The Flash
review by Bobby Blakey
One of the most anticipated and controversial films coming out of the superhero genre is director Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. The film was being hyped with all the awesome additions to the cast including the return of both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as Batman as well as continuing the Snyder-verse. While people were eager to see it, it’s been overshadowed by the personal issues with its star Ezra Miller and what the final release would look like. The film features a great cast alongside the big three including Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Antje Traue, Temuera Morrison, Sasha Calle, and Kiersey Clemons, but could this film actually be something bigger than its controversy and deliver or will it get lost in time?
The Flash follows Barry Allen aka The Flash who is struck by a bolt of lightning and thus, an extraordinary power is born inside him: The Speed Force. When he uses this power to run back in time and save his mother, he creates a world without heroes and General Zod has returned. To defeat him, his only hope rest in the hands of a retired Batman, another Barry and an imprisoned Kryptonian.
Before diving into this review I want to say I get a lot of people likely staying away from this movie strictly due to the issues with Ezra Miller. By no means does this film diminish what he has done or the steps that he needs to go through to repair any damage. It is sad to think that all the hype and work of the cast of this film will be made to suffer should his actions hurt the release because it’s a damn good film.
I am going to keep this review spoiler free as usual as there are a lot of surprises and fun to be had here that everyone deserves to experience. Right out the gate it wastes no time in getting in on the action complete
with a great sequence with Affleck’s Batman. It’s a filler sequence that is silly at times and some of the CGI was a bit off, but really just meant to set the tone and showcase that he is already the hero we met in Justice League and beyond. From there things focus more directly on his journey in this universe and Miller is excellent.
Barry is more evolved into the role of hero by now as opposed to the more uncertain persona he had in JL. This allows to see a new side of him and when he is put side by side with the other Barry Allen is chewing up the screens with two sides of the same coin to complete brilliance. He handles both roles to perfection and even without the addition of Batman to the film would have easily been able to carry it all on his own.
For those wondering how much screen time Keaton gets have no fear it takes a while to get there, but once introduced he is all in for the rest of the flick. He steps back into the cowl like he never left and looks to be having a blast. This is not only a great addition and continuation of the Batman that has come before, but further proof he needs to be playing the role for the Batman Beyond project fans have been begging for.
On the other side is Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, which I can honestly say I was a bit worried about. Not that she didn’t look great, but more the tortured version it appeared we were getting, but I was very wrong. She is so good in the role and I hope this is just the beginning of seeing her stay in the role. She brings strength and power to the role while still being vulnerable and all around awesome. Would I have loved to have Cavill back in the tights? Of course, but she stands out all her own and I can honestly say I never missed him here.
The film does get bogged down at times with so much happening and I am sure some will feel the use of the story from Man of Steel as the big battle might feel like a copout, but know that it’s a small portion to the rest of the film despite being the biggest part of the action. There are plenty of things here that will have DC fans of all generations smiling ear to ear and some that might have people scratching their heads confused if you don’t know the history, but either way it is fantastic.
As we have all been hearing it does full on reboot the DC cinematic universe, but not in the way you might think. Before seeing this film I liked Miller in the role, but was fine if they were to recast him for the future, but after seeing it I really hope he remains and they find the help they need to move forward in life in a better direction all around. I am not a huge Flash fan, but left the film smiling and feeling my comic nerd brain in overload of happiness from what I experienced and hope that all the work that was done to make this happen gets rewarded as it deserves.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including deleted scenes, numerous featurettes, behind the scenes and so much more. Speed to the rescue and grab your copy of The Flash available now on digital and on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on August 29th from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.