Harry Situation Reviews: The Flash

Dammit Barry!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The Flash is the newest and one of the final installments of the original DCEU before James Gunn officially reboots it. It features the return of celebrity criminal Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, alongside Michael Shannon as General Zod, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West from Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Michael Keaton as an alternate universe Bruce Wayne/Batman, while introducing Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.

Barry Allen continues his work as the Scarlett Speedster but carries a heavy weight on his shoulders due to the trauma of witnessing his mother's murder and his father, who he knows is innocent, being framed for said murder. Once he discovers he can use the Speed Force to go back in time, he uses it as an opportunity to save his mother. Unfortunately, his actions cause a cataclysm of events where there are no metahumans and General Zod comes to invade the Earth. In order to save the world Barry needs the help of an alternative version of himself, an alternative version of Bruce Wayne, and the girl of steel.

Honestly, I was very iffy on whether or not I wanted to see this movie, mainly due to Ezra Miller's problematic history with the law in recent years. But I wanted to see this movie because it had Michael Keaton returning to, arguably, his most iconic role. Thankfully, this film turned out to be a good time, regardless of the film starring a controversial lead.

So first positive, and I hate to do so, but I got to give credit to Ezra Miller. They did a great job portraying two different versions of Barry Allen/The Flash. Yeah, they might be a troubled piece of shit human being, but they still are a great actor. The portrayal of these two Barrys was amazing. We have the older, more experienced Barry and his younger eighteen-year-old rookie self. Both play off each other very well. There's even a moment where older Barry gets annoyed with younger Barry's antics and just lashes out at him. To me, that felt like a real moment. Honestly, I think if any of us met our younger selves we'd be annoyed too.

Now let's talk about Michael Keaton's epic return as Batman. For some, this man was their Batman. Me, my Batman will forever be Kevin Conroy (RIP), but Michael Keaton is a close second. He's the man I think of when I think Batman. And to see him dawn the cowl and cape after thirty years is something to behold. He was easily the best part of the movie and a total scene stealer. Hell, I won't lie, but seeing him in the suit, saying that iconic line, "I'm Batman", and then hearing Danny Elfman's theme in the background triggers my nostalgia and puts a big-ass smile on my face.

The humor was on point. There were a lot of jokes that got a good laugh out of me. It's not MCU style of humor but it doesn't have to be.

The action sequences are good too. I liked seeing what the Flash can do with his super speed and it really shows off how fast the Flash truly is. Keep in mind that the man is technically faster than Superman himself. So, seeing him run around while the world is in slow motion, rescuing people and punching bad guys, was a delight.

Addressing the negatives let's start with the CGI. I'm not sure what happened but the CGI in this one was extremely iffy. I mean there were some moments that looked fine like Flash running through the Speed Force. But then there were a ton of moments where the character models had a very uncanny valley look to them. Maybe all their budget went into making the double Barrys because in other areas, even the Flash's suit, it did look great.

Another negative is that the two main Kryptonians, Zod and Supergirl, don't have a ton of screen time. Both characters seem to appear during the third act of the film, and we aren't given much character development from them. I mean you have Michael Shannon reprising as General Zod. You'd think they'd do more with him. But nope, he just appears in the movie, and he's not really the main antagonist in this film.

Keep in mind that this movie is supposed to be a loose adaptation of Flashpoint, which is an event comic that I really enjoyed, however I cannot help but say that this isn't a good adaptation of Flashpoint. I mean it has some of the core elements from that story: Barry changing the past to save his mother, him needing an alternative Batman's help, dealing with an end of the world situation, and ultimately rebooting the universe for better or worse. However, it all feels very messy. If you want a solid adaptation of that check out the animated film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

Regardless, this is a fun movie to watch, and I enjoyed watching it from start to finish. I would recommend giving it a watch.

Positives:

-Good performances

-Dual Barry's

-Michael Keaton's Batman

-Humor

-Cool action sequences

Negatives:

-Iffy CGI

-Need more of Supergirl and Zod

-Poor adaptation of Flashpoint

Final Grade: B-

So those are my thoughts on The Flash. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Bruce Wayne/Batman: "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts."

#HarrySituationReviews #film #opinion #DC #superhero #action #scifi #timetravel #multiverse #Batman