It's a decent superhero movie, nothing to write home about. There aren't even really some bad scenes and the pacing is quite good overall, it's just all average. Nothing special and that's kind of sad.
I havent applauded so much in a movie before. Wow this is a fun movie batfleck is in his best performance as Batman and I’m not going into details with all the cameos. Bravo. Can’t wait to see the end credits scene since wasn’t available at the test screening but I would definitely watch it again right now. Now can we have justice league 2 please.
Yeah, this movie was fun. This is the best way to describe the positives. Regardless of how you feel about Ezra Miller as an actual person, his portrayal of Barry is very likable and he killed it by playing two of them. And the humor is quite good. I (and a bunch of others in the theatre) laughed a good amount of times, it was charming. That also applies to action which is well-shot and creative.
I am very much looking forward to Andy making the Batman movie if the rumors are true. His camerawork is nothing but amazing, I loved it. Really excited for the action Gunn and Andy can bring to the DCU. The CGI is also most of the time a clear non-issue unless you pay extra attention to it. The only time where I think it becomes distracting and uncanny is the cameos, but that takes place in the speed force so I can live with Andy’s argument here. However, uncanny cameos don't come close to ruining this movie as many people pretend it, although I'm sure none of them actually watched the movie. So let me state it clearly: I think the Flash is well-shot, looks a few times bad, but most of the time very good. There are a lot of scenes where color and lighting are very well-utilized. Personally, I have some gripes with the aesthetic of the speed force though, but maybe we can improve it in the DCU. The DCU is the perfect opportunity to overhaul the aesthetic and make something better.
If there is one thing I think could've been better, it is definitely the emotional gravitas. I think the script is solid, but there is just too much content to expand on the theme properly, but Barry's characterization also feels rushed. I think previous movies could've established that better, and this movie instead could have expanded more on Keaton's Batman and also Supergirl, because they also have regrets and scars from the past. Supergirl generally is criminally underutilized in this movie. This movie felt super short, to be honest. I guess I was well entertained because it didn't feel like I sat in there for 2,5 hours and there is so much they could've expanded on. Also, I liked the Andy cameo.
So yeah, overall, fun and charming experience, however, the movie ultimately feels rushed. Too much content crammed into one movie. The general theme of regrets and moving on is very good, but the movie didn't live up to its potential. In a DCU which has proper build-up between different movies and series, I think Andy can make something truly magical.
Terrible dog crap. I shut it off after 20 minutes.
Despite all the glorifying advertisement and promotion of the best superhero film, ending to be a major flop. When you see it you will understand why. A very very excessive use of trully awful CGI on every scene, ANOTHER multiverse storyline, enough with this it is like the 3D movies trend that died, this style now has to die also.
Positives for me:
Kara was awesome, very good cast, want to see more of her
The cameos of the Batman's
And of course Nicolas Cage, that alone is a reason to watch this stupid festivity.
"The Flash 2023: A CGI Disaster and Scriptwriting Fiasco"
Where do I even begin with "The Flash 2023"? This film is an absolute train wreck that leaves audiences wishing they could run as fast as the titular superhero just to escape this mess. The CGI in this movie is so horrendously bad that it's laughable – and not in a good way. It's as if they hired an intern who just learned how to use a 3D modeling software and decided to handle all the visual effects on a shoestring budget. From the poorly animated lightning bolts to the hilariously awkward slow-motion sequences, the CGI alone is enough to make your eyes bleed.
But wait, it gets worse. The script for "The Flash 2023" is an insult to storytelling and character development. It's filled with clichés and cringeworthy dialogue that would make even the most ardent fan of the superhero genre cringe in embarrassment. The plot is a jumbled mess of time-travel mumbo-jumbo, poorly explained motivations, and plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. It's as if the writers were just throwing random ideas at the wall and hoping something would stick.
As for the performances, the actors seem to be struggling to keep the audience entertained, and who can blame them? With such a lackluster script and nonexistent character arcs, it's a wonder they managed to get through filming without breaking down in tears of frustration. Even the usually charming and charismatic lead actor can't save this sinking ship.
"The Flash 2023" feels like a rushed attempt to cash in on the popularity of superhero movies without any regard for quality or coherence. The action scenes are forgettable at best and cringe-inducing at worst, with CGI so bad that you'll wish you were watching a cheap 90s cartoon instead.
To top it all off, the movie suffers from severe pacing issues, dragging on for what feels like an eternity. It's like being trapped in the speed force with no way out. I found myself checking my watch every few minutes, hoping that the torture would end soon.
In conclusion, "The Flash 2023" is an abysmal failure on every level. The CGI is laughably bad, the script is a disaster, and the performances are lackluster. It's a shame to see such a beloved character and franchise treated with such disrespect. Save your money and your precious time, and run away from this movie as fast as The Flash himself.
For a movie where the story looked so great on paper, this one here after so many changes in the scripts and the shoot, seemed like a huge misfire & execution went wrong. Few of my buddies who saw the film earlier did tell me that the CGI wasn't that great, but boy i didn't expect it to be this bad. And i never actually noticed how bad Ezra Miller is as Flash before now. Truth be told Grant Gustin made it seem like a walk in the park. Sasha Calle as Supergirl definitely worked out for me at some portions and didn't at somewhere else. Keaton coming back was definitely one of the main highlights of this one. I did like the whole of how the "Dark Flash" plot was unraveled, but then again, the execution was missed here too. Now coming to the plethora of cameos that appeared during the last scenes, seemed nothing much more than fan service turning out to be nothing at all. Went in with some pretty good hope, but turned out be below average.
