Why is no one seeing THE FLASH?
For me it's the best DC movie since Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series by any measure. Hilarious, smart, heartfelt and FUN, it's a near flawless superhero movie that audiences have resoundingly rejected.
Why?
DC fandom may be butt-hurt over the impending reboot of the DC universe. Some may be too wary of star Ezra Miller after his recent mental illness induced troubles with the law.
Leave all your baggage at the door and strap in for the ultimate DC thrill ride that explodes from its opening scenes.
As the film opens, Alfred summons Barry/The Flash for an emergency in Gotham City. It's clear that Barry isn't his first call, but the other topline superheroes are busy, leaving our speedy, young team member on point.
What starts as a cleanup at a hospital becomes a grand scale event as a building topples and every baby in the nursery on the top floor (they needed that view?) are thrown out the window, leaving Barry to catch them all. The entire sequence is laugh out loud funny and creative as hell, instantly giving you the comfort that Director Andy Muschietti (It) and his screenwriters are going to take you on an inventive, exciting ride. Layered on top of the baby sequence is a high stakes heist of a dangerous virus with Batman (Ben Affleck) in hot pursuit through downtown streets. These scenes could be the grand scale conclusion of any other recent DC film, but we're just getting started. The sequence ends with the first of many stellar cameos as another DC hero arrives to help wrap up. NO SPOILERS here on this or any of the many, many surprises THE FLASH holds.
Bruce Wayne/Batman and Barry/The Flash connect for a deep conversation about their lives, their crime fighting responsibilities and how the past has created them. Affleck is stellar as Batman here, absolutely nailing the role here in a way he never approached in earlier, far lesser films. The fact that he's allowed to inject humor this time feels as fresh for this film as Shatner felt as Captain Kirk in "The Wrath of Kahn" after his tight lipped, serious take in the first Trek film, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture".
Aflleck and Miller have serious mentor/team charisma throughout.
With Barry's falsely accused father Henry (Ron Livingston of "Office Space") up for parole review for the murder of Barry's mother, Barry is determined to find a solution, knowing that his father is not guilty. Those desires lead to an ill-advised attempt to go back in time and prevent his mother's murder all together.
The screenplay cleverly positions the tiniest of events having the biggest impacts that resonate throughout.
When Barry does find himself in the past, he accidentally meets his very goofy 17-year-old self. There are serious laughs as the Barrys deal with each other, but the laughs fade as Barry begins to realize that his presence has altered reality. There appear to be no other superheroes in this reality, except for Batman.
If you've seen any of the trailers, posters or ads, you KNOW that Barry tracks down Batman, but it's not Affleck, it's Michael Keaton, reprising the role he nailed in 1989's "Batman" and 1992's "Batman Returns".
Keaton is FLAWLESS. 31 years after his last time in the cape, he's everything you want him to be. Watching him from his first moments on screen with Barry to the exhilaration of being back in the game, Keaton is perfection, taking you instantly back to his famous first appearance as the Caped Crusader.
The film also delivers everything you hope for in the reintroduction to Tim Burton’s Batcave, Wayne Manor, Batmobile and Batwing, all set to the strains of the classic Danny Elfman score that wrap the nostalgia in all the right “feels”. Jaw-dropping, goose bump inducing thrills await in that Batcave.
Bruce Wayne’s Batman will have to get up to speed quickly, since General Zod (Michael Shannon) is back, re-invading Earth in this timeline just as he did in 2016’s boring, ponderous “Batman v Superman”.
Flash and Batman work hard to track down a third member of the Justice League who just might have crashed in that universe as a baby as well. What they find on the Superman trail, I won’t share, but the poster & previews do show you that Supergirl joins the fight. Newcomer Sasha Calle is terrific as Clark Kent’s cousin and our superhero foursome of Barry/Barry/Batman & Supergirl tee up one hell of a final battle for this universe and beyond.
Near the end of that battle, the multiverses begin to collide, serving up some of the best cameos of heroes past and present that I’ve seen. Take that moment in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” with all three Peter Parkers and multiply it by ten and you’ll begin to capture what’s served up here.
Like the rest of the film, it’s an absolute blast of nostalgia and trailblazing fun through the DC legacy.
THE FLASH saves some of its best moments for last, including a final scene with the best cameo surprise in the film that made us all laugh out loud. It’s perfect.
There is one post credits scene with another DC hero that’s played for fun.
Miller is excellent as both Barrys, our present-day Flash and his teenager self. His delivery of every punch line is flawless, and he plays the family scenes with heartbreaking realism. He’s the heart, soul and belly laugh of this film, carrying it across two and a half very fast-paced hours.
Run like our red-clad, reluctant superhero to the biggest screen and best sound system you can find and see THE FLASH. It’s the best DC film since “The Dark Knight Rises” and alongside Burton’s original 1989 “Batman” and Nolan’s 2012 classic in my all-time DC Top 3.
It soars to an A+.
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