From the very beginning, there was absolutely no winning for this movie. With the allegations against Ezra Miller, the congestion of summer blockbusters, the rushed VFX team, and the downfall of the DCEU, it’s nothing short of a miracle that this film even hit theaters. With that said, it didn’t come out all that bad. Yes, The Flash is flawed, but overall, it was a fun watch.
I’ll start with some minor complaints. The CGI is absolutely horrendous, but that didn’t bother me much. Obviously, I can’t blame the VFX artists because they were probably rushed and underpaid by the studio, and though it was visually displeasing at times, I never felt completely taken out of the world the film was constructing. Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen is also a little insufferable, but the movie maneuvers around this problem pretty well. The plot puts him face to face with a younger, less mature Barry that can’t take anything seriously. This makes our Barry stand out as a more likable protagonist. The greatest fault of this film has nothing to do with the CGI or the actors, but everything to do with the timing. When I asked 12th grader, Nickolas Morales, his thoughts on the film, he had this to say “The Flash is a good movie, it’s fine. I like it a fair bit. It would’ve worked great in 2011, along with The Avengers. The tone is closer to the Raimi [Spider-Man] movies.” In a world of oversaturated superhero content, audiences are tired of this particular style. However, this weakness also plays as the film’s greatest strength.
The best thing about this movie is that It doesn’t take itself too seriously. “It’s like a saturday morning cartoon.” This was Nicko’s version of a compliment. The Flash does not try to convince you that it’s a profound piece of high art; it’s silly and goofy and actually quite funny. The opening scene, for example, follows Barry saving a multitude of babies falling to their deaths. I’m aware that babies falling to their deaths isn’t humorous in nature, but the movie makes the scene so epic and outlandish that it’s almost impossible to not laugh.
This motion picture had absolutely nothing going for it. It should’ve been, at best, a boring, forgettable snooze-fest. Nonetheless, after a couple viewings, a plethora of drafts, and many Dr. Peppers, I’ve come to the conclusion that The Flash is a wonderful mess.
