Who's Better Than Ezra? A review of The Flash.
I like to go into most superhero and comic book films cold, avoiding reviews and spoilers as much as I can, and that was true with the big screen solo turn of Ezra Miller’s THE FLASH, last seen some years ago in the much-maligned JUSTICE LEAGUE film if you don’t count the cameo on CW TV’s THE FLASH with the well-cast Grant Gustin in the title role. This film adaptation has had a long and somewhat troubled production history, and a lot of fans didn’t know what to expect, especially considering the spotty quality of other DC films. This DC film certainly has some flaws, but overall, I think its strong points outweigh its weaker ones.
And for me, the strongest point is the return of Michael Keaton to the role I always thought he played better than anyone else: Bruce Wayne, and his alter ego, Batman, the Caped Crusader. It’s been a very long time, and a long, long road since those Tim Burton films, but this 21st Century incarnation of Keaton’s Batman truly fit well into this story that is a variation of the classic Flash comic book arc, “Flashpoint,” where Barry Allen uses his super powers to journey into the past and save his mother from being murdered and his father from going to prison for the crime. In this film, Barry saves his mother’s life, but becomes marooned in an alternate universe where there are no meta humans, and General Zod has just arrived to threaten Earth in the same manner as he did in MAN OF STEEL. That Keaton’s older and retired Bruce Wayne is the only one Barry can turn to for help is the perfect plot turn, and if it is fan service, so what? We’ve earned it.
Another strong point is the flaw that was turned into a strength, and that is Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. I won’t argue with those who say Miller was miscast as Barry (I would have preferred Dylan O’Brien), who bears no resemblance to the original comic book incarnation, but I thought he made it work in JUSTICE LEAGUE, where he gave a good comic performance in essentially a supporting role. But I thought Miller’s jokey and manic persona would be a rough fit as the lead in a solo film. But having the Barry of his early 20s train and mentor his college age former self after he inadvertently loses his super speed in the alternate universe sets up a great dynamic by having Miller play straight man to himself.
Another potential minus that was turned into a plus was the much-overused concept of the multiverse, which has become such a trope at both DC (endless Elseworld stories) and Marvel (DR. STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS and WHAT IF?). The comic version of “Flashpoint” has stood for years as one of the best of this type of story arc, and the DC animated film remains the definitive take on it, but I liked that THE FLASH took this premise and didn’t wimp out on it at the end; the resolution is not necessarily a happy one for all involved, but it feels true and earned, and that is the heart of good storytelling. I have to respect a film that allows the viewer to get invested in characters, and then is willing to take the risk of having them meet a grim fate. I liked that the film opens with a strong action sequence, that really shows us how Barry’s powers work, but the best part is that they up the ante at the end, with a spectacular battle sequence between the heroes and Zod’s forces that comes as close as any film has done to those great battles between heroes and villains on the comic page, where multiple things are happening at once, and the viewpoints ricochet back and forth until it all comes down to one moment.
Though I thought the CGI for the most part worked, I was not fond of the style in which they presented the multiverse. I am not a fan of the way they showed Barry running when he is using his super speed with his limbs splaying about; when the Flash is at the height of his powers, he ought to run like an Olympic sprinter on super steroids. This was something the TV series did much better. Though doing “Flashpoint” is a live action film seems like a natural choice for the big screen, I feel like the screenwriters shouldn’t get too over reliant on taking plot threads from other films in your superhero universe and cribbing them together, this worked very well in SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME, but the Spidey franchise had a lot of unfinished business. Still, THE FLASH had a lot of humor that worked (as opposed to THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER), and it had a lot of heart, something the MCU has been lacking lately. The scene where Barry says a final good-bye to his mother in the grocery store will evoke tears in many.
Then there are the cameos. It was great to see Ben Affleck, Gal Godot, and Jeremy Irons again, and it was good to see Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater get their due. There are a couple that are too good to spoil including one in the final scene that harks back to a very controversial piece of casting in a good way. But where were Lynda Carter, Brandon Routh, John Wesley Shipp, and especially Grant Gustin?
In the end, THE FLASH is not the kind of superhero film that will win over any converts among those who disdain these types of films. It will certainly be looked back as one of the last gasps of the Snyderverse, and because of Ezra Miller’s off-screen troubles, even hardcore DC fans may take a pass on it. Warner Bros. has already made the commitment to start over with James Gunn, so it is doubtful we will ever see these particular incarnations of these characters ever again. But in years to come, I think fans will come back to this film, much like the way BATMAN RETURNS has been given a new appraisal in recent years. Sasha Calle’s take on Supergirl is sure to gain a real following, and I think THE FLASH, ably directed by Andy Muschietti, will be seen as a solid effort, worthy of respect.
