Posted by Kid travels back in time to reignite an old Batman franchise
Well, hello there! I’ve been sitting on the review for this movie for quite some time. The only reason I‘m doing it now is because I’m stuck on a train travelling to work – a rare occasion itself.
I’m going to attempt something different today. To keep the word count low I’m going to stick to 5 talking points from this movie. Will it work? I don’t know, I’ve wasted 31 words already just by writing this. Spoilers ahead!
The Pace
The first thing that surprised me about The Flash is how quickly it jumps straight into it. By that I don’t mean the action, I mean the opening credits/logos – or the lack thereof. If it was intentional, I think that makes for a humourous link to the speed at which Flash travels.
The opening action sequence with the babies was also kinda funny. I can’t explain why – does that make me a psychopath of some kind? Either way it was all funny. Including when Wonder Woman shows up with her lasso and gets some truths out of Batman, the Flash and a robber.
The Ezra
I’m just going to outright say it – I don’t like Ezra Miller. I’m not going to bother going into why. If you really want to know, go check out the many articles out there talking about his behaviour. That’s the main reason I had for not wanting to watch this movie.
Having TWO Ezra’s to deal with made it twice as excruciating. Especially because the second Flash they introduce is even more annoying than the first. That’s the thing with Ezra – I find him so annoying as the Flash. And yes, I understand the irony of me also being an annoying (but sexy) person to many others. But it makes me appreciate Tom Holland’s Spider-Man even more – he finds the right balance between dweeby teen and superhero.
That said – I have to admit, this was a unique and interesting way of giving Flash’s origin story. Literally going back in time to see events unfold.
The Batman
Ok, so going from the main reason for not wanting to watch The Flash, to the main reason for wanting to watch The Flash. Batman! I grew up with the Tim Burton Batman movies – despite the fact I was probably too young to watch such films. For that reason, I have a lot of fondness for Michael Keaton’s Batman. So, imagine my excitement at hearing the Batman theme from those movies and seeing Michael Keaton’s Batman again! Only to feel… meh.
I don’t know, I just didn’t feel it. Yes, they had Keaton. They had the suit. They had the Bat-Mobile. They had the score. But they just missed the feeling of those movies. The gothic atmosphere. This just felt like a cheap knock-off, so I was rather disappointed. Plus, at 70-something years old they could have shown Batman as having a few aches and pains from years of service or something.
That said, I felt Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman had a good final showing. They even included a blue and grey suit which worked. I didn’t think that was possible!
And I enjoyed the cameo of George Clooney being Bruce Wayne at the end too. I had a feeling they would incorporate Clooney in some way. Though in hindsight I would have rather they focused on his Batman rather than Keaton’s. Kind of a redemption for Batman & Robin – and a tongue-in-cheek reference to a Batman who made lots of past mistakes.
The Cameos
There were other Cameos too. Seeing an iteration of Nic Cage’s Superman – a movie that was never made – was cool. As was the heartwarming – if not overly computerised – presence of Christopher Reeve’s Superman. And then there was George Reeve’s Superman too. In fact, why were they only showing Supermen? Is that all DC released before the DCEU aside from Batman movies?
Anyway – I have to say, as nice as it was to see them, it just felt forced and shoehorned in. Marvel did a better job with the cameos that appeared in the last Dr Strange and Spider-Man outings.
The Verdict
So yeah, The Flash is somewhat enjoyable but largely forgettable. I actually enjoyed the first half more than the second. There’s little to say about Supergirl in this movie, which is a shame. What I’m surprised about is I expected this movie to be a hard reset of the DCEU. Some sort of multiverse effect that resets everything. That didn’t happen either. So will be interesting to see how the DCU is introduced going forward.