I debated seeing “The Flash” in theaters – Is it worth it? Will it be fun? Do I care at all about Flash? – and finally decided I would kick myself if I didn’t go. No, it wasn’t the special effects, the plot, or the whole “theater experience.” I could not pass up the opportunity to see Michael Keaton’s Batman once more on the big screen.
And that’s just one of Flash’s glaring problems. He is overshadowed in his own “solo” movie by all these other, bigger names, both in terms of star power as well as character power. Michael Keaton’s Batman is a classic at this point; Ben Affleck’s Batman is a powerful iteration of the character; Michael Shannon’s General Zod is a powerhouse of a villain; and Jeremy Irons brings a no-nonsense sensibility to butler Alfred Pennyworth. It’s not even that Ezra Miller is a bad actor – overall, their performance is pretty good – but how is anyone supposed to shine in the shadows of all those giants?
The film is an adaptation of the Flashpoint comic series, which is another problem. That was already done a decade ago as a DC animated straight-to-video feature, and the CW Flash series dealt extensively with the ramifications of the character meddling with time. It’s a been-there, done-that storyline that’s not even 10 years old.
Finally, the execution of the film is weak at best. The puerile humor sees the Flash get hit in the head with a candy bar, knock out his own tooth and then glue it back in (which creates a cringe-worthy recurring “joke” about that loose tooth), and discover his non-superpowered self is an unmotivated goofball. The Flash’s attempts to work with the Justice League do not go well as he knocks over a building, nearly destroys a bridge, and locks a baby in a microwave to “save it.” (Yes, the baby joke is supposed to be funny.)
The introduction of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl is one of the few bright spots in the film’s storytelling as Flash and Batman must break her out of a maximum-security prison where she has been kept locked away from the energy-infusing sunlight she so desperately needs. Barely alive and mostly skin-and-bones, this Supergirl battles her own feelings of hatred and fear toward humans, and it makes her character a fascinating, unique iteration. Frankly, her solo story seems the most interesting of anything else going on this film.
Overall, “The Flash” is a long, cringy disappointment. It was great to see Michael Keaton’s Batman once again kick villains’ butts – and the film’s ad campaign knew that was one of its biggest draws – but a film should not have to rely on 35-year-old cameos to have any value.
***The Bechdel Test for “The Flash”: 1) The film had three women in supposedly major roles, but…2) only Sasha Calle’s Supergirl added anything significant to the plot (Maribel Verdu was Barry Allen’s mother, and Kiersey Clemons was Barry Allen’s love interest), and the three women never spoke with each other. Simply put, the film also failed this extremely low bar.