My book, BIG CRIMSON 1: THERE'S A NEW VAMPIRE IN TOWN, can be found on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3GsBh2E
and on Smashwords at: https://bit.ly/3kIfrAb
My alternate history novel ALL THE WAY WITH JFK: AN ALTERNATE HISTORY OF 1964 can be found on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/2jVkW9m
and on Smashwords at: http://bit.ly/2kAoiAH
Visit my Goodreads author's page at:
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And for me, the strongest point is the return of Michael Keaton to the role I always thought he played better than anyone else: Bruce Wayne, and his alter ego, Batman, the Caped Crusader. It’s been a very long time, and a long, long road since those Tim Burton films, but this 21st Century incarnation of Keaton’s Batman truly fit well into this story that is a variation of the classic Flash comic book arc, “Flashpoint,” where Barry Allen uses his super powers to journey into the past and save his mother from being murdered and his father from going to prison for the crime. In this film, Barry saves his mother’s life, but becomes marooned in an alternate universe where there are no meta humans, and General Zod has just arrived to threaten Earth in the same manner as he did in MAN OF STEEL. That Keaton’s older and retired Bruce Wayne is the only one Barry can turn to for help is the perfect plot turn, and if it is fan service, so what? We’ve earned it.
Another strong point is the flaw that was turned into a strength, and that is Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. I won’t argue with those who say Miller was miscast as Barry (I would have preferred Dylan O’Brien), who bears no resemblance to the original comic book incarnation, but I thought he made it work in JUSTICE LEAGUE, where he gave a good comic performance in essentially a supporting role. But I thought Miller’s jokey and manic persona would be a rough fit as the lead in a solo film. But having the Barry of his early 20s train and mentor his college age former self after he inadvertently loses his super speed in the alternate universe sets up a great dynamic by having Miller play straight man to himself.
Another potential minus that was turned into a plus was the much-overused concept of the multiverse, which has become such a trope at both DC (endless Elseworld stories) and Marvel (DR. STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS and WHAT IF?). The comic version of “Flashpoint” has stood for years as one of the best of this type of story arc, and the DC animated film remains the definitive take on it, but I liked that THE FLASH took this premise and didn’t wimp out on it at the end; the resolution is not necessarily a happy one for all involved, but it feels true and earned, and that is the heart of good storytelling. I have to respect a film that allows the viewer to get invested in characters, and then is willing to take the risk of having them meet a grim fate. I liked that the film opens with a strong action sequence, that really shows us how Barry’s powers work, but the best part is that they up the ante at the end, with a spectacular battle sequence between the heroes and Zod’s forces that comes as close as any film has done to those great battles between heroes and villains on the comic page, where multiple things are happening at once, and the viewpoints ricochet back and forth until it all comes down to one moment.
Though I thought the CGI for the most part worked, I was not fond of the style in which they presented the multiverse. I am not a fan of the way they showed Barry running when he is using his super speed with his limbs splaying about; when the Flash is at the height of his powers, he ought to run like an Olympic sprinter on super steroids. This was something the TV series did much better. Though doing “Flashpoint” is a live action film seems like a natural choice for the big screen, I feel like the screenwriters shouldn’t get too over reliant on taking plot threads from other films in your superhero universe and cribbing them together, this worked very well in SPIDERMAN: NO WAY HOME, but the Spidey franchise had a lot of unfinished business. Still, THE FLASH had a lot of humor that worked (as opposed to THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER), and it had a lot of heart, something the MCU has been lacking lately. The scene where Barry says a final good-bye to his mother in the grocery store will evoke tears in many.
Then there are the cameos. It was great to see Ben Affleck, Gal Godot, and Jeremy Irons again, and it was good to see Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater get their due. There are a couple that are too good to spoil including one in the final scene that harks back to a very controversial piece of casting in a good way. But where were Lynda Carter, Brandon Routh, John Wesley Shipp, and especially Grant Gustin?
In the end, THE FLASH is not the kind of superhero film that will win over any converts among those who disdain these types of films. It will certainly be looked back as one of the last gasps of the Snyderverse, and because of Ezra Miller’s off-screen troubles, even hardcore DC fans may take a pass on it. Warner Bros. has already made the commitment to start over with James Gunn, so it is doubtful we will ever see these particular incarnations of these characters ever again. But in years to come, I think fans will come back to this film, much like the way BATMAN RETURNS has been given a new appraisal in recent years. Sasha Calle’s take on Supergirl is sure to gain a real following, and I think THE FLASH, ably directed by Andy Muschietti, will be seen as a solid effort, worthy of respect.
My book, BIG CRIMSON 1: THERE'S A NEW VAMPIRE IN TOWN, can be found on Amazon at: https://amzn.to/3GsBh2E
and on Smashwords at: https://bit.ly/3kIfrAb
My alternate history novel ALL THE WAY WITH JFK: AN ALTERNATE HISTORY OF 1964 can be found on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/2jVkW9m
and on Smashwords at: http://bit.ly/2kAoiAH
Visit my Goodreads author's page at:
http://bit.ly/2nxmg
Visit my Amazon author's page at: https://amzn.to/3nK6Yxv
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