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Mar 21, 2023

The Flash Review #2: Worlds Collide in This Super Stuffed Yet Enjoyable Outing

Ezra Miller tries to alter fate in The Flash and winds up giving the DCU better

Ezra Miller tries to alter fate in The Flash and winds up giving the DCU better options moving forward.

The multiverse is like a bowl of spaghetti. Follow along here, because at one point in The Flash, a familiar character that audiences have come to know and love, explains that timelines are like noodles in a bowl — some may run parallel with each other, some may intersect. Time isn't linear. Bottom line: If you’re foolish enough to mess with time, you mess with noodles. Or something to that effect.

The point is, the results can be disastrous. And if you’ve seen the trailer for The Flash, you already know that Ezra Miller's The Flash (or Barry Allen) zips back through time on a valiant mission and gets himself into one hell of a mess. Fortunately, director Andy Muschietti's (of It fame) long-awaited DC film isn't a mess itself, even though the result is an ambitious if not super-stuffed spectacle.

That doesn't mean The Flash isn't an enjoyable thrill ride. It is. In fact, not since Wonder Woman — and perhaps Zack Snyder's director's cut of Justice League — has going to a DC film felt this fun in the last decade. There may be hope for DC Studios yet. But like this film's frenetic and passionate protagonist, we all know that new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have a lot to figure out creatively. With Ezra Miller (they, too, have a lot to "figure out" if you’ve followed the news) in their corner, things are looking up.

Screenwriters Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey, Bumblebee) and Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) are apt storytellers. Collectively, they have created a tight and solid outing here, particularly in the film's first half. The second half of the film begins to feel as if this puffed up outing should be a streaming series we could binge. There's a lot going on, and a lot of superheroes and godly creatures to keep up with. Things immediately kick off with an action-packed opener filled with humor.

We find Barry Allen (Miller) as a forensic chemist in the Central City Police Department. He's frustrated with office bureaucracy, but when a call from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) — that would be Bruce Wayne's Alfred, folks — alerts him to a horrible attack, he perks up. Seems there's nobody but The Flash to take care of it. What? Are those Justice League members on strike? Another call from Batman (Ben Affleck returning to the iconic role) tips him off on other dramas, and off our hero goes, attempting to save the day as only The Flash can.

Related: The Flash: Every Release Date the Movie's Had and Why It's Been Delayed So Much

The opening action sequence is something of a wonder — rather poetic, in fact, and sets the tone for the action and humor to follow, although the humor sours by the film's third act. Still, what a joy Ezra Miller is to watch on screen. Nobody else can embody this character the way they can. In fact, director Andy Muschietti recently revealed that Miller will remain The Flash in James Gunn's DC Universe. Cheers to that. One could watch this incredible actor be frenetic, manic, jittery, sad, happy, and curious for hours. Miller brings a lot of depth to their roles, here especially.

In the afterglow of the film's fantastical opening sequence, Barry cannot escape a lingering heartache. He craves justice for his father (Ron Livingston), who is in prison for murdering Barry's mother (Maribel Verdú). We’re led to believe that pops didn't do it, and suddenly, The Flash, in a heated emotional moment, rushes through dimensions only to realize that he's found a seemingly sweet spot in the time/space continuum. So… maybe he can alter the timeline, just a little bit, so that his mother never dies? Bad idea. The result of his actions, while a fabulous spectacle to watch, generate dire ripple effects.

It's all smiles and warm fuzzies until another version of yourself shows up. Seems Barry's grand idea backfires, and he soon meets another version of himself, a Barry pre-Flash. No powers. Just goofy aloofness. It's wickedly fun (and funny) to experience the Ezra-on-Ezra action here. Even more so when Michael Keaton pops up as an older, sweatpants-wearing Bruce Wayne — think 1989's Batman with all its late-‘80s charm and bat gadgetry.

The two Barrys convince this Batman in this multiverse timeline to help them find Superman because General Zod (Michael Shannon) is about to wipe out Earth, something familiar to fans of the franchise. We’ve been here before but thanks to some inventive twists — we’re looking at you Supergirl (Sasha Calle) — the film's final act is an explosive thrill ride even though it may run entirely too long.

Related: The Flash: Actors Who Could Replace Ezra Miller in the DCU

You shouldn't ponder how these characters get to this point in the film. Let's just say that Barry Number One hasn't revealed to a much more doofus Barry Number Two that their mother is dead in the former's timeline. The Flash we know has technically painted himself into a timeline corner, and suddenly he's at the mercy of his ill-fated actions.

This film should get special bonus points for bringing back Michael Keaton, however. The actor slips back into the bat suit quite nicely. On that note, this multiverse brouhaha also gives us glimpses into others who have played Batman and Superman, respectively. They're not the only superheroes we see, by the way, and one surprising reveal should have fans cheering. Reflecting back on it now, these surreal 'flashes,' sandwiched in super-heavy climactic scenes, find a way to unite us. Humans may not all agree on politics, but we do seem to share a common bond with superheroes and ultimately, The Flash knows that and its writers capture the sentiment nicely.

Meanwhile, with the DCEU / DCU in a state of flux, The Flash gives super fans and general moviegoers alike something to look forward to. The Flash/Barry does his best to save the day here, but it's Ezra Miller who single-handedly saves DC from disappearing into the void of the baffling creative choices it has made in writing and film execution over the last few years. Miller's depth of emotion is believable and palpable, their heartache universal. They are The Flash. And this is the summer DC movie we’ve been waiting for.

The Flash, from Warner Bros., DC Studios, Double Dream, and The Disco Factory, hits theaters on June 16.

GREG ARCHER's reviews and interviews with TV and film personalities have appeared in USA Today Network, Huffington Post, The Advocate, and other media outlets. ​