Rating of
3/4
The Flash and the Furious
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/24/23
There is no doubt that the DCEU has going through a lot of rough patches - so much so that it's about to be rebooted... again, meaning that everything coming out between now and then is kind of irrelevant going forward? That being said, The Flash is one of the better films in the series of late. It's better than Shazam 2, Black Adam and Wonder Woman 1984. It manages to be fun while throwing out major nostalgic vibes but also adding in some decent emotional stakes. Sure, some of the special effects are a bit off and Ezra Miller's off-screen troubles cast a big shadow over everything, but in the end if this is how the current stage of DC is going to end, I think it works out pretty good.
Our opening has our speedy hero Barry Allen aka The Flash (Miller) is helping out Batman (Ben Affleck) with a major issue as a group of terrorists has stolen a bioweapon while a hospital is about to collapse. But our hero comes through in the end, saving a group of falling babies from certain doom. But while Bruce Wayne can only offer come advice, Barry is more worried about his father's (Ron Livingston's) upcoming hearing - a last shot effort at getting him out of prison, but one that looks destined to fail even with the latest technology on hand. He also briefly re-connects with old college friend/secret crush Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) and an off-hand comment gives him an idea - and with his speed he finds it actually possible to reverse time.
His kind-of friend Bruce warns him about changing anything in the past - you know, that butterfly effect and all - but Barry thinks that one, small change - revolving around a can of tomatoes, won't change things all THAT much. At first, it seems fine, his mother, Nora (Maribel Verdú) is alive, his father isn't in prison and life seems good - well, until he finds another version of himself that isn't supposed to exist. Realizing things HAVE changed a lot - he thinks the only way to fix things is to make sure his other self is granted the same powers - only to have it backfire a bit when he loses his own abilities in the process. Things go from bad to worse when General Zod (Michael Shannon) appears - looking for a Kryptonian. It also doesn't take him long to realize this world seems bereft of other meta-humans - no Superman, No Aquaman, No Wonder Woman, No Cyborg.... but maybe a Batman?
This is where things get interesting as this world's version of Batman is none other than an old, familiar face in Michael Keaton. Perhaps not other moment in the film made me as happy as when Danny Elfman's original Batman theme popped up - loved it. This version of Batman is not so keen on getting back into the game but that doesn't stop Barry from getting into the Batcave and trying to track down any rogue Kryptonians that happen to be on Earth. Bruce relents and decides to help after all - leading them to a Russian facility where they indeed find a Kryptonian - but not Superman, but rather Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl (Sasha Calle) who is weak but nothing that a little sun won't fix. Kara doesn't have the greatest respect for the human race in general but when she learns Zod has arrived, she goes to meet him... alone.
Realizing the only way to fix his mess, OG Barry decides on a course of action that will either give him his powers back or, you know, just kill him. Bruce is happy to help but it is Supergirl who provides the key and, powers returned, the two Barrys, Batman and Supergirl decide to take down Zod and safe this Earth first. That, however, proves to be a bigger challenge than any of them anticiapated and the outcome seems destined to fail - again and again and again - but Barry #2 refused to give up - and the consequences reach far beyond their own world.
The elephant in the room about The Flash is, of course, Miller's bizarre and violent off-screen antics that led to the film being delayed and having minimal press before hand (the current writer's strike didn't do it any favors, either). But I have to say that Miller is a good choice as The Flash - two versions even - he can play things funny, he can play things serious - and it works both ways. But Keaton truly steals the show as Batman - his presence alone is worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned. Calle is also a good choice as Supergirl - in turns angry and vulnerable. There are also loads of surprises thrown in - especially in the end - as worlds collide (literally) and we get to see some familiar faces across the Superman/Batman timeline of various films. I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't include more TV versions, but you can't always have your cake and eat it too.
While the The Flash is entertaining, it's far from perfect. There is plenty of questionable VFX - the opening baby rescue is ripe with some pretty terrible CGI and it doesn't stop there. It does drag the film down no doubt about it. I also thing that Calle and especially Clemons are underutilized - the film could have used a bit more girl power. Some people may also be getting sick of the whole multiverse angle, but I still find it interesting so it didn't bother me that much.
I have to say that I wasn't expecting too much from The Flash, especially after the last few DCEU films have been underwhelming to say the least. Yet despite all the trouble that followed this film, I think it turned out surprisingly well. It's not the greatest superhero film of all time - far from it - but it is a fun watch and one of the better DCEU films.
