Written by Cameron Geiser

Let's get the hard part out of the way first. I hadn't looked into the headlines featuring Ezra Miller from the last few years until after seeing The Flash. I wanted to be at least somewhat informed before writing this review. It's… rough, to say the least. After reading up on the timeline of events, I have to say that while the accumulation of accusations and alleged strange behaviors are quite concerning, it seems that Miller has begun to commit themselves to a better path since the fall of 2022 and I hope they are able to better themselves and give up on any illusions of grandeur they previously harbored.

The main question remains though; is The Flash movie actually good? The answer is a bit of a mixed bag, but I would say that yes, it's a serviceable Blockbuster Superhero movie. While their offscreen antics have caused quite a stir, the main reason the film works as well as it does is mostly due to the performance/s of Ezra Miller. Miller stars as the titular Flash, or Barry Allen, where we pick up with the character as he's actively trying to exonerate his father (Ron Livingston), who’s in prison for killing Barry’s mother (Maribel Verdú). After miring himself deep in his traumatic past Barry realizes that he can travel back in time. He talks over the implications of such an idea with Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne/Batman (Surprise! He thinks it's a terrible idea) but Barry believes that he can change fate and goes back to that day and alters one small detail in order to save his mother’s life. On his way back to the present timeline something goes awry and he ends up in this new divergent timeline circa 2013.

It may be hard to block out the problems with *The Flash*, but there’s a fun popcorn flick underneath it all.

Thus while Barry succeeded in forming a world where his mother is alive and well, he also indirectly created a world without most of the members of the Justice League. However, there was one hero hanging around, cue Michael Keaton's version of Bruce Wayne/Batman. This brings up my own personal bias that I feel should be quickly addressed. I absolutely adored the inclusion of Michael Keaton and his version of Batman, but I must put aside my own overzealous joy and put my objectivity cap back on- just know that I loved this despite it feeling like a bit of nostalgia bait. For his own part, Keaton was nimble enough in his performance to include small details about his version of the character from thirty-plus years ago. For example, he kept that twinkle of sheer insanity behind his eyes for a few scenes, and his panache for mad science was still intact when the need arose.

For a movie nearing the two-and-a-half-hour mark, The Flash's pacing was relatively good! The humor was also punched up from previous iterations of Miller’s Flash. For a good chunk of the film, our Barry is paired with a younger and much more impulsive version of himself that allows the character to acknowledge how obnoxious he once was. This was a smart choice. The whole mood of the film is upbeat and lighthearted even amidst the knowingly schmaltzy, but highly effective, emotional beats. Though I must say that while the visualization of how Barry travels backwards in time was neat in concept, the visual effects within the speed force were just downright bad at times. Nothing against the visual effects artists who had their hands full with the very nature of this character, but some visuals were objectively bad for the time we are in and the money that the studio can dump into such an undertaking. There's also the fact that the film's logic doesn't always make sense, at one point a character tries to explain the time travel shenanigans with a plate of cooked spaghetti. This works as a visual way to say, “You messed up the multiverse for personal gain”, but the less you think about it, the better you will feel. Trust me.

The Flash has plenty of CGI nonsense onscreen, but it never felt like my eyeballs were about to glaze over and roll back into my head. Mercifully this is due to the relatability of Barry Allen, and that there was a solid emotional core to the film's story, unlike say Black Adam. I also have to take a moment to talk about the music of the film. The score was far more noticeable and engaging this time around, especially with how Danny Elfman's Batman theme kept surging forward at appropriate times. Benjamin Wallfisch deserves some critical acclaim for this in my opinion as most Superhero films' scores these days are easily digestible and feel more like “content” than the soul of the film. If pressed I wouldn't likely be able to differentiate between the scores for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Also, The Flash did win me over early on in the first act with the opening sequence in which Barry must save a bunch of newborn babies from certain death. The sequence is absolutely insane and I loved it. It gave me some serious Sam Raimi vibes, and that's always a welcome addition in my book.

While the marketing team for The Flash wants you to believe that this is one of the best Superhero films of all time, I'm here to inform you that this simply isn't the case. It is, however, very entertaining and a good time at the movie theater. Nevertheless, I find myself thinking back on a specific line of dialogue from Wonder Woman 1984 with a bit of a twist, “The Flash is good, but it could be better”.

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.