The long awaited Flash is here and I see a lot of people gushing about it. Flash is one of the films in the old DC Universe before James Gunn takes over. The saga ends here but there has to be Aquaman and The BlueBeetle, I think that's it except I am missing out on one I can't remember. To be honest, I was pretty excited to watch 'The Flash' because of the positive reviews I have read here but my experience with the movie was totally opposite.
I am not that bothered that The Flash didn't meet my expectations because I can't wait to see the world James Gunn has created for the new DC Universe . Though the previous stars in the old DC Universe will missed so much but I am quite optimistic that Gunn is going to deliver and won't disappoint considering his recent expectational work with 'Guardian Of Galaxy Vol 3. (2023)' which impressed me.
'The Flash (2023)' is a superhero film that is based on DC characters. It was of course produced by Warner Bros and DC Studios. It starred Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verde, Kiersey Clemons, Antje True, Michael Keaton and other reputable faces we are familiar with.
The story of this movie, as we all are familiar with, revolves around Barry Allen, a young lad who was struck by a bolt of lightning which later turned him into a speedster. Barry Allen exploring his powers uses his super speed to change the past in an attempt to save his mother from dying. Unfortunately his attempt to save his mother creates a world without superheroes, now he has to race for his life in order to save the future. Summarizing the plot of the movie would reveal spoilers so I will just go review the movie.
Characters.
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen
Ezra was fantastic with his role in the previous Justice League. I liked his performance but I was totally lost and confused with this particular Flash. Though they are the same people but different characters in my opinion. I couldn't connect with this new Flash because I was actually annoyed with his character in this movie and didn't get me started with the past younger version of Barry Allen. Ezra's character as Barry Allen failed in this movie and I was woefully disappointed. In my opinion, The Flash from TV series Grant Gustin will always be The Flash to me.
Sasha Calle as Kara (Supergirl)
Supergirl's character in this movie is a character I actually fell in love with. Sasha added a spark and flavor to this movie. She made the movie more entertaining and enjoyable. However, I am not impressed that Sasha's character was not built and written well. Also, her character has no depth. In my opinion, I would love to see her return, I would love to see more of her probably in the new DC Universe. Her performance was just amazing!
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne
Keaton is the reason why I could sit still to watch this movie from the beginning till the very end. Without him I would have stopped half way and never revisit the movie again. When I saw him return as Batman, I was actually surprised haha. He came, stole the spotlight, stole the show and became the star for me. I LOVED his performance and he impressed me. I enjoyed his introduction scene and his exit scene.
For the rest of the supporting characters, some were unnecessary, for example Christopher Reeves. Why bring back the dead man with poor CGI?! That part pissed me off! So many characters with shallow depth to their stories which made it difficult for me to actually choose who to concentrate on and connect with. In conclusion, terrible and shallow casting.
My Review And Rating.
The Flash movie was created to be a lighthearted movie but it failed to achieve it. The movie is so different from most of the serious DC Extended Universe movies that it attempts to make balance between serious, emotional and comedy scenes but falls short. The comedy inserted in the script was silly to me and I didn't laugh throughout the movie.
The visuals of this movie were terrible for me, especially the CGI, the editing, and the cinematography. The bunch of Cameos for me was unnecessary if the editing can't be done in a professional way. During the reveal of the Cameos, I felt like I was watching the work of a teenager who is just learning visual editing. Those scenes can't be compared with some social media videos with VFX that I see sometimes. I was disappointed.
Let's talk about the script. The script was well written according to the basic story we have read from the comics. The action scenes were well written, I will give kudos for that. Right from the beginning of the movie it was action packed till the end. The humor included was excessive. The plot was written well but too long which contributed to the duration of the movie. Some scenes in the movie were unnecessarily long with a lot of gibberish. Don't get me wrong, the story of the movie was told excellently well.
The direction was quite engaging. Kudos to the director for that. The use of unique angles and lenses synchronized with the story well. The scene arrangements were done well, especially during the scenes when Barry went back in time and when the different alternate universes were colliding. The soundtrack used for the movie was nostalgic for me. The acting is decent, the costume designs were okay and the action stunts were excellently performed which was engaging because there was a little tension to it all.
In conclusion, this movie was overhyped and overrated. After years of delay and changes, I expected this movie would be the best of DC movies. Rating this movie, I will give it 3 out of 5 stars. I wasn't impressed, rather I was disappointed but I am optimistic for the creation of the New DC Universe by James Gunn. I hope he impresses us like he did with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
So, don't follow my review if you have seen this movie because a lot of people enjoyed this movie a lot, but I didn't. If you are yet to watch it, go now and see it.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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