Review: The Flash
Worlds Collide.
THE PLOT
When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
QUICK REVIEW
There’s winds of change happening over the landscape of DC film adaptations. And yet even as a complete change in leadership is underway, we still have remnants of the previous leadership’s catalog to contend with. Whether it be the Shazam sequel from earlier in the year, the upcoming Aquaman sequel later in the year, or the newly released The Flash which has finally arrived into theatres after years of delays, a PR nightmare thanks to Ezra Miller being a terror, and non-stop hype that we were about to see the greatest comic book movie of all-time.
I never bought that last bit, but I did hope that at the very least we’d get an entertaining film even if it was another entry into the DC’s own attempt at the MCU which hasn’t hit well with me in the past. But sadly I have to report that for me this movie didn’t even live up to the hype of a mid-tier comic book film much less among the greatest of them.
Let me get the big positive out of the way though - Michael Keaton’s return as Batman. His donning of the cape crusader’s costume for the first time since I was a toddler is a big success. Keaton’s presence gives us a glimpse of a movie that really could have lived up to the hype as something special. Every scene of his he steals the show and I couldn’t help but wonder how much more interesting this would’ve been as a solo vehicle for him rather than be a sidekick in a multi-verse flick.
But Keaton alone can’t make me ignore the film’s flaws. The plot progresses in a way that it felt like the writing was being made up as the movie was being filmed. The dialogue is mediocre at best, I think I smiled once at any of the jokes, character arcs are messy, the action sequences get repetitive, the plot bored me the longer the film went, and the CGI is going to age horribly as time marches on and this becomes a “classic”.
For years we were told this was going to be one of the greatest yet for the subgenre. Instead we got a movie that really had no surprises past one amazing cameo in the final scene and I struggled to have fun with. Keaton’s inclusion being the only reason this is a C+ and not a C- from me. You can take your time to ever seeing The Flash. No need to run to catch it.
INTIAL GRADING