Oh man, was this incredible. Warner Bros. finally managed to capture magic in a bottle with this movie. A tad unfortunately, we are right at the end of DCEU as we know it. As problematic as Ezra Miller is IRL, one cannot deny his talent on-screen. Michael Keaton and the rest of the cast are absolutely on their A-game too. Notwithstanding some less than stellar dialogue that is not going to fetch any Oscars, the movie finally, FINALLY, satiates the starving DC fan who has yet to see their superheroes represented well in a screen that is full to the brim with them. I hope Gunn can take this momentum and chart a successful path forward.
Note: Review from fan-screening on May 22, 2023. Movie screened may not be the final version.
I have seen this story executed better in
TV - CW The Flash
Animation - Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox
Movie - Zack Snyder's Justice League
Comic - Flashpoint
P.S. None of them has god awful CGI babies.
If I could give this a lower rating then I would.
Can’t they make anything decent and serious at WB that isn’t “LOL So random” or nostalgia bait out of the wazoo? Disgusting movie start to finish, CGI included.
Without Keaton's Batman, this movie would've been bland and confuse as hell. The cameos and the Chronosphere scenes looked so awful and cluttered. Yeah, I liked the 89's Batman and Kal El's cousin scenes, Danny Elfman's score and that's it. Bad screenplay, bad CGI, bad protagonist. Time paradox should be the really "villain" in this movie, no need for Zod.
Where did all the money go? You can't see it in the final product. Content is king. Should've spent a decent chunk of change on a competent and good script. While you're at it, why not get a competent and talented director... and actors... and...? That makes sense, doesn't it? No? Hmm.
There's no excuse to greenlight a project that isn't complete and hasn't been planned in full, polished to a shine and positively peer reviewed every step along the way. Shame this project is so poorly written. Shame about the star of the project and how annoying they are as presented in the film. Shame about the gross CGI callbacks and terrible VFX. Shame. That's what those involved in making this project what it is should feel... and you know what? There's no place for shame.
All this typed, I enjoyed parts of the film. Michael Keaton was fun. I didn't enjoy him in the original film (I don't think it's his fault - I like Keaton), but like him here quite a bit, outside of the callbacks. Shame this wasn't a Batman film. I also enjoyed what we saw of Supergirl. I liked what little we saw of Barry's Mom and Dad.
As an aside, just because a director produces a project that makes a lot of money doesn't mean they're good and should be backed for additional projects. Money doesn't equate to quality. You only need to peruse any medium's "charts" to understand this... but, it seems many execs, the ones who excel in ruining things, in addition to being incompetent and useless, are lucky bastards who failed upwards.
So I pushed through the atrocious cgi intro, with lame humor and stupid acting from Miller. Am I glad that I did can’t say so but I did get to see Keaton’s amazing performance and what in a different universe with a better director and another actor playing Flash would be a decent take on a flashpoint movie. Supergirl isn’t like her character but it would be fine if she was a female darker aspect of Kal El.
I can’t imagine a more cringeworthy experience than watching Ezra Miller slo no pop eye at the camera and delivering bad lines except maybe another one of him acting even more asinine. Well i guess i don’t have to imagine. The director is right only Ezra Miller could make the Flash what it is any one else and it might be ok.
Ohh God.... Terrible piece of sh#t movie ...I can write better story for the movie....Hire me DC and I'll fix DCEU.
If we could rate by "half-stars" this would fall right around the 4½ star mark...somewhere between "Poor" and "Meh". If you could skip the first half of the film, this might be tolerable but that first hour of slop you have to plod through (complete with dolls and mannequins falling from the sky, that are supposed to pass for real infants/people) makes this almost unbearable. It was far too juvenile for me, which was a huge disappointment because, as a kid, I always liked The Flash in the comic books. (Truth be told, though, I never could figure out how "running really fast" could ever be used as a super-power.)
In all honesty, this film should be seen more as a Justice League: Lite instead of a movie about The Flash character. Without the others, the film would have essentially NOTHING to ride on and unfortunately, it seems to have borrowed heavily from its arch-rival, Marvel Comics, with the "Let's go back and do that again!" twist. (Dr. Strange, anyone?) So many things were just helter-skelter, adding nothing (at least to someone who's not heavily into the DC Comics world. (Always preferred Marvel, myself.) to the story. I will give props, however, to Ezra Miller for his closing scene in the grocery store: he at least made that part feel believable and deeply emotional. Apart from that one scene, however, this movie seemed designed almost exclusively for juvenile audiences and couldn't really be seen as anything remotely serious or thought-provoking. Just one goofy pratfall after another, and nothing in this film served to make The Flash seem like a viable "superhero". If anything, he came across more like the "Greatest American Hero" in the old TV series.
