Let me start off by saying I am a fan of all comic book movies that are released. I am not team this or team that, even though I did grow up reading more Marvel comics than DC comics. What I enjoy about comic book movies is seeing the characters that I grew up seeing on pages now live their adventures on the big screen. Be it animated or live-action, I love seeing all of these characters on the screen and I never get tired of that feeling. With that said, I am reviewing this movie for what it is and not adding my feelings about a certain actor’s action in my review.
There has been a lot of talk about superhero movie fatigue. While I do agree that there have been a lot of superhero movies released lately, I am not tired of seeing them. What we may need to start talking about is “multiverse fatigue”. Yes, there are some movies that have done the multiverse thing in an excellent manner and others that fall flat. Sooner or later we need to move past this repeated trope and have some better stories for our comic book heroes. With that said, The Flash has a great premise but the story feels disjointed in the middle and the big bad isn’t really that big or bad.
When we first met Barry Allen he was a young kid who had no friends and was socially awkward around people. He became a member of the Justice League and at the end of that movie, he had a “job-job” working at the forensics lab thanks to a letter of recommendation from one Bruce Wayne. The Flash starts with Barry still working there and running late to work. The world’s fastest man and he’s running late for work. What follows is Barry showing his awkwardness as he tries to get the barista that is working to understand that his order is always ready when he arrives and he’s in a hurry to get to work.
Barry is called by Alfred to assist Batman with a situation and he is still waiting for his food to be prepared. Barry uses his superspeed to change his clothes and as he prepares to run into action he is taken out of focus by a screaming fan. I will admit this part was funny because of what was happening to Barry as he was focusing. Trust me, it will make sense when you see the movie.
Barry has come to the conclusion that he is the Justice League’s janitor, he is the one that comes to clean up their messes. While saving people from a crumbling hospital Barry’s energy is coming down due to not having his breakfast sandwich and there is a group of babies falling from the sky because the building has collapsed. We have seen this scene multiple times where everything slows down and Barry does his Flash thing by running around and saving people or moving objects so they do not hit someone. I will say that the animation on the falling babies looked surreal and made the babies look scarier than the situation they were in.
Barry’s main fight is trying to clear his father’s name for killing his mother. With his father’s appeal coming up Barry hopes the latest piece of evidence he has will help his father. While running Barry runs so fast that he is able to run back in time and tells Bruce Wayne about this new power he discovers. Bruce warns him not to use this and try to change the past because it can change things in their lives. Does Barry listen? No. No, he does not.
Here is where the multiverse storyline comes in. Barry goes back and not only changes his family’s life but also ends up changing the entire world. At one point he says “I broke the world!” Since he has created a “butterfly effect” the world that he is in is not the same one that he left behind. He meets himself, who is more annoying than his normal self, he attempts to make things happen that should happen but the results are not what he expected. Barry must now team up with himself and find the Justice League of this world to stop the incoming attack by Zod.
The movie starts to pick up the pace during this section of the movie because we meet this world’s Batman, Michael Keaton. Keaton is golden in all of his scenes. His timing is perfect and once he puts on the suit it takes you back to 1989 all over again. This is the Batman that I wish we saw in those older movies. His fighting and fearlessness are amazing to watch and you just want more of it. The action in the snow base is a great scene and is made even better with the assistance of Supergirl, Sasha Calle.
Being that this is a different world, there is no Kal-El in this world. Kara Zor-El, his cousin, was sent with Kal-El to protect him on Earth. Just like Keaton was amazing as the returning Batman, Calle is fantastic as Supergirl. Her presence just takes over the screen and I hope we get to see more of her in future movies. Her anger and humility come through in all of her scenes and watching her fly through the air and punch out the Kryptonians is a thing of beauty. More Sasha Calle, please!
The final act of the movie needs to be seen. Barry 1 & Barry 2 decided to reverse time to change certain outcomes of their battle and in doing so are exposed to various universes by the big bad in the movie. If you thought having Michael Keaton back was fan service, this entire section of the movie is fan service times 10. There is so much going on during this moment that unless you have a vast knowledge of all things DC you will be ok. Some of the things shown went over my daughter’s head. So bear that in mind if you take younger kids with you.
Final Thoughts: The Flash gives us a story that we have kind of already seen in the concept of changing the past to correct the future. Barry’s story of saving his mother feels wholesome at first but we soon learn how things can go easily wrong. The fan service in this movie might be a little too much and might go over the head of those that have not seen a lot of older DC movies. Sasha Calle is the breakout star in this movie and it was fantastic to see Keaton back on the big screen as Batman.
Kid-Friendly: The Flash does have some profanity in it. Depending if your kid has seen a lot of older DC movies some of the jokes might go over their head. The storyline of losing a person close to you might be too much for younger kids. I would recommend this for children 15 and up. My daughter went with me and enjoyed it but was a little lost at some of the cameos. There is a scene with a half naked Barry walking around after his clothes burn off.
Violence: There is a lot of superhero movie violence in The Flash. The action scenes toward the end of the movie are pretty brutal in the way SuperGirl disposes of the Kryptonians. There are some stabbing and slashings in this final battle.
Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
I’m still on the fence about going to the theater for this. The family is more interested in Across the Spider verse.
I completely understand that!
I’m ready to be your roving reporter from the West Coast if you need me to attend early screenings over here. (c:
If we ever need someone out there, I’ll reach out to you!