Plenty has been made of The Flash ahead of its long-delayed release, and WBD has been screening the film almost non-stop for critics and fans alike, resulting in plenty of early reactions and leaks online. Questions have arisen over the canon status of this movie. Is it setting off the DCU? Ending the DCEU? Is it doing both at the same time? What none of those questions address is the quality of the movie itself.
To really dig down into whether The Flash is triumphant, or if it really is the best DC movie since The Dark Knight (a promise that has been made about almost every other DC movie in recent memory), it has to be taken on its own merits, not as some multiple cinematic universe-bridging magnum opus. When viewed in that context, The Flash is just slightly less than the sum of its parts; a superhero movie that would feel pretty plain if not for some multiverse flair bringing back a fan-favorite Batman.
The other factor complicating the movie's release is the public behavior of its star Ezra Miller. However, much like the queries surrounding The Flash's place in a grander cinematic scheme, it makes more sense to look only at Miller's performance in the central role (or roles, as it were), rather than construing the make-believe world of superheroes with real life. Through that lens, it's easy to see how well Miller embodies the role of a motor-mouthed but socially awkward superhero still trying to stand alongside the heavy-hitters of the Justice League (recalling Tom Holland's early appearances as the MCU's Spider-Man). The schtick doesn't always work, and Miller's dual role as a younger, somehow even more manic version of himself is more annoying than endearing.
With a story and script that has changed hands multiple times, it's easy to see why the plot of the film can feel a little bit scattershot, particularly in its third act. Inspired in large part by the famous Flashpoint storyline in DC Comics, The Flash finds Barry Allen learning how to travel back in time and using this newfound power to save both of his parents: his mother, who was murdered, and his father, who was wrongly imprisoned for it. While on this journey through time, Barry encounters the younger version of himself, and realizes how badly he's messed everything up when he has to save the world from a returning General Zod.
One of the biggest selling points of The Flash, even from very early on, was the fact that Michael Keaton would be returning to the role of Batman. Here, Keaton's Bruce Wayne has retired from being a superhero, but he is pulled back into the fray by the Barrys. Keaton is the movie's bright spot, playing his most famous role like he never stepped away. While he still looks great in the suit, the actor also brings a sense of wisdom and mentorship to the role as the elder hero of the group. One imagines that had Keaton's role been kept secret (like two returning Spider-Men), his entrance into the story might have landed even harder. As it is, though, Keaton's Wayne is a welcome addition, aiding in Barry's journey and providing a jolt of nostalgia.
Also joining in the fight is Sasha Calle's Supergirl, who doesn't get quite as much development as the film's marketing may promise. While she plays a significant role in the film's final third, her character arc is pretty truncated. There's an attempt to contrast Supergirl to Superman by having her shrug off the idea of saving humanity, but this only lasts long enough for her return to the fight to feel like a turn in the story, when instead it just reads more like an inevitability.
The major issue with The Flash's script is that it only really works when, like its titular superhero, it's moving too quickly. The wit and funny moments sprinkled throughout mostly land, especially when Miller gets to show off their prowess for physical humor (including a very funny shot at the Flash's exaggerated style of running). It's when the movie slows down that things feel a little less sincere. Kiersey Clemons returns as Barry's love interest Iris West, but for all she has to do with the plot, she might as well have been cut entirely. The final act of the movie also suffers from a glut of CGI madness and an almost nonsensical final confrontation with very little impact.
On the topic of CGI, this may be the movie's greatest weakness. The opening sequence involves a daring hospital rescue of falling babies intercut with an admittedly thrilling chase featuring Ben Affleck's Batman racing through the streets of Gotham City. However, the babies Barry is rescuing push the boundaries of the uncanny valley to the point that they become hard to look at. This problem comes up multiple times in the movie, as faces and bodies are rendered in ways that recall the lifeless CGI of the past. For a movie that had so much studio weight behind it, it's hard to see why more care couldn't have been put into the effects. That's not to say that everything looks bad, as Barry's speed is much more tangible here than it was in Justice League. Still, when the visuals aren't working, they really stick out.
The Flash has been a long time coming, and for all of the controversies and roadblocks the movie has hit, the end result is far from a complete failure. However, it's not quite a major success either. There are some still glaring issues with the story and the visuals. For the most part, though, The Flash is as good, and maybe even better, than the bulk of superhero projects that have hit theaters within the last year. As far as DC projects go, this may not be the next Dark Knight, but it certainly isn't the next Batman & Robin either.
The Flash is now in theaters.
