Directed by Andy Muschietti
Starring Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, and Ben Affleck

In one of the most intriguing build-ups to a movie in recent memory, The Flash is finally here. Since being introduced in 2017’s The Justice League, Ezra Miller’s version of Barry Allen (The Flash) has survived long enough to see the entire Snyder-verse implode in on itself at the same time Miller themselves faced stupefying personal controversies. Marvel dominated DC in the superhero wars, and DC poached Disney’s arguable MVP in James Gunn ­– the latter being the one who both drove a steak into the heart of Zack Snyder’s cinematic universe and oversaw the completion of The Flash, which he’s called ‘probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made’.

That’s a lot of backstory, but it’s important to acknowledge how it added an unholy amount of pressure for this swan song of Snyder’s time dictating DCs narrative. Despite countless flops along the way, and numerous actors threatening to leave the franchise, somehow hype never faded for this entry, and fortunately director Andy Muschietti didn’t fumble the ball – and that might be because he destroys what came before with glee.

In The Flash, superhero-ing has become hum drum for Barry and the process is now so tedious that when Ben Affleck’s Batman calls him to help with a disaster downtown, he has time to bicker with children before dashing to a hospital where babies are falling from the sky. Naturally, the duo saves the day in record time and Barry is left to ponder life’s impossibilities, which for him is getting his dead mother back. Luckily, if you run fast enough you can apparently break the space-time continuum and traverse timelines. Unfortunately for Barry he splits off into another reality where there aren’t as many heroes, and some old villains have yet to be conquered.

After teaming up with a younger version of himself, the two set out to find that Superman is Supergirl and Batman is Michael Keaton, reprising his role from the character’s original ’89 big screen adaption. This is where The Flash is at its best and worst.

For veteran fans of DC, it’s a trove of treasure with references around every corner and some sneaky ones relying on the viewer possessing an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of trivia. Other times, primary pillars of the plot rely on the audience at least being familiar with the previous five or so movies in the franchise – mainly 2013’s Man of Steel. That is ions ago in cinema and for the reboot this film is supposed to be, it might be expecting a bit much from its audience.

To its credit, the plot is simple to understand and mixes in so many ties to old movies that it acts almost as a trailer for people who might not have watched some of the older titles. And with so much under the hood, The Flash needs to tell a lot, both in recap and explanation, for its standalone story to make sense. This is generally handled well but some moments certainly feel rushed, which can be debatably on par for a movie about speed. Particularly the beginning when ties to the most recent movies are established in the first 30 minutes or so.

But when the timelines are crossed and the past becomes a little blurry, I found that this is one of the true exceptions in superhero movies where predictability evades the experience. Since the plot takes place in an alternate universe where canonical consequences aren’t as explicit, characters in The Flash have the liberty to do unexpected things that make the film’s final act one of the most memorable in recent memory.

A problem for this leg of DC’s films has always been its CGI, and The Flash doesn’t escape this. While giant environments are created beautifully in some areas, other finer details are unflinchingly off. Those babies that were raining from the sky in the beginning of the film? Muschietti obviously didn’t hurl real babies from rooftops, and those close-ups between Barry and the infants were alarmingly distracting. The scene was funny enough in its premise, but their faces looking like graphics from a PlayStation 2 game garnered laughs from the audience that I don’t think were intended.

But for a film logged in controversy, entrenched in a dying universe, and emerging from development hell, The Flash exceeded expectations set by Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman, and ended up landing amongst, if not atop, surprise hits like Wonder Woman and Shazam. It’s absolutely not one of the greatest to every grace the screen, but it makes its mark as one of the most memorable.

The Flash is showing in cinemas across Australia from June 15th.

Moviedoc thanks Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Reviewed by Zak Wheeler for Moviedoc

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