It’s difficult to know exactly where to start with director Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. I don’t mean that as a pejorative comment; far from it. I’m almost flummoxed by how much this film achieves despite a somewhat troubled pre-production process, its inherited task of cleaning up the mess left behind by Zack Snyder’s run of DC films, and the off-screen troubles of its star, Ezra Miller.
On-screen, Miller is the key to what makes this film work. Their nervous slapstick energy as two versions of Barry Allen (Flash’s alter ego) permeates every layer of the movie, providing the perfect counterbalance to its deft emotional core and straight-faced fan service. The Flash is an adaptation of the beloved DC Comics event known as Flashpoint. From what I understand, some plot points have been changed to specifically set the table for the upcoming James Gunn-led era of this DC cinematic franchise. However, that emotional core I referred to is surprisingly intact.
Barry starts the film saving babies from a collapsing hospital while some of his fellow superheroes from the Snyder era track down a criminal gang connected to the collapse. The fanciful midair baby-saving sequence is appropriately Looney Tunes-esque and sets the comedic and visual tones extremely well. Starting with this scene and building from there, Muschietti and the effects artists consistently find ways to improve upon what was always the best thing about the Snyder films: the illustration of Flash’s speed powers. His lightning and slow-motion motifs are still intact, but the ways these interact with each other — for action, comedy, and drama — are beyond exciting. The interesting uses of these effects show that the filmmakers cared enough to do something new with the strong points of what they inherited when they could have easily just rested on their laurels and only tried to please pre-existing fans.
After this opening set piece, we’re thrust into the heart of the film. Barry is not only a nervous wreck due to being the young punk of a supergroup. He is also attempting to use his skills in forensics to exonerate his father from the charge of murdering his mother, a crime he knows for a fact his father did not commit. When Barry realizes he can run so fast as to travel back in time (it’s a superhero movie, let’s suspend our disbelief), he uses this newfound power to try to ensure his mother’s safety.
The new reality Barry creates by changing these events introduces him to a slightly younger, vastly more irresponsible version of himself. I imagine it’s incredibly difficult to calibrate a dual performance where you’re acting on set against an unseen version of yourself, but Miller totally delivers in that department. In the same way that the heroic sequences are action tentpoles, the scenes of the two Barrys neurotically arguing with one another are perfect comedic tentpoles.
Both Barrys soon meet Michael Keaton as Batman, a much-ballyhooed return. Keaton’s sections of the film will certainly elicit cheers from any packed house, but I also loved that he doesn’t outshine the rest of the film. Fans of the classic caped crusader definitely won’t feel shortchanged at all, but he’s witty and intelligent in a detached sort of way that wisely strays from showboating.
Also anticipated was the arrival of Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and she doesn’t disappoint, either. I am a huge fan of her arc in the middle of the film. It not only helps elucidate certain things about her character, but also contributes to Barry’s emotional journey in a surprising way that adds weight to the film’s best scene outside of its ending.
That ending packs a real punch. Even if you’re not typically a fan of superhero films, I would recommend The Flash on the strength of its ending alone. I was honestly stunned by where this film goes and how every element is so well-calibrated to go there. Though it does become an effects-heavy cacophony at times (even for as inventive as most of the effects are), The Flash often goes above and beyond to give you just about everything you could want in a summer movie and then some.| George Napper