Big waste of two-and-a-half hours; you can save yourself at least an hour, though, by cutting through the first 54 minutes. There's absolutely nothing in those first 54 minutes that is worth sitting through...not even a backstory. Oh well...I watched it.
Omg the cgi! How did this ever get released in this state! And besides that, it's just terrible. Gimme back my two hours...
so bad. so bad. so bad
Quite entertaining and nostalgic despite the lackluster CGI
Most of the humour didn't land for me, and the CGI was a bit wonky. But I had a good time.
Very fun movie! Yes, it’s overhyped and there’s some parts of the story that didn’t make sense. But overall it’s a solid 7/10 and DC fans will love it.
Why not cast Grant Gustin for the part? He is definitely the greatest Barry Allen ever, and a great young actor!
Edit 2022: OK, Ezra, move aside, it's Grant's turn!
I do not deny Ezra was good too, and that the last seasons of Flash have been week sauce (I do agree that most baddies are converted to good after a nice speech, nonetheless I'll keep watching it till the end, I'm that kind of viewer...), but Grant is an established Flash, great actor and apparently a calmer human being than Ezra at the moment. :P
Sorry, I'm team Grant! :)
Despite the glowing advance reviews, "The Flash" is not the best superhero film of all time, the year, or even the month. But it is definitely a good movie overall. The humor is mostly spot on, the effects are impressive, and Ezra Miller is consistently convincing in the lead role. Michael Keaton still fits the Batman mantle pretty well, and Sasha Calle also delivers an excellent first impression as Supergirl. On top of that, of course, there are some neat cameos.
The pacing of the film isn't bad, either. It starts with a really entertaining sequence before the time travel plot picks up speed. The plot is comprehensible throughout and, above all, not as overly convoluted as in many other genre representatives. However, "The Flash" also has the usual problem of similar stories, that the fate of the characters never really gets to your heart, since it is not crucial for the "canon" anyway. But there is no such thing in the dying DCU anyway. In addition, there is not really a good villain, but then again, none was really needed here.
Overall, I would say that "The Flash" is neither a good conclusion to the old DCEU nor a good transition into the new DCU. You can still have a good time at the cinema, though, as the film works on its own and should appeal to fans of old DC works as well.
WE FINALLY GOT TO SEE NIC CAGE'S SUPERMAN FIGHT A GIANT SPIDER
Just when you think you hit rock bottom with Black Adam and Wonder Woman 84, DC find a way to disappoint you even more. This was awful. I'm heartbroken at how terribly these characters have been portrayed. Terrible writing. Terrible direction. Terrible acting. Terrible VFX. Everyone phoned it in on this movie.
Grant Gustin should have been given the role of Barry. I mean, he's doing a wonderful job on the show and is a terrific actor. Why create this huge chasm between the TV and cinematic universe by casting different actors for the same character, when there's already a great Barry that everyone loves?
A total mess. It's another example of contemporary filmmaking where making an actual movie is at the bottom of the priority list. It's pure corporate drivel that won't be remembered by anyone in the long run. However, for a brief moment, it tricked me into thinking that it wasn't going to be like that. In fact, I quite liked the opening action sequence. Sure, visually it's already not up to snuff, but the weird ideas and energy of the scene totally won me over. Once it gets into the actual story, it immediately flies off the rails and never recovers. To start off, it has a massive problem with delivering exposition, so much so that every crucial piece of information is repeated at least twice for the dummies in the audience. Ben Affleck and Kiersey Clemmons make a quick cameo in order to spell out the character arc of Barry in the film through clunky dialogue. It turns out the actual meat of the story revolves around Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdú, who play Barry's parents. A good movie would realize that this is the emotional heart of the story, the thing that should be the main focus of its multiverse/time travel set-up. Instead, this movie sets that stuff aside and turns into an exercise of branding and dopamine. Think Spider-man: No Way Home, but somehow it makes even less sense. So much of the pandering here comes off as pathetic and desperate. I like Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman in the Burton movies as much as the next guy, but when you cut here from him flying like a plastic doll, to his stuntman kicking ass, to a close-up of old, wrinkly, post-Birdman Michael Keaton, I can't help but laugh. Let's turn his character into a joke and give him long hair for the introduction scene (in order to conveniently hide the stuntman), only to make him look like regular Michael Keaton two scenes later when barely any time has passed. Let's put in a beat where Supergirl leaves the group for one scene without any clear motivation. Let's make sure Keaton says the line about going nuts, who cares if it makes any sense. It’s all painfully stupid and hits one shallow emotion after the next. Sometimes it tries to be funny, there's a surprising amount of slapstick in this. It's different than the snarky lines and bathos we're used to in superhero movies, which is nice, but I only chuckled twice and cringed at most of the other stuff. The movie weaves in the origin story of Barry, which is a neat idea, but this means we get to spend time with the 18 year old version of Barry Allen, hands down the most annoying character you're going to see at the movies this year. It was pretty smart to retcon Miller's abysmal Justice League performance into a character arc, but both versions of the character here are still incredibly obnoxious. The performance is godawful, almost every line that comes out of their mouth sounds phoney and overacted (no, my personal feelings regarding Miller have zero influence on this). I can't really comment on any of the other performances or characters (Shannon, Calle), because their appearances are too brief to leave a genuine impression. Everything leads to a rushed third act that has no problem breaking its own logic in regards to time travel, and it goes completely nuts with the amount of pointless fan service. It even introduces another villain out of nowhere, all before wrapping up the story in a way that barely feels like a resolution for anything. The (clearly reshot) ending scene ensures that this wasn't entirely spinning its wheels, but a lot of stuff still gets no pay-off. In terms of filmmaking, this is also pretty disastrous. Yes, the green screen and PS3 graphics are terrible, but more importantly this movie isn't even capable of putting two Ezra Miller's on the screen in a convincing way, which is a type of visual trick that got perfected back in the 90s. The framing and lighting often enhance the visuals looking like plastic, and this gets particularly bad in the third act: the staging, blocking and editing are an incoherent mess. Finally, the music is unmemorable and sounds like a poor man's Danny Elfman. I don’t understand the decision to omit the Flash theme from the Justice League film, which was the only memorable bit from that soundtrack (and composed by Elfman, no less). Maybe the filmmakers wanted to distance themselves from the theatrical cut, but then why is this movie insisting that this is the first time Barry runs back in time? That’s already canon in the director’s cut. Just so many baffling decisions with this one. You should do yourself a favor and just (re)watch the earlier seasons of the tv show, there's nothing to be gained by investing your time in this trainwreck.
