By Caleb Tiedemann
It’s no particular surprise that DC is on its last legs. We (the viewers) are stuck trekking through the sludge of what needs to be thrust out. Being an avid Justice League fan, I was very excited to see the first movie outing for the Flash. He has always been a fun character to see in various media. However, upon watching, I was left disappointed. The Flash is just messy. It has some good ideas, but they don’t play out well. The explanation of time travel makes no sense and seems rushed, thrown together and it greatly upsets the movie’s flow. The computer-generated imagery (CGI) is horrendous! Mostly everything that used CG or a green screen just looked ugly. The script has some fun jokes and gags, but is also, in some areas, simplistic and has lines that feel completely isolated from the movie. Reprising his 1989 Batman role is Michael Keaton and though there is some nostalgia in Keaton’s “Let’s Get Nuts” line (a line from the original movie), it feels so tossed in and completely out of place in the actual film. It serves no purpose other than a nostalgic cash grab. One of the few things holding this movie together is Ezra Miller, who proves to be incredibly talented as an actor. Despite the many controversies that have come up within the last couple of years, it is very surprising that this movie even came out! Despite that, the chemistry between the two Barry’s (Miller) is unreal for a single actor playing two different versions of the same guy. Michael Keaton as Batman continues to be amazing and acts as the real star of this Flash-centered movie. Sasha Calle as Superman (Supergirl?) serves almost no purpose in this movie. She gives a very bland and forgettable performance. A big win is Danny Elfman’s score making a return. The movie does have some good humor and a touching plot, but it is held together by the tiniest of threads. It feels like there were too many ideas that just did not fit, which makes the entire thing come off as incoherent. With James Gunn taking charge of DC, perhaps we will finally get a well-thought-out and more complexly written narrative. However, until the first movie comes out…★
