By: Kimberly Grant
Not going to lie. I was fully prepared to hate this movie. As far as I was concerned, the Flash would always be Grant Gustin, who plays the titular Barry Allen on the CW’s The Flash. Gustin’s Allen is down to earth with a little bit of edge, but at his core he’s a true humanitarian.
Enter DC Comics’ latest Justice League film The Flash. The Flash movie opens in theaters on June 16.
Not Quite Flashpoint
In the film, the Flash (played by Ezra Miller) is trying to help his father, Henry (Ron Livingston), prove his innocence in his mother Nora’s (Maribel Verdú) death. As he’s brainstorming ways to prove Henry’s innocence, Barry decides to stop his mother’s death all together. This sets off a chain of events that leads Barry to meeting himself. And yes, this story is based on the Flashpoint comic.
At this moment, I know what you’re thinking. It’s what I was thinking, too. This is the moment when Barry is going to find out that his mother was murdered by the Reverse Flash. But, no. It’s not really explained how Nora Allen dies, just that her death would have been prevented if Henry had been home.
Writing Treatment
This brings me to the writing. The film was written by Christina Hodson, based on a story by Joby Harold (the same man who co-wrote Transformers: Rise of the Beasts). Harold is a good storyteller. However, I do feel like the plot is a missed opportunity to have the Reverse Flash be a part of the film. He’s a formidable foe for the TV Flash.
But I digress.
Directed by Andy Muschietti, whose past directing credits include horror films like Mama and It, the film does have something that the CW’s The Flash does not: celebrity cameos. To give you a rundown of who to expect, you’ve got three versions of Batman, three versions of Barry Allen, three versions of Superman, and two versions of Supergirl. They really lean into the multiverse phenomenon that’s been a major plot point in many comic book series and movies.
Bartholomew Allen & The Super Friends
Some months ago, it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery was canning a completed Batgirl movie as a cost-saving measure after the company’s merger. I was upset because audiences need to see a woman of color play a title role in a superhero movie. Alas, Batgirl went the way of a great number of titles that Warner Bros. Discovery decided was too costly to keep. However, the company did decide to keep The Flash, despite Miller’s off-screen activities that landed him in legal trouble.
Now, one would think that it’s not fair to keep The Flash and not Batgirl. But, seeing the star power in The Flash, I see why the film was allowed to be seen by a mass audience.
Miller as Allen is quite muscular and has a tremendous amount of sex appeal compared to the last time we saw him on screen. And, his Barry Allen is a lot less annoying this time around. Now, I can’t speak to his off-screen activities. But I can say that Miller really does a great job bringing The Flash to life for the big screen.
Other star power in the film includes Michael Keaton as an otherworldly Batman. Michael Shannon reprises his role as General Zod. Apparently, the General is evil in all verses in the multiverse and still needs to be taught a lesson. Gal Gadot makes an appearance as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa graces the screen as Aquaman, and there’s even a Nicholas Cage sighting.
Parallel Universe
Unfortunately, there is no Henry Cavill sighting in this movie and I will have to find a way to live with that. There were some elements to the movie version of The Flash that coincides with the TV version. Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) is a potential love interest for Barry. She’s played by a black woman, which is great. Barry’s mother is of Latin descent, making Barry Latin American, which is nice. And, Supergirl is not played by a bubbly blonde; even though I love Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl. She’s played by a woman of color in Sasha Calle. There is a planned Supergirl movie starring Calle in the title role and I’m looking forward to that.
While I am a huge fan of the CW’s The Flash, there’s still plenty of room in my heart for the film version of the comic books. Because both Barrys have great heart and are good at putting others before themselves. So, while I cannot change my past feelings of wanting to hate this film. I can live in the moment and say with surety that The Flash is a good movie with inclusive casting, and worth the watch.
Love DC Comics entertainment, but not happy about this review? You can read other reviews by K. A. Grant in the Entertainment Blog section.
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