2.5/10
The Flash proves to be a competent superhero film. Not the best, but a breath of fresh air amidst the hot mess that has flooded the genre in recent years. It stands on its own, requiring only a basic understanding of past character portrayals, unlike the convoluted soap opera often seen in DCEU and MCU lines.
Despite its ensemble of superheroes and characters, the film manages to strike enough of the right chords.
It balances humor without overdoing it like Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Black Adam, or any Marvel Cinematic Universe films in the last 10 years. The fanservice of Keaton's Batman is tastefully done, providing memorable lines and explosive gimmicks without overstaying his welcome. The action sequences are well-choreographed, particularly those involving Affleck's and Keaton's Batman, although the initial speedster scene falls somewhat short as Days of Future Past already sets the bar high. The most important, the film possesses a straight enough plotline to propels the story forward, but still offers moments of intrigue and uncertainty where you would ask the direction the film will be taking.
The film however stumbles in Kara/Supergirl's parts. The plot revolving around General Zod and Kara's arrival and departure feels clumsy. It underplays the significance established in Man of Steel regarding Clark's purpose on Earth, not to mention the spandex that Kara somehow brought everywhere makes her feels comical. Sasha Calle seems unable to pull a good Kara impression; her attempt to embody a complex yet tough character feels like forced, relying on screaming and unnerving facial expressions, and her decisions throughout the films appear abrupt. Her bitterness leaves more to be desired as it seems to be quickly resolved. The grand battle feels tonally inconsistent with some rock music, Keaton's soundtrack, and Kara's theme blasting over each other. Although Michael Shannon delivers a menacing performance as Zod, the thin plot he walks on undermines his presence.
Fortunately, The Flash remains true to its scale.
While the film introduces multiverses, at its heart is Barry's personal desire to save his mother. Barry isn't driven by a grand mission to save the multiverse; he's a reluctant hero who finally acts when met a seemingly dead end. One might say that the resolution offered by the film presents a fatalistic view of history, unlike the practically optimistic tone of Avengers: Endgame, but the strength of the film is not to have the final say of all of these actually work: as the climax unfolds, both Barry and the audience are left wondering where the breaking point lies in history that must remain untouched. The film avoids drowning the audience in pseudoscience for explaining the multiverse, opting for Keaton's short and humorous spaghetti metaphor. The most compelling aspect is the film's ability to maintain a personal scale despite the high stakes, leaving the audience emotionally moved with effective lines in the resolution that in the first 15 minutes of the film seemed clichéd. The ending provides a pleasant surprise, setting the stage for a fresh start in the DC Universe.
Without boasting the concept of multiverses like Doctor Strange: Multiverses of Madness, The Flash is an enjoyable soft-reboot multiversal superhero film that leaves quite an impression. Not the best superhero film certainly, but perhaps still ranking among the better ones in the multiverse/time-reversing subgenre of superhero films, possibly trailing only a few steps behind Days of Future Past.
We all really enjoyed the movie. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about it. The action scenes and story were good. Ezra sells the character of the Flash. It was great to see Michael as Batman again. Great cameos and I liked Sasha as Kara.
It's a very fun movie. People take this shit too seriously. "Baby shower" was wild. You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts!
Just finished watching in IMax and what a entertaining, enjoyable and fan fodder feeder of a film!
Ezra certainly played this part with passion and the whole movie kept at a steady pace that the right chemistry of fun, action and the odd "yes" moment ;)
I will certainly go and do a rewatch and order the steelbook.
People, literally every fan, for the past 10 years: We love Grant Gustin, cast him as The Flash.
DC: How about no?
Ezra Miller: does despicable acts of terror and becomes known for it across THE ENTIRE PLANET
40k people on Trakt.tv: hehe flosh go zoom, let's support a criminal, hehe
Honestly, humanity is a joke if anyone actually pays to see this and theaters and DC deserve to burn in hell and we who know better can finally devote our lives to chaos, because obviously only people who do so can thrive in this world
That Ezra Miller is an annoying actor. What worse than having one? Exactly: 2 of them.
