Film Review - The Flash
Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Publicity.
Initially scheduled for release in 2018, The Flash has endured all 12 circles of development hell. Ever since Ezra Miller was cast in the role almost a decade ago, there has been an onslaught of setbacks - between various directors and writers being hired and fired, to DC's troubled attempts at course correction, to Miller's public mental health issues and crime spree, and now James Gunn's plans to completely scrap and rebuild the franchise from the ground up. At this point, it seems almost inconceivable that the film is actually getting a release, let alone that it could be anything other than a smoldering dumpster fire of corporate meddling. Is it actually worth all the fuss, which apparently includes a secrecy campaign involving three different endings and positive word-of-mouth from Tom Cruise, of all people? Or is it another victim of putting business before art, a multiversal mess of mammoth proportions? Grab your popcorn folks, 'cos the Ezra express is about to hit the speed force.
Loosely adapting the widely acclaimed Flashpoint comic book crossover event, the story follows Miller's Barry Allen, as he finds himself trapped and powerless in an alternate reality after a botched attempt to use his powers to go back in time and prevent the death of his mother. Joined by the younger, stoner-himbo Barry Allen of this universe, the film features a surprisingly creative workaround to the origin story problem that most contemporary superhero flicks seem eager to sidestep. Rather than starting from square one, or awkwardly shoehorning in flashbacks that might otherwise detract from the pace, the film naturally weaves in dot points of Flash's lore as the older Barry speedruns the development of his zooming zoomer counterpart.
By the time the scarlet speedsters eventually enlist the help of Keaton's retired Burton-era Batman and newcomer Sasha Calle as Supergirl (who very much deserves to return in a future project), comparisons can rightfully be made to No Way Home and other multiverse heavy-hitters. The key difference here is that most of those films held their cards relatively close to their collective chests; we heard rumors of Maguire and Garfield's return, but until the moment when they showed up on-screen, we didn't know for sure, and thus the applause was earned. Meanwhile, The Flash has willingly spoiled two of its biggest potential surprises - baked into the film's marketing scheme, as if the studio had no hope for the film's success without letting the audience in on the secret.
Thankfully, the experience isn't as reliant on its cinematic-universe-hopping shenanigans as one might fear, and the core Back to the Future-esque whacky sci-fi/teen comedy aspects far outweigh a decent helping of undercooked visual effects (I'd argue that the uncanny valley actually enhances the film's lighter tone, whether intentionally or not). There are undeniably parts of The Flash's final act that begin to veer back into the messy, murky past that DC is trying to outrun, and it's not the strongest example of a horror movie director shifting into caped crusader territory, yet it distills just enough of the golden-era charm that Raimi mastered to make its 144-minute runtime zip by… in a flash.
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The Flash is screening in cinemas from Thursday 15th June. For tickets and more info, click here.