can be a tough place and it’s broken stronger people than I, so if they’re taking the steps to rehabilitate themselves then I wish them the best. 

Overall (7.5/10)

Thanks for reading.

Callan