This movie had a fun amount of cameo, but that's about all there's good about this movie.
It was good to see Keaton back as Batman. The CGI was distracting due to entire scenes from action to characters looking so animated and unrealistic. It was tolerable watch but surely wasn’t anything special.
It's a canon event, Barry!
Nice trailer, sort of
enough with the multiverse thingy, think something else
Also OF COURSE SuperGirl uniform would be PC
The quality of the movie is the same as the post credit scene; both make you wish you had not waited for them, or paid money to see them. Because they simply SUCK. Also, the amount of horrendous CGI here is INSULTING. I went in with an open mind, but I’m sorry, Ezra was a terrible Barry Allen and Flash. Yes, both times.
If they won't give us Grant Gustin, at least give us someone other than Ezra Miller as The Flash.
I'm glad to know that Zack Synder is not involved in directing or writing this movie.
Just a horrible movie flick. CGI is on par with The Scorpion King, a movie that came out 2002, 21 years ago. Ezra Miller as The Flash was a very bad casting decision. The only positive thing with the movie was Michael Keaton, and another Bruce Wayne Cameo.
First let me say I did actually enjoy the movie, it far exceeded my expectations.
Having said that, the biggest problem with this movie is Ezra Miller, for me he just portrays the worst Barry Allen ever put forth in any media.
What gets almost all the points for this movie is the nostalgia, I was surprised to see who they included and how.
The storyline wasn't too divergent to be a mad distraction (speaking as a MASSIVE comic book fan)and the introduction of Sasha Calle as Supergirl was the icing on top of the cake.
Batman vs Superman, hand over the "worst super hero movie ever" trophy here, you no longer deserve it, I was harsh on you, goes to The Flash, no logic, no time logic (young flash kills himself and he is younger ??? paradox) , no physics logic ( hit by a bullet stops it , couldn't handle the shovel ), for those who don't agree, go read "The flashpoint" comics, some real art there, amazing reboot, freaking great characters.
Movie was alright, but honestly, other than Michael Keaton's Batman and a couple of little surprises, it was just kind of meh.
Incoherent plot, a bit too much unexplained (such as how come Keaton-Batman knows all about time travel?). Pacing was all over the place, and too many things got resolved by pure plot contrivance. And the effects looked absolutely awful. Not a single effect involving a CGI person worked, not even a little bt. And the attempts at deepfaking were even worse. Someone, somewhere in the team responsible for this someone should have pulled the breaks and said "no, the tech isn't there yet. We can't do what you want, not at this budget and with this amount of time". I'm almost sure someone DID point this out, and was apparently ignored. This is absolutely embarrasing. I might have been able to excuse these effects if I saw them five years ago on the Flash TV show, but in a "blockbuster" movie? No, not a chance.
Thre were things I liked. Mostly references etc. Cameos were mostly shit, especially the JL ones; most of those felt forced and uninteresting. But finally seeing Nick Cage fighting a giant spider? That was awesome.
Being a massive fan of the animated flashpoint paradox movie which is one of the best DC animated movies I was hoping for something good. Unfortunately everything than made that movie so engaging was changed in favour of poor versions.
It wouldn't have been hard to make a good version but sadly not. Keaton as Batman was good but I wish we could have seen jeffrey dean morgan as the Thomas Wayne batman.
I wanted to give Ezra a chance even with controversies but like with Justice League he's just not a good flash. He's annoying and doesn't give you any likeability towards the character and having 2 of his flash characters is just bad and changing out reverse flash for bad flash is just uggghhhhh (plus the TV show already did bad Barry with Savitar)
What little we saw is Supergirl was okay but there really wasn't enough to go on. And having Zod back just seems pointless and strange especially without Superman.
And finally the CGI, was a cluster fuck. The time travel scenes looked like PS2 graphics and that weird baby scene at the start was just a complete mess of CGI and idiotic story.
All in all, a real big mess!!!
I've seen the story-line done in the CW version of the Flash and enjoyed Grant G's acting much better. Was nice to see the Flash on the big screen but I just didn't believe Ezra's portrayal did the Flash justice. And the chemistry between Ezra and Kiersey, not there. I have a feeling this will go the way Spiderman did with actor changes through each sequel, lets hope. I enjoyed Sasha's portrayal of Supergirl and hope to see more of her character in the future. Bombed at the box office, go figure.
It's obligatory for any reviewer to dismiss James Gunn's hyperbolic table setting for The Flash, so here is my required, "No, this was not the greatest comic book movie of all time." It was... fine. It's lightyears better than the dreck that was Shazam: Fury of the Gods or the rolling disaster of Black Adam. And while it has more depth than Justice League, it lacks the - love it or hate it - imagination & vision of Man of Steel. For the most part the special effects are what we've come to expect from superhero movies these days, which is to say they are just enough to create the world onscreen and not good enough to wow you, but the final extended post-battle sequence was almost insulting in its lack of quality. Like the movie as a whole, it felt like way too much got crammed into a limited timeframe so there wasn't the space to give it the care and attention that it needed to make it truly great. What we got instead, both in that sequence and through the entire movie, were cool moments that are fun but underwhelming, and inside jokes that are amusing but not good enough to welcome in those who aren't hard-core comic/film industry nerds. If you're in that latter category you're going to enjoy the ride, if not be blown away by it. For those who aren't, you'll be more confused than entertained by it all.
