A DC Revisit of “The Flash”

Now, if “Batman v Superman” was the spark that ignited a deep division in the DC fandom then the topic of this review is the one that easily put a nail in the coffin for the DCEU. Before its release, WB heavily marketed the movie as a masterpiece, yet it was far from it. Casual audiences largely skipped this movie mainly due to a lack of faith in the dying DC Extended Universe continuity, knowing a hard reboot was already being planned.

Worlds collide when the Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past and save his mother. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality where Zod successfully invades Earth.

With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian - just not the one he’s looking for.

Both the critic and audience reception to “The Flash” was severely mixed. While many viewers appreciated some of its emotional beats, the legacy cameos and some of the humor, others heavily criticized the CGI and the bloated storyline.

While “The Flash” is far from the best DC movie it does have some redeeming qualities. One of the best of these redeeming qualities is easily hands down the triumphant return of Michael Keaton, reprising his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman for the first time since “Batman Returns.” Keaton easily stole the show from the Flash as he gave older fans a massive wave of nostalgia and introduced younger fans a legendary version of the character.

I really enjoyed seeing him back in a modified version of the 1989/1992 Batcave, donning the classic suit and hearing him deliver the iconic lines again “I’m Batman” and “You Wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.” Sasha Calle’s debut as Supergirl, despite the limited screen time, is entirely distinct from the traditional, bright, optimistic portrayals of Superman’s cousin. This version of the character was typically exhausted, war-weary and deeply untrusting of humanity.

The emotional anchor of the movie - Barry Allen/Flash’s desperate desire to save his mother from being killed - resonates deeply. The final scene in the grocery store, where Barry has to undo his timeline changes and accept his mother’s death, is still quite moving. Most of the humor comes into play when Barry runs into his younger self which can also deliver a few decent laughs - even though a few of those moments can

easily get a tad annoying.

One thing that really could’ve used a lot of work are the "uncanny valley” visual effects, which some of them even look unfinished. When Barry/Flash enters the Speed Force to see other timelines and eventually sees them dying, the movie features digital resurrections of past DC actors that look really creepy and like they’re from an early 2000s video game. The infamous baby scene where we see Barry/Flash rescue a group of newborns from a collapsing hospital still looks terrible.

The overarching villain of the movie “Dark Flash”, the future version of younger Barry - only appears for a few brief minutes and is defeated very easily. Also this version of the Flashpoint story isn’t nearly as epic as the actual comic story.

The response to “The Flash” was deeply polarized. While critics and audiences generally praised the emotional core, Michael Keaton’s return as Batman, and the humor, the movie was severely criticized for divisive CGI, a not so great third act and severely heavy fan service.

“The Flash” was supposed to be a grand, celebratory bridge into a new cinematic era. Instead, it became a messy end for the DCEU that started with 2013’s “Man of Steel” - the other DCEU releases “Blue Beetle” (which was good) and the “Aquaman” sequel were released after this movie and bombed as well with viewers knowing this cinematic universe wouldn’t continue.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity   (runtime 144 minutes)

Initial release date: June 16, 2023

Streaming: HBO Max/various PVOD services  (as of writing this review)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hebWYacbdvc

• Michael Keaton's original Batman suit was infamously restrictive, forcing him to move his entire body to look around. For this movie, the costume designers created a more flexible suit that allowed for greater range of motion, but when Keaton first tried it on, he insisted it be made stiffer.

• Michael Keaton was 71 at the time of this film's release, making him the oldest actor to play Batman in a live-action film or TV series. The only actors who were older were Adam West, who was 88 when he voiced Batman for a final time in Batman vs. Two-Face (2017) (released after his death), and Olan Soule, who was 74 when he voiced Batman for a final time in the seventh season of Super Friends (1973).

• Michael Shannon was hesitant to return as General Zod because he was "very upset" with the circumstances of Zack Snyder's exit from the franchise. He finally agreed after Snyder gave him his blessing.

• Ben Affleck's Batman wears the traditional comic book colors of blue cowl and cape and grey bodysuit, making him the first onscreen Batman to do so since Adam West.

• When an unfinished edit of this film was shown to a test audience in 2022, it purportedly gained some of the highest scores for a test screening of any Warner Bros. film since The Dark Knight (2008). Warner Bros. were so pleased with this reaction that they confirmed the release date immediately. The film ultimately failed at the box office costing reportedly $200 million to make and only earning $270 million.

• The third adaptation based on the Flashpoint storyline after Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) and the season 3 of The Flash (2014).

• Kiersey Clemons was cast as Iris West in Justice League (2017) but her scenes were cut. Her scenes were subsequently reintegrated for Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).