Title – The Flash (2023) 

Director – Andy Muschietti (It Chapter 2)

Cast – Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ben Affleck, Ron Livingston 

Plot – By meddling with the past, Barry Allen/The Flash (Miller) creates a scary future where superheros are no more and the world vulnerable to extinction unless Allen can find a way to set things back in the right order.   

“If you were to go into the past, you have no idea what the consequences would be”

Review by Eddie on 14/06/2023

Attempting to get to the big screen since 2018 in various ways, four years on from when its star Ezra Miller was first cast as the famed DC speedster in 2014, the journey to the big screen for Barry Allen/The Flash has been far from an easy one, made all the harder due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the off-screen controversies of it’s lead performer that have often overshadowed other elements of It director Andy Muschietti’s attempt to gift Allen a standalone venture that will be worthy of its characters pop culture standing. 

Arriving in the midst of a significant pivot for the cinematic universe of DC movies now overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran, The Flash marks what feels like the end of this era of DC comic adaptations (with the equally troubled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom still yet to come this Xmas) and while its pleasing to report that Muschietti’s film offers up some great fan service, throwbacks and fun moments, it’s still nothing more than a mildly pleasing blockbuster that is let down by some weak scripting, horrifically bad CGI and a central character that is now hard to judge outside of its actors private life that is far too complicated to delve into via a review such as this. 

Taking a leaf out of Marvel’s feature film playbook (not the first time DC has played catch-up in the medium) and delving headfirst into the Multiverse space, Allen is here looking to rewrite his past only to discover meddling with time creates all type of problems and unforeseen consequences as the powers at be gift us the chance to once more see an iconic figure such as Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman or Michael Shannon’s General Zod as well as new faces like Sasha Calle’s Supergirl appear alongside a double dose of Miller, in what feels like a boardroom not entirely trusting the star power of its title character to carry a film without the extra assistance. 

Where the story itself takes us offers little in the way of much narrative surprise and The Flash does struggle in making its central premise carry too much emotional weight but after a truly bizarre opening segment that includes, I kid you not, a baby in a microwave, The Flash’s dalliances in beloved character spaces and interactions with fan favourites are undeniably enjoyable, particularly evident in a final act that in itself is a bit mid-tier but in a broader fan servicing way is sure to light the internet ablaze.    

Standing tall amongst all of this is the extremely pleasant return of Keaton’s Wayne/Batman, who here showcases age has not wearied him in the slightest, fitting perfectly back into the capped crusaders iconic costume and husky tones, Keaton is having a lot of fun returning to the comic space he helped bring to life many moons ago and weighted against Miller’s wildly varied turn as multiple Allen’s (ranging from engaging to downright annoying), many will walk away from this outing with their fondest memories relating back to Keaton’s turn here. 

Lacking the charisma, smarts and dazzling spectacle the best of this type of movies have, The Flash can’t break the mould of mildly entertaining yet equally forgettable DC features, making it a missed opportunity to create something special, while giving us just enough to suffice. 

Final Say – 

Thriving off its throwbacks and homages to what has come before, The Flash is far from a complete failure but also light years away from being the iconic entry its overseers would’ve been hoping for when it was first contemplated almost a decade ago. 

2 1/2 therapy dogs out of 5