After this middling performance, we've probably seen the last of Ezra Miller in the DC universe, their legal troubles notwithstanding. There were ahem flashes of good acting at times (Barry's goodbye to his mom was genuinely emotional, as was his lashing out at his younger self in the Batcave), but for the most part they fell flat. Maybe the unbalanced tone didn't give them a chance to shine, or the weak dialogue was beyond elevating... or maybe they're just not as good an actor as we saw in The Perks of Being A Wallflower. Either way, it's hard to like (either) Barry very much, and a major reveal in the third act doesn't feel earned because of it.
On the other hand, Sasha Calle was a breath of fresh air. Her Kara Zor-El could have been a triumph if the story had been centered around her. As (rightfully) bitter as she is against humanity, her core heroism comes through loud and clear- as does her devastation at the loss of her planet and people, along with her desire for vengeance against Zod. She deserves more of a chance to shine in her own movie. Her counterpart in the story, Michael Keaton, underwhelmed me, but that's only because he spent a good portion of the film as Bruce Wayne and we didn't have enough time to get acclimated to, or learn about, the changes that he's gone through since we last saw him in the cape back in 1992.
This is not a spoiler, but on the way out the door we get one of the most jarring tonal shifts of all: An end credits sequence that comes out of absolutely nowhere. It's an obvious stylistic stamp on the film from James Gunn. With its music an and comic whimsy it acts as a visual and emotional coda on everything that has come before, announcing that the film that you just watched was The End, and from here starts a new beginning.
We can only hope.
Overall, this was a decent superhero movie. Michael Keaton was great being Batman again, fun cameos, and some of the jokes were funny. The only thing that didn't sit well with me was the CGI & VFX. It felt like I was watching a slightly older generational video game.
The Best Part Of The Flash Is All The Batmans That Were In It - Genuinely Michael Keaton Was The Best Part - It Wasn't As Bad As Justice League But This Was Just An OK Movie - Ezra Miller Is Decent As A Side Character Not The Main Actor, He Just Wasn't Good To Lead - And The CGI Gave Me A Migraine, It Was Just Plain Bad
The cgi is awful in a ton of scenes. Especially the babies scenes. Batman and Supergirl had cool scenes, but all the flash stuff was boring and stupid.:rofl::wastebasket:
It’s a fun movie, just don’t expect anything even remotely of the entertainment value, spectacle and wow-factor of the two Spider-Man movies this year. It’s clearly trying to copy them in a lot of ways, and fails abysmally.
The trailers dropped certain plot point and storyline things as to what happens in the movie. And when those things happen the animations they went with and CGI don’t even remotely link it up logically. You only know what’s going on because you’re expecting it from the trailers telling you that much of the plot before you walked in. “Oh, right, this must be the bit where the thing happens that the trailers told me would happen”. Otherwise, the CGI and animations they went with makes zero sense what so ever.
I actually would have probably enjoyed this more if the movie meant anything, but it's just mumble jumble stuffed into one.
The cast is great...well, maybe just afew ppl, Ezra Miller ruined some of the enjoyability of this.
The cgi was very different , and I liked it weird enough, as a one-off.
I'm overscoring this as a total time travel & nostalgia mark. The hilarious CGI made it campy and silly which was a plus for me vs a detriment. A time travel comedy that was a touch too long. 7.6 which is very high for these movies. Don't care , had a blast.
Are we just going to ignore the fact that they killed off Michael Keatons batman's entire universe in this movie? Way to go idiots
So if Barry’s mom remembered tomato sauce the killer never would have showed ? Like ever ? Also if Barry’s mom was never killed, Barry would have been a goofy douchbag ?
It's just empty. Empty of meaning, empty of effort. It's not an awful movie, but a meaningless one. The best part of it are the Batman sequences, which are probably the only reason for anyone to watch this film.
I went into this movie with low expectations because DC generally hasn’t delivered for me; I was pleasantly surprised! This is an adaptation of the Flashpoint comic event (which was also a great 2013 animated movie) that involves TONS of fan service moments while also telling a twisted (but not hard to follow) time travel paradox story that loops into multiversal contact. There’s some really, really rough CGI in many places, but the plot is engaging and moves quickly.
I’m fascinated and hopeful to see what comes next with the DC universe now under James Gunn’s control; I think that lack of total knowledge on “what comes next” for these characters and entire cinematic universe lends this movie some stakes that most superhero movies don’t usually get.
So………… who killed Barry’s Mom?
I hate everything that is this movie
The movie was good, fun to watch. My only complaint was the music. The music is not as good as what Danny Elfman did. I usually don't notice the music in a movie,but it felt lacking here.
I think DC intentionally makes the CGI “bad” to make it look comic-ish. I was really liking this until the giant hot mess near the end.
Good humour, some great action and a good, albeit typical, storyline. It’s hard to get out of the corner once you’ve painted yourself into it with time travel.
