MOVIE REVIEW: THE FLASH

Once the DC/National Comics logo appeared I knew that Andy Muschietti’s The Flash was going to be a crowd-pleaser for comic book enthusiasts, and once again Warner Bros. did not let our community down. Loosely following Geoff Johns’ Flashpoint epic as well as Flash creator Gardner Fox’s “The Flash of Two Worlds”, Muschietti’s The Flash takes Zack Snyder’s dark overtones while meshing it with comedic undertones that have shined through in DC’s latest Shazam films.

Though Miller’s eccentric style and cross-dressing may not be for everyone, nor the melodrama that plagued the CW TV series, this Flash features so many universal joy’s for sci-fi nerds that it’s impossible to cherry pick over plot devices when Danny Elfman’s Bat-music is blaring on the IMAX speakers (prompting me to scream “Crenshaw!” as the composer is a native to the District that I spent my teenage years in) as the Justice League is getting thrown into yet another battle with Zod and Faora.

Just like Flashpoint, The Flash is equally a story that adds onto and compliments the Batman mythos. But for those of us who would rather walk around with an “S” on our chest, Superman fan-service was delivered, with Kevin Smith’s vision finally given screentime and the rawest Supergirl (portrayed by Sasha Calle) this side of Tom King’s “Woman of Tomorrow”, as the whole Snyderverse essentially got a cliff notes reboot. Though at times Ezra Miller’s portrayal of Barry Allen borderlines on the annoyingly childish tendencies of (my favorite Speedster) Bart Allen during his early Young Justice years, it is fascinating to see how far visual effects have come in cinema to see an actor portraying two different people in the same scene. Austin Powers will always be great, but The Flash, it is not.

Yes, the opening scene pushes the limits of how far child abuse can go on-screen. Wonder Woman, The Flash is not. But given that The Flash ties directly into the Snyderverse, the opening sequence is almost a given as Muschietti understands that this corner of the DCEU features a cast of heroes that will do whatever it takes to get the job done by any means necessary, even if a few kids get roughed up or traumatized in the process – as if life has not or will not already do that to them. The Flash then at it’s core is a film about the arrested development many adults find themselves imprisoned in within Western Culture, and when The Flash gets to have pep talks with his younger self, the dirty laundry of Western Society and it’s nepotism, entitlement, and selfishness gets aired out as well. I did not know that I was walking into a superhero retelling of “The Prince And The Pauper”, but I certainly enjoyed every second of it.

Filled with plenty easter eggs and physics lessons that could explode a book of Flash facts, and featuring CGI that is leagues ahead of other production companies to the point that at times even though in it’s goofiness is ridiculously ambitious (and heavily influenced by Marv Wolfman and George Perez’ work on “Crisis On Infinite Earths”), Muschietti’s The Flash has raced to the finish line of notable superhero cinema, specifically through Warner Bros. distribution, reminding viewers every step of the way of what it took for DC Comics to get here on film, with little to no missteps.

Score : 4.5/5

Release date: June 16, 2023 (USA)