Movie Review: The Flash

Despite sporting a running time (no pun intended) of over two and a half hours, The Flash manages to provide the character with a solid and satisfying stand-alone adventure that does the property justice.

The DC Extended Cinematic Universe (DCECU) is expanded exponentially when Barry Allen (aka The Flash) travels back in time to “correct” certain events in his past. This inadvertently creates a cascading butterfly effect that threatens the reality that Barry finds himself trapped in – a world without heroes – in which General Zod (Michael Shannon) is on the verge of conquering. That is, unless Barry can convince Batman to don his cowl once again to liberate a certain incarcerated Kryptonian (albeit not the one he is expecting).

Director Andy Muschietti’s film retains the somberness of his previous offerings in the horror genre – Mama (2013), It (2017), and It Chapter Two (2017) – however, it also manages to overcome many of the shortcomings that have befallen the DCECU to this point. There is a welcoming spirit of adventure in this film that has been peculiarly absent from other films in the DC universe. That doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t succumb to the same pitfalls as previous DCECU films, such as overstuffing an already convoluted plot with needless world-building moments that will ostensibly lead to future installments but do no service to the actual story at hand.

Screenwriter Barabara Muschietti – who did wonders for the DCECU with Birds of Prey (2020) – spins a solid story here but, again, succumbs to having to pack too much in in the third act to allow anything to feel natural or organic. The same sort of multiple/alternate scenarios playing out was handled more economically by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Avengers: Endgame (2019).

As Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, Sasha Calle emerges as the standout performer in the film and even outshines Ezra Miller in several scenes. The return of Michael Keaton behind the cowl is a welcome element that plays well both nostalgically and narratively. Perhaps the only weak link in the cast is Miller’s Barry Allen who seems disinterested at times, but in a film such as this, that is quickly passed over for the next action scene.

Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle in “The Flash.” © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Overall, The Flash proves a competent entry to the DCECU. Editing provided by Jason Ballantine and Paul Machliss helps the plot move along swiftly for the most part – at least until it gets mired in playing out the previously discussed multiple storylines ad nauseam. Henry Braham’s cinematography captures the production design of Paul Denham Austerberry without allowing the film to become too dark – as has been the case with previous DCECU films.

Even though The Flash plays out a bit overlong when all is said and done, the film still delivers an entertaining and sometimes satisfying entry to the cannon of the DCECU. In any event, it perhaps portends better things to come.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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