I don't know why there are so many negative comments. This movie was hilarious. Not like non-stop, but like the old Flash comic books hilarious. Flash was always the "dumb" guy who managed to fix everything even when he screwed it up. This stays really true to form of those old comic books.
it was entertaining. It's not the serious storyline of most the DC movies, but again Flash.
Garbage. Shazam and all of its comic relief was better than this and I hated Shazam. Enough said
TLDR: If you have grown up with Keaton as Batman, his return will hit you in the feels, apart from that, don't waste your time: this movie is quite simply atrocious.
Thank god for Michael Keaton. The only watchable scenes from this insufferable movie are the ones he's in. He steals each one of those too.
The rest is just plainly bad. The special effects, the forced cameos. The overall script has potential, the execution is mind-blowingly bad.
I'm sorry to see Cavill/Afleck/Gadot go because they carried the DCCU (and also because Afleck had potential to be a great Batman) but if The Flash is what we could have had with them, good riddance (don't live long enough to see yourself become the vilain).
It could be so much more, but the digital effects just ruin it. I feel like we're going backwards, because if you look back a few years, it was pretty cool and sometimes more than cool. What's happening today is really weird. Anyway.
It's hard to believe that the Flash is still played by Ezra Miller. Wasn't he chased by cops across the country a few years back? Or am I missing something? Well, he's on the red carpet now, if anything. Supergirl is great, not to mention the suit fits her pretty well ... well. Nostalgia was delivered so it wasn't such a tragedy. Definitely better than Wonder Woman and Justice League the original one, not the Zack one. I'd probably never watch it again though which can't be said for Marvel movies, I mean the old ones the new ones suck. So.
This comment is a mess. Never mind.
Yeah I love the Flash but this wasn't it:disappointed_relieved:... from the half assed CGI to the stuffed in nostalgia, which probably made many ppl falsely rate this movie higher than it would... Wake up ppl!!! Don't enable the writers of this crap stand for it to be better or is this what you crave for to be shoved down your throats till you realise and get fed up:thinking:?
Props to screenwriter, director and I guess I can't denied it to the main actor. The film surprisingly had heart and was fun, it's probably where Gunn was coming from with that insane praise which is of course far from reality or maybe it's kinda true for majority of the latest line of DC/Marvel films There is easily improved parts: CGI and dumbing down younger counterpart went abit too far along with forcing love interest that didn't work.
Thankfully it didn't go Spider-Man: No Way Home route it had solid reason to jumpstart the plot and treated its characters as characters first, memberberries second. Which was refreshing.
Decent actor from indie films went crazy with fame/money somewhere along the line, but surprisingly can still pull off captivating performance that can even carry a film.
I was prepared to enjoy a batshit insane fun bad movie with plotholes (Wonder Woman 1984, Thor: love and thunder, etc), but The Flash win me over.
This was good. Well done
I watched this with low expectations and it actually turned out to be good, beside very bad CGI and some goofy dialogues. It has a good story compared to what we get from these types of movies these days
5/10
First of all I am an marvel fan, I watch some movie and series from dc but I don’t know everything there is in the dcu (normal knowledge of the universe)
The movie was entertaining at some moments. I am not a fan of Ezra miller as the flash.
The cgi was terrible.. the story was fine but it wasn’t told and shown right. The jokes in this movie don’t hit as the should do. The action scenes are terrible, unless the flash isn’t involved. The cgi is so bad when the flash is in action. Entertaining movie at some points but that’s it. Supergirl was so weak in this movie, but maybe that’s something comic book related. Micheal Keaton was really good as Batman enjoyed watching him. I am just not a fan of this flash… the animation when he was going back in time, where so bad. A 7 year old could make this better. Only thing that blown my mind was the ending outside the court when Bruce Wayne came
I am not a geek, even I know programming and tech, but I saw the animated movies once in a while, they aré better than any live action movie, even Marvel, so It Is weird that you got talent but instead you waste money creating this bad movies.
It's more of Justice League than The Flash. It had a great beginning but couldn't carry on till the end. The graphics are also rather poor considering it's '23. The storyline was great because it revealed Flash's past existing in the present. However, given how long it took to release, I had higher hopes. Disappointing overall.
I was going to watch this at the cinema, but glad i didn't. Very "meh" movie. The CGI is horrendous, specially when he is in the speedforce. The plot is loosely based in Flashpoint, not truly bad adapted but it felt all over the place. I liked Sasha Calle; i thought i wouldn't but her version of Kara was kinda cool, even tho they didn't give her too much development. The cameos weren't bad to be honest. Those 2 things upped the score from 5 to 6 over 10; but is a pretty forgettable movie. Sad that the DCU ended on this note. Let's hope the new build on it by Gunn is more cohesive and better than all of this
Don’t get the hate for this movie, acting is good, action is great, emotional and quite funny. The vfx in some slow mo scenes of The Flash can look slightly fake but the “bad” vfx is in the speed force scenes where the reasoning by the director makes sense. They actually shot those scenes with the actors so them looking like 3D models is a stylistic choice not bad VFX just like how the intro of the Secret Invasion show is supposed to look weird, when passed through an AI model, even though it was completely made by artists. Only complaint is the villain, Zod and Dark Flash had potential which wasn’t fulfilled
The story is okay, i like the multiverse, but what damaged this movie for me was
1-crappy CGI will make you laugh and throw you off the mood.. seriously WB you were delaying this movie for years couldn't you finish rendering the scenes at least.
