The Flash, AKA the end of an era.

It ends here.

Fads come and go. What was once a matter of laughter in the film industry, became the ruling genre, and it ultimately imploded. Questions also came from every corner of the industry: producers, directors, actors, and a toxic, rather questionable fan base. The Flash was originally intended as the next step into Zack Snyder's DCU. Sadly, movies are now treated like products, people no longer root for the artistic elements that make a good movie. Now the world has turned its back to artists, and all it does is deliver headlines based on how much money these films are making or losing. There's also the unwanted comparison "our film is making more money than yours" and a neverending thread of negativity that really makes it seem social networks could be the worst idea of recent years. In  fact, I stopped reviewing films in 2017 (Wonder Woman) only to return briefly in 2020 with WW 84. Superhero exhaustion is real regardless what corporate  patronizing media says.

In the 80s (I was born in 1981) we had very few superhero films. Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV and Batman. Although The Incredible Hulk TV show lasted until 1982, that's pretty much everything we had available, despite cartoons and older TV shows reruns. So, an 80s kid would get his/her comic book education mostly from actual comic books, and boy were the 80s a nice decade to get that superhero degree. So, I would say there are two kinds of superhero fans now. The casual ones, the ones that watch the movie, or TV show, and obviously the, let's say, dedicated ones. Those who read the comic book, and watch the movie and TV show with their critic eye looking for every similitude with the source material. but wait! there's more! there are fans of the superhero video-games, fans of the collectibles like action figures, wear, and a never ending etc. So how can you please every type of fan? Simple, you can't.

 

Two flashes for the price of one, and a Supergirl.

The reason to watch this film for older fans.

The Flash film is its own version of Flashpoint, or any based upon a multiverse story already told to exhaustion on paper by DC Comics for decades.In a nutshell, Barry Allen discovers by accident that if he goes faster than expected he can time travel. Obviously, any Flash fan at this point knows this can only mean one thing: He's going to prevent his mother's death. Moreover, in doing so, we all know this will have catastrophic consequences for reality as we know it. If you're one of the few unfamiliar with Flash's story, the film will explain it you with the aid of tomato sauce can, and spaghetti cooked by none other than Batman, the dark knight.

Production wise,  the scarlet speedster film faced a neverending season of problems that halted and delayed the project for five years. The internet incels, paid & biased media, made it really difficult for Warner Bros to develop a cohesive and coherent cinematic universe. On the one hand,every film, save for Wonder Woman & Aquaman "performed" really well ,although Wonder Woman's sequel flopped despite being released for free on streaming platforms for the pandemic. On the other hand, Aquaman's sequel has been halted and delayed by Amber Heard's divorce, and the many changes Warner Bros fat executives demanded. So in a strange universal alignment, real life problems seem to have defeated the idea of having a shared multiverse. Oh, I forgot the Shazam movies and the Blue Beetle one coming soon. They're also hot garbage, or at most filler material for something that will never be. Enter James Gunn, the new head of the cinematic reboot he promises will change the tide to smooth sailing. However, his The Suicide Squad film wasn't that much of a success. Perhaps, Peacemaker seemed like an original idea, a one hit wonder, in music terms but nothing worth calling groundbreaking.

 

Iris West and her unfinished arc.

His face relates to our experience as fans.

Anyway, going back to The Flash, the film would originally  Superman & Aquaman, and perhaps other Justice League members but nope. Henry Cavil was fired years ago, and despite all the love he gets on the internet, not even The Rock and his Black Adam cameo could save him. Moreover, Warner Bros, and James Gunn just didn't care at what millions of fans were asking for years on the internet. True, we got the Zack Snyder 4 hour cut of the Justice League Warner execs spent years saying it didn't exist. Oh, also that canceled Batgirl film. Not to mention Ezra Miller's legal problems which led a lot of people into boycotting this film.

At this point, we realize we're focusing on corporate business territory we shouldn't give a crap about. Sadly, this is how both social and official media work these days. We are told to celebrate those who get richer, and laugh at those who don't. So where is the art in that? Where are those cinema fans looking for a soul changing experience? Well, they're probably busy buying stuff they don't need.

The batmobile rides again (not)

A nice Supergirl with no future.

So in a world where everything is based on algorithms that will offer customized ads to maintain your brain busy consuming and avoiding at all costs thinking, how hard can it be for another superhero film to make sense? While The Flash flopped in theaters, it's actually doing pretty well on streaming and on-demand services. 

