Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
I’ve always felt that DC paled in comparison to Marvel, moreso over the last ten years or so. “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Suicide Squad,” and “Justice League” were all huge disappointments, and while entries such as “Wonder Woman,” “Aquaman,” and “Shazam!” managed to elevate DC out of the gutter, just barely, their overall lineup was disenchanting, especially for the hardcore fans.
However, since “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 ended Marvel’s Phase 3 spectacularly, Phase 4 was a massive failure, and Phase 5, although it’s only just begun, isn’t faring much better so far. “The Flash” is the last movie under the Snyderverse before James Gunn and Peter Safran take it off in a completely new direction and as the film stands, it appears to be a one-off, and with Ezra Miller’s behind-the-scenes disturbing behavior and run-ins with the law, I doubt he will be returning to DC any time soon, or any time for that matter.
And that’s a shame because he literally owns “The Flash” and gives a heartbreaking yet stirring performance as a young man who has lost so much in his life and will do anything to get it all back. And that is the premise of the movie.
As Barry continues to mourn the death of his mother when he was a child and his father’s imprisonment for her supposed murder, he becomes so afflicted that he takes off running, and because of his anguish, it causes his acceleration to surpass the speed of light, setting in motion his ability to manipulate time. When he chooses to go back in time to fix one element on that fateful day, hoping it will prevent his mother’s death, he inadvertently makes things worse and ends up interacting with his younger self.
To make things worse, he arrives when General Zod (Michael Shannon) attacks Earth, looking for Superman. His encroaching on this new timeline has created a world without metahumans. Trying to locate the Justice League, he discovers that Bruce Wayne is alive, but when he tracks him down, he is not the Bruce Wayne from his timeline; instead, it is the Bruce Wayne from an alternate universe. Now he must try to convince him to help him find Superman before Zod annihilates Earth.
“The Flash” utilizes time travel much as the Avengers did in “Endgame” and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future films. Still, it follows the criteria that “Back to the Future” established, that if you change one thing, no matter how big or small, it could create an alternate timeline, and that is precisely what happens here. While trying to prevent his mother’s death, he changes the future of that timeline, and when he tries to rectify said mistake, he creates another timeline, and so it goes.
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Flash,” director Andy Muschietti, best known for “Mama” and the two IT movies might’ve seemed like an odd choice, considering his penchant for horror, but he brings the right amount of action, drama, and levity to the story. His involvement here demonstrates his adaptability to more than just one genre, something a lot of directors, unfortunately, can’t escape once they make a name for themselves creating specific types of movies.
For some reason, the marketing department at Warner Bros. thought it would be a great idea to reveal a ton of cameos in their trailers and TV spots, which ruined the movie for many people. I chose to avoid watching all of them, so thankfully, a few of the cameos came as a pleasant surprise, and if you are not aware of them, I would advise you to steer clear of any promotional materials, written or visual, and go and see the movie blind, I promise you, you’ll enjoy it even more.
While this feels like the end of a chapter for DC, I’m glad it goes out with a bang. Moving forward, one can only hope that James Gunn and Peter Safran will take DC in a promising new direction and try to avoid the mistakes Marvel has made over the past few years, focusing instead on good storytelling and clear direction instead of disconnected narratives, lack of focus, and sidelining established male characters in favor of female versions of themselves, ala “Thor: Love & Thunder” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.”
Watching Michael Keaton in his Batman disguise was pure joy, bringing back memories of seeing him for the first time in theaters in the summer of 1989. The other cameos elicited cheers from the press screening I attended, and some of them even gave me goosebumps, and I have a feeling they’ll do the same for you. Even if you’re not a DC fan, you’ll have fun with “The Flash.” Try to see it on the biggest screen possible; I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.
Now available on Digital HD, and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, & DVD August 29th
