One thing worse than suffering from superhero fatigue is feeling exhausted by the multiverse mania, so I wasn’t exactly clamoring to see the latest DCEU movie as the dawn of James Gunn’s DC Universe is near. What’s more, even though Ezra Miller isn’t doing press for the movie, it’s impossible to overlook their off-screen violent behavior. Honestly, even before their disturbing allegations, I was already meh about Miller’s cringe-inducing performance as The Flash in previous DC movies.

Needless to say, I was excited about this movie only for the supporting characters, namely the two Bat-men, played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton. I love Affleck’s take as Batman but it’s the 71-year-old Keaton who’s most impressive here as the oldest actor to not just do voice work for the character but play one on screen.

After 3+ decades of being in ‘production hell’ since the late 1980s, it fell to Argentinian horror filmmaker Andy Muschietti (Mama, It) to take the helm, based on a script by Christina Hodson (Bumblebee and Birds of Prey) and Joby Harold. One thing I appreciate is that it’s not an origin story per se, though the tale of how Barry got his powers is recurrently woven into the time-travel plot. 

When we first see Barry, we see him ordering his usual breakfast from a local diner/cafe, a funny way to show the character’s insatiable hunger. In this universe, Barry is working closely with Affleck’s Batman in fighting crime. It’s off to a rousing start with an electrifying and fun action spectacle. The ‘baby shower’ scene is a hoot, highlighting Miller’s comedic chops and expressive performance. The scene makes me recall the phenomenal Quicksilver’s (Marvel’s version of The Flash) kitchen scene in X-Men: Days Of Future Past which is still superior to this one. Truth be told, Evan Peters would absolutely kill it as The Flash.

In any case, the movie is off to a rollicking start! The quieter moments are fun to watch as well. Affleck’s Bruce Wayne is sort of a confidant to Barry here, kind of like his rich, wise uncle who shares a tragic past of losing their parents at a young age. I know it’s supposed to be an emotional beat for these superheroes, but I find it baffling how these grown men’s lives are still largely defined by their parent’s death. In Barry’s case, his life simply can’t go on without her deceased mother. So of course he recklessly travels back in time in an attempt to prevent his mother’s death, and gets trapped in an alternate reality where he meets his 18-year-old self. Now, dealing with one Ezra Miller is trying enough, let alone two, especially when college-version Barry is written to be extra irritating. 

If I ever rewatch this movie (which won’t be anytime soon), I’d definitely fast-forward past all the scenes involving Barry’s ultra-annoying college roommates. The Back to the Future references and people confusing Eric Stoltz with Michael J. Fox is only funny the first time around, but it was done ad nauseam. Now, I know these scenes are what you’d call ‘fan service’ so I’m not exactly the intended audience. Thankfully some of their scenes together did make me laugh, especially their hilarious reaction meeting this universe’s Bruce Wayne. 

Whatever Keaton was paid to reprise his role, I’d say double it as he’s worth every darn penny! Not only does he still kick ass as Batman, he also puts his comic chops to good use. His explanation of the multiverse with the spaghetti metaphor is simply perfect. Upon hearing him say let’s get nuts!’ I would’ve been fine if the movie suddenly switches to Keaton’s Batman with The Flash in supporting role instead.

As for the new Supergirl, Sasha Calle is all angst-y and furious which further highlights how goofy Barry and his alter ego are. It’s not a diss against Calle, but there’s a missed opportunity to feature the first Latina to portray a DC superheroine, as it feels like she’s just a Kryptonian sub for Henry Cavill. Also, is it just me or is Supergirl looking overly busty in her costume?The Flash costume on the other hand is pretty sleek looking, I love seeing all the meticulous details in the various close-ups in the movie.

The movie is 2 hrs 24 min long… relatively shorter than most recent superhero movies of late, but it still feels overlong and bloated. You’d think for a movie called The Flash, it’d at least has a speedy pacing. Alas, the movie overstays its welcome and is stuffed with overused and questionable CGI despite its huge $200 mil budget. The gold/orange-colored SFX depicting the moving timelines/multiverses that Barry has traveled through is shown multiple times, which gets more dizzying and aggravating every time. Now, I’m willing to tolerate dodgy effects if the story were strong enough to make me overlook it, but the plot is paper thin with practically no immersive world-building I expect from a blockbuster of this scale. The mother-son human drama rings pretty hollow to me, drawn out by all the silly shenanigans and overblown action set pieces.

I think my biggest issue is I find all of Barry’s relationships unconvincing. Whether it’s the romantic angle with Iris West (Kersey Klemmons) or most importantly, his bond with his parents (Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdú) which doesn’t tug my heartstrings. While watching the scenes of Barry and his mom, I kept asking ‘Since when is Barry Allen half Hispanic??’

Meanwhile, Michael Shannon’s Zod is back once more to wreak havoc in the movie’s final act, pretty much replicating what he did in Man of Steel, ugh! The entire final action scene is just a big bundle of chaos that keeps going on and on. Gone is my enthusiasm from that fun opening, as ultimately The Flash became quite a chore to sit through.

As fun as those two Batmen and the plethora of cameos (one, in particular, had me chuckling loudly), they cannot make up for a passable story. By the time the end credits rolled, I was ready to go, so I skipped the post-credit scene. I’m still glad I watched this thanks to Keaton, so in many ways, Batman really does save the Flash cinematically.

So have you seen THE FLASH? Let me know what you think!
…