Dir: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, and Maribel Verdú
2h 24m
Barry Allen, a young man blessed yet burdened with the superpower of immense speed, follows the archetype of many comic book heroes. In that, tragedy almost always defines and drives the motivation of the pursuit of justice against evildoers for these heroic characters. At the beginning of director Andy Muschietti's "The Flash," Barry Allen, an intelligent goofball with super speed powers, supports the Justice League and performs death-defying feats, like saving a crumbling hospital full of plummeting infants. However, there is one tragic event Barry yearns to alter, the untimely death of his mother. Muschietti, working off a script written by Christina Hodson, imbues "The Flash" with an energetic and humorous spirit supported, even amidst immense controversy surrounding its lead star Ezra Miller, with multidimensional fan service that does just enough to hide the issues with a messy script and problematic visual effects.
The story begins with Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), the happy-go-lucky speed demon Flash, playing second-fiddle to Justice League partner Batman (Ben Affleck). Barry, struggling to understand his role within a group of superheroes who seem to take their task of delivering justice with significantly more seriousness, is trying to find a way to change a traumatic event from his childhood. After a moment of heightened emotion, Barry realizes he can move fast enough to alter time. With the realization that his super speed can help course correct his life, returning the ones he has lost by simply changing one small element of the past, Barry returns to his childhood and saves his parents (Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdú). But toying with the delicate fabric of time comes with consequences, and Barry, trying to achieve a perfect balance of adjustments to the timeline of his life, gets stuck in the past with a teenage version of himself.
"The Flash" does an exciting job of retelling an origin story. Instead of the obligatory flashback scene, Mushietti reverse-engineers the tale of how Flash got his powers and places two versions of Barry Allen, an older, more responsible version and a younger, more foolhardy version, on a journey of discovery. It's a fun narrative mechanism that allows for a few introspective character development moments that assist in making this hero's journey resonate with a stronger emotion. At the center, underneath all the spectacle, is a story of a young man and the relationship he lost with his mother. When "The Flash" engages with this aspect, which unfortunately is far too minimal, the film offers a superhero movie searching for something greater than simplistic fanfare.
The DC Cinematic Universe has promised some big surprises with its multiverse mania. And there are a few jaw-dropping surprises that rival what Marvel has done with their recent adventures into the multiverse. One of the film's highlights comes from the addition of actor Michael Keaton returning to the role of Batman from 1989. Keaton, who arrives nearly unrecognizable, is retired from his days as the Caped Crusader but returns to assist the Barry's with their time-traveling journey and keep his realm of the Universe safe from an invading General Zod, played by Michael Shannon from 2013's "Man of Steel." Keaton is terrific, playing a surprisingly significant role throughout the film's latter half and adding wit and charm underneath a gravelly voice that made his original Batman so engaging.
"The Flash" starts with flare, fizzles, and then finishes with a chaotic, overloaded finale that will either amaze or disappoint, depending on your love for DC Comics. While there are moments when the film moves at a fun and frantic pace that allows The Flash to utilize the entire cinematic scope to engage in a superhero spectacle, it also depends too heavily on elements of nostalgia to cover up the issues with its underdeveloped narrative. Still, director Andy Muschietti and team compose an easy summer popcorn film with enough fan service to entertain comic book movie fans.
Monte's Rating
3.00 out of 5.00
