Nothing can save The Flash from the terrible special effects, the played-out concept of the multiverse, and deplorable actions of its lead actor. If you’re looking for Barry Allen content, I recommend rewatching the TV show.

In August 2022, Warner Bros. decided to cancel the already-finished Batgirl movie. It caused uproar and confusion across the Internet – how could a completely finished DC comics movie never see the light of day? A spokesperson told The Wrap, “The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.” But the release of The Flash, despite delays and the abhorrent conduct of its lead actor, Ezra Miller, brings statements they made about Batgirl into question. How could DC cancel one of their few female-focused superhero films while brushing aside issues with Miller and the frankly horrible special effects in this movie?

The Flash picks up where 2017’s Justice League left Barry Allen (Miller). The fidgety and awkward superhero is working at the Central City police department while also helping to save the city from disaster and crime as his alter-ego, The Flash, when called upon by Alfred (Jeremy Irons). While Barry calls himself “the janitor of the Justice League,” because of how often he’s asked to clean up Batman’s messes, he actually looks up to Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and asks him for advice. However, the upcoming retrial of his father’s case has only sunk him further into his regrets about his mother’s death and his father’s imprisonment. When Barry discovers that he can run fast enough to travel back in time, he decides to prevent his mom’s death despite the risks of messing with the timeline. However, he actually ends up in an alternate world within the multiverse, leading him face to face with himself and desperate to find a way back to his own world.

Andy Muschietti’s movie has a plethora of issues from the very beginning. The script, by Christina Hodson, attempts to bring in far too many subplots, ranging from Barry’s work issues to coming back in contact with his college crush. The dialogue is full of clichés and awkward lines. The character of Barry is made cringe-inducing to the point of being uncomfortable; under the power of Diana’s Lasso of Truth, he offers up, “I know sex exists; I’ve just never experienced it.” There’s also the problem that the entire plot revolves around Barry’s mommy issues, which becomes completely uninteresting by the end of the film’s two-and-a-half-hour length.

There’s also the issue of how this film fits into the DC Extended Universe, in which it is the 13th film. While it picks up from where Justice League left off, it doesn’t seemingly have any implications for any other characters in the DCEU despite their appearances. However, the DCEU has always been a little confusing. Where do films like The Batman and Joker fit in? The DCEU lacks the consistency of the much tighter Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is fine when creating one-off films like The Batman but problematic when it relies on cameos from other characters. More confusing is why anyone should care about The Flash when it represents the second-to-last film in this phase of the DCEU before its taken into a new era by new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. Maybe they will be able to resurrect the DCEU, after the dismal last few films.

While people have complained about superhero fatigue for a while, The Flash revolves around another concept quickly becoming overused: the multiverse. It can still be effective when used cleverly by films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but it’s difficult not to resent the way it has become the latest trend and a quick way to patch over issues and excuse cheesy cameos. The MCU has already incorporated the multiverse into its storytelling, with much more real consequences, and even last year’s Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All At Once, played with how a family’s lives looked different across the multiverse. The Flash‘s use of it is boring at best and click-bait at worst. It doesn’t help that we’re asked to believe that Miller — looking exactly the same, aside from a haircut change — is playing Barry at two different ages.

But the most damning part of The Flash is its terrible visual effects, which are truly garish throughout. From the “chrono bowl” to the babies falling out of the collapsing hospital, it has an uncanny valley look to all of the sequences in which effects occurred. You can almost forgive the lackluster performances from most of the cast, considering how much greenscreen was in use and how unlikely it seems that many of them were in the same room with each other. While director Muschietti says that the visual effects are purposefully meant to look the way they do, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re nearly painful to watch for the film’s lengthy runtime.

This isn’t to say there is nothing to appreciate in The Flash. Fans of Keaton’s Batman will be excited to see him return to the character, albeit a very different version of him. Sasha Calle makes an excellent Supergirl in her brief appearance, and I hope she’s given another chance to play the role. It’s also nice to see a character within the superhero world acknowledge the collateral damage that people like Batman cause in their crime fighting. However, nothing can save The Flash from the terrible special effects, the played-out concept of the multiverse, and deplorable actions of its lead actor. If you’re looking for Barry Allen content, I recommend rewatching the TV show.

Grade: C-

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters