The Flash Review: The Flash can't outrun its controversial past

An Action-Comedy film Directed by Andy Muschietti is about The Flash going back in time to save his mother and, in turn, breaking the multiverse.

THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. LEAVE OR BE SPOILED

The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, is about Barry Allen (Played by Ezra Miller) using his super speed to change the past to prevent the murder of his mother (Played by Maribel Verdú). Barry’s attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to race to save the future.

It’s a shame that The Flash is getting review-bombed and is doing poorly at the box office due to Ezra Miller’s controversial past because this movie was great.

The comedy was perfect. Most of the humor in this film landed perfectly, for example, Young Barry’s first time running with super speed. It was hilarious because it showed how untrained he was, and it was funny seeing his clothes set on fire and him not knowing what to do. Even some of the more serious scenes were funny, like when Young Barry moved Original Barry too fast, making him puke while guards shot both of them. Also, when Young Barry was making his suit out of the 1992 Batman costume, and he tried to turn his head, the cowl was stiff, and he couldn’t move his head.

The action of the film was executed quite well. At the beginning of the movie, Original Barry had to save a hospital from collapsing, and it was an excellent interpretation of his hyper-metabolism and how he needed to eat or he would slow down. Another scene was when Batman (Portrayed by Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Played by Gal Gadot) were chasing Falcone’s goons. It felt like it was an episode from “Justice League Unlimited.” Another great scene was when Supergirl (Played by Sasha Calle) had to save Batman (Portrayed by Micheal Keaton/89) and the two Barrys from the guards; it was cool to see her launch people into the air.

The acting from Ezra Miller and his two versions of Barry Allen was fantastic and unique. I enjoyed the difference between the two Barrys. Original Barry was matured much compared to the last time we saw him in “Zack Synder’s Justice League.” Original Barry had tricks that he taught Young Barry, like phasing through solid objects, throwing lightning, and how to move things carefully when moving at superspeed, and this was cool because we have never got a Flash origin movie, and these scenes served as his origin. Young Barry was hilarious; he acted how anyone would if they found out they got super speed: excited; Young Barry was excited at seeing Batman(89) and Supergirl for the first time, and he was super eager to find out how to control his new abilities.

The Costume designs were good but could’ve been better. Original Barry’s Flash suit was excellent with bright red and gold accents. Still, the suit’s texture looked strangely like a scrotum, and the helmet looked large and goofy. The Batman(89) suit was great; it took everything from the previous two iterations of his Bat-suit and perfected it; the only thing that I think could’ve been better is if they added a yellow belt to contrast the colors of his suit.

The CGI in the movie was inconsistent, but most of the time, it was terrible. Each time Barry went into the speed force, the textures of all the characters, like Superman (Portrayed by Henry Cavil, Nicholas Cages, Christopher Reeves, and George Reeves), looked rubbery. Director Andy Muschietti said, “The idea, of course, is... we are in the perspective of the Flash. Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this ‘Waterworld,’ which is basically being in Barry’s POV. It was part of the design, so if it looks a little weird to you, that was intended.” An excuse to explain why the CGI was bad.

The Flash movie aimed to reset the “DCEU” into the “DCU.” It was supposed to be a soft reboot, recasting certain characters and changing their stories. However, the transition was done poorly. It looked like nothing much had changed except Batman being portrayed by George Clooney instead of Ben Affleck. I don’t know how The Flash will explain everything that has changed for the future of the “DCU.”

The Flash wasn’t perfect, but I don’t believe it should be getting the hate it has been getting. It’s unfair to the people that worked on this film. I give The Flash an 8.3/10. I recommend watching it if you want a funny and action-packed movie.