REVIEW: The Flash Speeds Past Moments of Greatness

The Flash has sped into theaters after what seemed like a slow and painfully few years in development and production hell. So, was DC's ambitious multiverse blockbuster worth the wait?

 To start, the comedic moments are good, especially in the opening. Lots of fun set pieces, gags and overall fun moments. The characters surrounding The Flash all have some good qualities to them and it made the world feel more lived in despite the DC universes disjointed connections through the years. To be completely honest the first 15 minutes or so were probably my favorite parts of the movie. 

 Michael Keaton's return as Batman reminded me how cool of a character Batman used to be. Like don’t get me wrong, he’s still cool, but Keaton's Batman with all his gadgets and bat shaped vehicles and assets is just fun. At times it felt like Andy was using this film as an audition to make a Batman film (and with recent news it seems he succeeded). Overall it was fun seeing Keaton dawn the cowl again, even though I feel like the writing could’ve done him more justice. 

 Sasha Calle as Supergirl was honestly a refreshing take on the character. Where we as a society have been obsessed with the “what if Superman was evil” storyline even outside of DC (see The Boys, Invincible, etc.) Sasha breathes new life into the character with a more unhinged yet good hearted character. 

 Finally, the titular character of 'The Flash' who I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying throughout the movie (separating the art from the artist of course). Barry Allen was entertaining to watch throughout the film, of course there were a few awkward deliveries and jokes that fell flat, but the character of this awkward yet well meaning person comes through greatly.

 While Barry has more than passable comedic timing in this film I felt the character truly shined best in the films emotional scenes, which I felt were oddly scarce. The plot of Barry Allen trying to get his father name cleared turning into a quest to even stop his mothers murder from the beginning is an emotional roller coaster I really wish we spent more time on. However this huge plot-point for the iconic characters lore takes a backseat to a glutenous feast of cameos and Man of Steel nostalgia.

The films VFX have sparked some debate regarding its quality, and I think overall it’s a pretty mixed bag. Muschietti claimed that some of the oddly rendered VFX are intentional due to The Flashes warped perspective when he's in motion, and while I think it works as a decent scapegoat excuse, some scenes I feel still needed some touching up. However even at it's worse it still doesn't offend the senses like some CGI seen in other recent blockbusters. While the majority of the time travel scenes leave much to be desired on the VFX front, scenes with The Flash running into action were executed surprisingly well. I also really enjoyed how Millers Flash engages in combat, utilizing his skillset into a unique set of moves usually found in old Justice League cartoons brought to the big screen.  

Overall the things I liked about this film were it’s characters, fun action sequences, solid comedic elements and even some really heartfelt scenes. 

 Now onto what I didn’t like… again, I’ll try to avoid spoilers where I can. 

My god, the cameos in this film are the definition of “too much”. It’s almost gratuitous. There were quite a few cameos in this film and only about two of them worked. The rest felt like a forced “oooh the audience will love this” only to illicit the exact opposite reaction. Especially cameos from actors who have long passed, raising the dead for the sake of desperate cameo is never good.

 Aside from the annoying cameos there was some… interested cinematography choices. Don’t get me wrong there’s good cinematography here but there’s also many shots that just made me scratch my head wondering if they used the wrong lenses. 

Overall there’s definitely things that could’ve used a second or even third thought before releasing, and most of the cameos felt forced and sometimes downright despicable. However from a filmmaking perspective I’m actually surprised this didn’t turn out worse. With all the problems plaguing this production through the years it’s serviceable as is. Hell there’s even plenty of scenes that are downright fun. It leaves more to be desired but doesn’t stoop to the disappointment I went in expecting.