The Flash: Film Review
While The Flash was my favourite character in Justice League, I didn’t hold much hope for his standalone movie because of all the delays and issues with Ezra Miller. However, it is pretty good overall.
The film stars Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, a super speedy member of the Justice League. One day, he discovers he can travel back in time using his powers, so he goes back to save his mum. While the mission is a success, he soon discovers that he has ruined the timeline and erased his superhero pals from existence.
The Flash is a surprisingly entertaining and enjoyable DCEU entry and definitely one of the best we’ve seen in a while. It has a brilliant sense of humour (I laughed out loud a bunch) and a genuinely good story with a solid emotional core.
But it is not perfect by any means. The visual effects are not amazing and in some moments they are downright awful. I didn’t like how The Flash’s super speed was depicted visually – it didn’t look like he was touching the floor – and Sasha Calle‘s Supergirl moved like a video game character at times. It also suffers from the recurring superhero movie issue of the final showdown being a big CGI mess. The visuals are bad and the storytelling felt quite haphazard so the final act is the weakest point of the movie.
Casting all personal issues against Miller aside, they are excellent as Allen. I thought they were perfectly cast in the role in Justice League and that continues to be the case here. They seem to be having great fun and had an amusing rapport playing against themselves. The scenes with two Barrys were outstanding – the way they riff off each other is hilarious.
There are times when Miller is almost upstaged by Michael Keaton as Batman. Fans of Tim Burton’s ’80s/’90s Batman will get such a kick out of seeing Keaton back in the role after so long. And he’s not a cameo – he has a substantial role and it was a joy to see him do this thing. It’s The Flash’s movie but Batman gets several chances to shine.
Calle is terrific as Supergirl, she gives her a tortured personality that really grounds her among the fantastical elements. Unfortunately, her potential is wasted in this role; she deserved way more screen time.
The Flash is a mixed bag but overall, it is much better than I expected.
In cinemas from Friday 16th June