Details from IMDB:
The Flash
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
Initial Thoughts:
You’ve got to feel some sympathy for DC. This movie was probably doomed from the start with all of the controversy surrounding Erza Miller. Of course it didn’t help that their last live action movie, “Black Adam” was mediocre at best and that generally their movies (and TV shows) have wild swings in terms of quality. All that said, it has not 1 but 2 different Batman in it, including Michael Keaton! So there was never any question I would go as Batman is unquestionably my favorite comic book character.
Main Points:
I’ll start with the good, move onto the bad and finish with my overall thoughts (which aren’t ugly!). Michael Keaton is a treasure and it was AWESOME to see him play Batman again. Erza Miller despite all of his issues, is a good actor and I enjoy his take on The Flash. The plot for the movie is good and there are also solid performances from Ben Affleck, Sahsa Calle and Jeremy Irons (I won’t spoil cameos as there are a bunch!). Sahsa Calle is excellent as Supegirl, I really would like to see her do more with the role. Michael Shannon is also having fun with his return to Zod and puts in a good performance.
The movie has a TON of fan service, which I’m all for and there were plenty of moments that made me smile, laugh and even get a little teary eyed. There are moments where you see just how amazing Batman can be and I really appreciated some of the fun/light hearted parts as well. I like Aquaman but he is a fairly ridiculous character and easy to make fun of. It has plenty of action and I never felt like the 2.5 hour running time dragged.
The bad, what were they thinking with the special effects? The special effects here are often crappy, sometimes good and occasionally just terrible. I saw this in IMAX and it’s a awful statement for me to make but I would have been better off not to, all this did was highlight how crappy the effects were. The other major issue was that with all of the hype showing Batman and the new Supergirl, sadly all the movie ultimately does is show them fail both of the actors (and characters) deserved better.
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed this movie and I’m glad I saw it in theaters. I think DC has important decisions to make, and it seems clear to me one of them is getting rid of Erza Miller. Roles get recast all the time and I’m sure there are plenty of people (like Grant Gustin who has already played him and would make a ton of sense!) who could play Flash. I give this movie 7 out of 10 but at least a full point is due to my love of Batman and some excellent fan service. This movie had a lot of potential but as seems to happen with a lot of movies the past few years, a lot of it was wasted. I would recommend it to hardcore DC/comic book fans but don’t bother with IMAX or even 3D. Also not for small kids, ages 12+ for violence and some blood.