Useless business talk aside, The Flash offers an entertaining story that is outdone by what was happening outside in the real world. Going to the movies knowing this is a standalone project with no future led a lot of people into not buying the movie tickets. How can you root for characters that will never return? For example, Supergirl. Sasha Calle's version of Kara Zor-El while brief, leaves a mark, and a lot of people would have loved to see more of her. Same with Michael Keaton's return as Batman. Fans of his movies were thrilled when the official announcement was made, but nope, no more movies for him too. Moreover, Ben Affleck's Batman also shows up for one final adventure, and I know many people liked his take on the caped crusader. While comparisons are a bitch, the other film example I can think is Rogue One. A film that is completely wasted by the fact everyone knew every main character would die at the end. Bad idea! The viewer needs to establish an emotional interest in character development. If you already know what's coming you simply lose interest. I for one, think The Flash is a good movie, but it could have been larger than life had it not being devoured by behind the scenes trouble.

As above mentioned, time travel changes everything for Barry Allen. The first big change, is he meets a younger version of himself, and this is the best part of the movie. The way Ezra Miller is capable of portraying two very different versions of himself, proves he can act. Sadly, there won't be any more movies to see how much farther he could have expanded the fastest man alive story. 

Zod returns, and where is Superman?

Batfleck's final adventure.

Another interesting occurrence in The Flash is how much they reused from Man Of Steel to tell the main story. But, didn't people hate Man Of Steel? Why choose this particular film to be the setting of the story? I don't think I have an answer for that. Henry Cavil is nowhere to be found in the film, yet we get all his foes back searching for him, while they conveniently adjust the story to offer us Supergirl instead. 

 

Early on the movie also offers the last Justice League moment from the DCU. Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman. I have to admit I jumped in happiness when she showed up! Gal Gadot did a wonderful job! I do hope she gets a chance to complete her trilogy of films. I mean, James Gunn gave Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn a chance, why stop there? Heads up! there is a rumor that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Gal Gadot herself are working in Wonder Woman 3 as I'm posting this review.

 

Here to do a man's job.

The lasso of truth delivers the best joke.

 

Plot wise, Barry Allen discovers the mess he caused, so in teaching his younger version how to become The Flash, he loses his powers, which leads to laughter as the inexperienced young Barry attempts to master his powers as fast as he can. Of course, in this new reality there is no Superman, no Justice League, so while the original Barry knows there is no way he can defeat General Zod, because... he was there! In a cleverly placed sequence, we discover he was testing his powers with a proto-suit while Earth was invaded by Kal-El's not so friendly long lost relatives. So with no powers, and a younger version of himself, all they can do is hope The Batman still exists, which to our 40 year old happiness, it actually does! Bruce Wayne, The Batman returns from self-imposed exile, and it's none other than Michael Keaton himself. Tim Burton's Batman is back for one final adventure.

 

The batmobile, the batwing, the batcave and even a collection of bat-suits all return to the big screen bringing mostalgia to its peak once we hear him say "Yes, I'm Batman". However, he'll only help them find this Superman and then hit the sack. The white whale proves to be well guarded by mad scientists and a legion of soldiers. Obviously, Batman is a one man army, so with his aid, our two Barry Allens discover the shocking truth: There is no Superman! only a mysterious female prisoner that goes by the Kara Zor-El name. Phew! We're saved! As soon as she gets some vitamin D, she's ready to wear the red S suit and cape to take down the bad guys and see if she can find his long lost cousin.

 

Just in case, a few extra bat-suits.

 

 

Moving forward is the only way.

 

The concept of time travel in the movie offers one valuable life lesson. What if all the bad stuff in our lives was necessary to make us the people we are today? The question is not only raised by Ben Affleck's Batman, but also by many other characters throughout the film. Changing the past, or erasing it to save the pain, will not always be the best solution to our problems. Moreover, the original Barry realizes some things are impossible to fix, and all he's got left is learning how to come to terms with it.

 

Even though the movie features a lot of DC comics characters, make no mistake, this is a Flash film, he is the main character. His personal drama goes back and forth until he realizes what he really needs to do. The loss of his mother in the hands of a mysterious murderer (we know from comic books it is Reverse Flash,but not here, we're neither told, not shown), and how his father is unfairly sent to jail because of it, play an important part in the film.  

 

Some of the CGI from the movie.

 

Visual effects, or CGI has been one of the most criticized aspects from the film. Although director Andy Muschietti said: “We are in the perspective of The Flash. Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this ‘waterworld’, which is basically being in Barry’s POV.

“It was part of the design so if it looks a little weird to you that was intended,” he added.

All in all, The Flash doesn't win the superhero race, regardless of how fast he can go. The Marvel Cinematic Universe did it first, despite the fact we all know DC Comics came first with many of the most innovative stories and characters in the industry.  People talk about superhero fatigue, and I agree. It's time for the industry to push other kinds of TV Shows and films. We need more variety urgently.