The Flash Review

“You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!” – Batman

I saw this film, twice actually, four days before sitting down to write this review. It’s rare for me to wait that long, I usually like to write them the following day. But this one? This one needed to bed in to my head. It needed to settle down a bit, otherwise the review would be nothing more than a series of gushing exclamations – because it’s really THAT good. And for it to be this good is against the odds.

The Flash was announced as an upcoming Warner/DC film in 2014. Since then, the project has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, which have included several reshoots, rewritings, the reshuffle at Warner/DC management, a global pandemic, delay after delay after delay and of course the complete breakdown of its star. And that’s the only mention you’ll see in this review of Ezra Miller’s issues. I separate the art from the artist, and what goes on in his personal life doesn’t belong in this or any other review of the film.

So, given the tortuously long developments phase of the film, given the rewrites and the reshoots and the several new directions taken, finally choosing a comic book storyline called Flashpoint as it’s basis anyone cold be forgiven for expecting a hot mess of confusion and underdevelopment – right? Well, the Flashpoint storyline in the DC comic book has The Flash travel back in time to prevent the death of his mother, which caused his father to be wrongly accused of her murder and imprisoned. But in doing this, Flash creates a paradox, changing our reality and that of the entire DC Universe. That’s an excellent story, by the way and a great basis for a movie.

If the plan is to relaunch the DC movie universe, there can be no better way of doing it than this. Especially as this film also shows us one of DC’s most ingenious comic book creations – the Multiverse. A comic book device that allows for parallel worlds. A conceit that allows second world war Batman to exist, while we still have our present day one and so on.

WHOA – didn’t Marvel already introduce the Multiverse? Isn’t DC shamelessly plagiarising? If you’re going to be like that, I’ll ask you to leave the room. DC’s multiverse was loosely referred to in the Wonder Woman comics of the fifties, but came into sharper focus in Flash #123, dated September 1961. It has been regularly used since, and has been the subject of some of their major company-wide crossovers, including the epic Crisis on Infinite Worlds in 1985.

Ezra Miller has been introduced to us as Barry Allen way back in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 and of course Justice League, but this is his first appearance as Flash being the central character in a movie. Miller plays his part exceptionally well, as a likeable, but somewhat socially inept character, gifted with the power of speed. He’s not particularly heroic by nature, he’s just really, REALLY fast and the incredible opening sequence to this movie shows. The Flash carries out an incredible rescue of several newly born babies – and a therapy dog from a collapsing building, while also stopping for a snack because his energy levels are low, and he needs the carbs. Meanwhile, Batman (Ben Affleck) is in pursuit of the gang who caused the disaster. And from this extended chase and rescue sequence right up to the final post credits scene, the film grabbed me and didn’t let go for even a second of its two and a half hour running time.

Barry can move so fast; he realises he can actually travel through time and begins to hatch an idea that he can save his mother’s life and spare his father by going back and changing the events of that fateful day in history. What could go wrong? Bruce Wayne explains that plenty could go wrong – but Barry decides to go ahead.

A series of events finds Barry not only in a past where his mother is still alive, but he himself is there as a teenager, and it’s the day he gets his powers. This is a world with no superheroes. No metahumans. Superman never landed in Kansas as a baby – BUT, the events of Man of Steel concerning the arrival of General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his plan to terraform Earth to a new Krypton are still happening.

There is only one person who could help them. Batman still exists. Both Barry’s go to Wayne Manor, but the Batman of this world isn’t the Batman Barry was expecting. He’s in the world where the Batman of the 1989 movie existed, and he’s kind of retired. Michael Keaton’s return to his iconic role is nothing short of triumphant, and director Andy Muschietti has gone to exceptional lengths to make sure that every detail of Keaton/Batman’s surroundings are perfect recreations of the Tim Burton films, from the Manor to the Batcave, Batmobile and Batwing – it’s all there. And it’s perfect!

There IS however a Kryptonian that Zod is demanding is handed over to him – but it isn’t Clark.

That’s surely enough for any movie – but there’s so much more. What I’ve described above is nothing you won’t see on the many trailers that’ve been released, so this is spoiler free. Trust me, it’s taking just about all the willpower I have to not post a Spoiler Zone on this review because there’s so much more to explore here, including a tantalising glimpse into the DC Multiverse and its inhabitants. I’d be a down and out dirty liar if I said there wasn’t a lump in my throat during that sequence.

In the final analysis, I’ve felt a little jaded with the whole superhero movie genre lately. I’ve wondered if the whole thing is getting a little threadbare, because several of the Marvel movies since Avengers: Endgame have been lacking a certain lustre. They’ve been falling short of the mark, especially with The Eternals and Quantumania (How do you make Ant-Man boring? Even their new big bad villain Kang seems tepid, and it’ll take a lot to make him an Avengers level threat.)

But The Flash has fully restored my enthusiasm for superhero movies. It’s bold, it’s brash, it tells a story that is involving, entertaining, thrilling, emotional and thoroughly satisfying. I saw everything I go to the movies to see. I saw everything I read comic books to see. As Steve pointed out, Michael Keaton FINALLY has a Batman trilogy.

This is a superhero film that will stand out as one of the best the genre has produced. This is an instant classic, and the rating is fully deserved and hard earned. It’s the film of the year so far (With apologies to Spielberg’s The Fabelmans)

Rob Rating 10