The Flash

Allow me to restate that my policy has always been to judge a film based on what’s thrown on the screen and not on the personal lives of those on or behind the camera. Yes, you can find instances where I violate this policy, but go with me on this. There has to be a line between art and politics. So, how do director Andy Muschietti and star Ezra Miller fare in The Flash as B-Tier heroes in a world wanting A-Tier stories?

The story is pretty much all in the trailer. Barry Allen (Miller) is a district attorney’s forensics specialist. He uses these resources to find evidence to exonerate his father, who was falsely convicted of his mother’s death. In a rage, Barry runs and runs to discover that he can move fast enough to travel through time. He goes back to prevent his mother’s murder, and upon returning to his present, a mysterious figure knocks Barry into a different timeline, where he meets his now alive mother and his younger self.

“…must find a way to save the world against Zod. This includes finding and recruiting other Metahumans.”

Here’s where the Butterfly Effect takes hold. Barry’s meddling made it so the only member of the Justice League to exist is Batman, the Michael Keaton version to boot. Soon General Zod (Michael Shannon) arrives, but there’s no Superman to save the day. With Batman like a twig between two Barrys, our trio must find a way to save the world against Zod. This includes finding and recruiting other Metahumans.

Let’s just get my cred out of the way. I’m not a DC fan, having grown up with Marvel all my life. I’m also not a fan of Zach Snyder’s films, none of them. That said, boy did I love The Flash. This is the first time in a long time that I felt like I was watching a comic book movie from start to finish. It opens with Flash doing Flash things by saving Metropolis. This simple sequence establishes Barry’s persona and gives us the full spectrum of his abilities. Now add a sizable appearance by Batfleck and just enough of Wonder Woman to remind us why we love Gal Gadot. Viola, you have a fun movie.

The next segment grounds us in the human story. Barry is working feverishly to get his father out of prison while discovering that he can time travel and make it so his mother never dies. From here, the wheels fall off the car, and Barry creates a mess he must fix. It helps that, regardless of what you feel about the person, Ezra Miller is great as both Barry Allens. The special effects to pull off the dual roles are seamless, and instantly, you stop trying to figure out how this trick is done. Though some may find the Barrys annoying, I love that they are two different people with separate motivations.