2-Ezra Miller performance was below the bar.
3-the bad casting of super girl and ofcourse the trend of including diversity cast so they gave Barry Allen Hispanic mother which was super weird.
But cheer up ,now we have Aquaman 2 to look for and bomb as well and close the chapter on DC.
Some of the effects, as with all recent DC movies still disappoints, characters are very PC-gamey. (I'm gonna start calling them, Hyper-Real-Render-Mation) hope they'll do a bit more work on it for the Blu-ray
but it is DCs best superhero movie for a long time!
As a Keaton Batman go-er at age 11, I smiled throughout.
This Supergirl NEEDS her own movie
Definitely a top tier super hero film COMIC BOOK MOVIE I loved every moment of it and watched it twice still by the end forget Ezra plays two different versions of himself amazing
Performances decent. Story clean and fairly interesting amongst the bevy of multiverse takes of late. What really gets me is how bad it looked. The Flash is THE speedster and this is the first Flash movie and yet, despite years of a flash show, two different Quicksilvers, Makkari, and even years of doing this specific Flash they couldn’t avoid rubbery uncanny animation from the opening fight to the big finale. It’s a shame to because a lot of the action was well choreographed and the costume and character design was pretty great, it seems like us the case with all big productions these days, a lot has to be digitally animated and the studios isn’t giving the artist the time they need to execute.
So much waiting, so that they did not take care of the details, they tried to save it with the performance of Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot,... and even so the story is very poor for my taste,... unfortunate, wait so much for this movie for so little development.
It didn't feel as good as the reviews had said but it was definitely not bad. It had some really good moments. The best part was Keaton downing the cowl again which caused me to feel flashed back to 1989 whenever the original movie score was played. It was like watching the '89 movie again or the DCAU version with Conroy (RIP). That being said, I still feel that the original Flashpoint series and subsequent DCAU versions were considerably better, but again, this one wasn't bad.
Perfectly acceptable.
If you look too closely, all sorts of problems are visible - but if you just accept it as entertainment, it works well enough.
If WW84 was slated by critics then this should be too. They're very similar quality films in the DC world... Yet I see a dichotomy in the reviews already.
I thought the humour here worked for the most part. When it is Ezra Miller an others, it tends to work. When it is Ezra alone, it falls flat... And that leads me to say that he's the weakest part of the film. DC casting has held a lot to be desired but ti's pretty crap across the board here. The Barry/Iris paitong is devoid of chemistry - and it begs the very simple question.... How much better would Grant and Candace have been in this film? 1000% better.
CG was very inconsistent. Particularly the representations of past incarnations of superheroes. Just terrible.
The Easter eggs were fine. The running gag about Eric Stoltz was good. And then throwing in the Nicholas Cage iteration of Superman.
Foe the most part, it is an easy and enjoyable enough watch. Not going in for a second viewing this decade though.
This movie is cheesy, corny, cool in some parts. Barry should be confidant, not nervous . It's not a the flash movie without having reverse flash as the main villain. If there is a seqeul I will pass, The TV show and animated flash movie is so much better then DCEU The flash movie.
Can I just say that I'm really pissed off that Ben Affleck is no longer Batman... The superhero movie community also are not huge fans of George Clooney whatsoever. Personally I hate him; it's just that every time I see his face I get uncontrollably bored out of my mind.
Most obnoxiously ridiculous, cheap looking, and worst-written blockbuster I've seen in my life. BRB, I have to go and give an extra point to all Fast movies.
Rated a Connor 10, normal 8.2
Ok, this was a surprise. Much better than I expected. Batman just steals the show. Supergirl is quite good. The story is all over the place with some holes, but it's still entertaining. The biggest problem here is Ezra Miller, who just looks like a creep all the time, in a very ugly-looking costume. But surprisingly, for a movie where he should be the main character, his very often just pushed into the background. And that makes it better.
i thought it was edited oddly but overall I really liked the speed force scenes and the Batmans (most of them)
Overall not as terrible as I had heard
"The Flash" is an electrifying cinematic masterpiece that left me breathless with its stunning visuals and captivating storyline. The seamless execution of mind-bending special effects takes superhero movies to new heights, making it impossible to look away. From heart-pounding action sequences that will leave you on the edge of your seat to a gripping narrative that keeps you engaged until the very end, this film is an absolute thrill ride. "The Flash" proves that when it comes to superhero movies, it's not just about the powers, but also the heart behind them.
I just couldn't stop myself from comparing it to the animated Flashpoint Paradox. I really liked Flashpoint Paradox and for that reason I had somewhat high expectation from this story. This was fun at times but also somewhat disappointing for me.
Well, the CGI was as expected awful. But nevertheless I had a good and fun experience while watching it.
Some logic errors here and there tho.
My personal rating:
-Plot (Story Arc and Plausibility): 7/10
-Attraction (Premise & Entertainment Value): 8/10
-Theme (Identity & Depth): 6/10
-Acting (Characters & Performance): 7/10
-Dialogue (Storytelling & Context): 6.5/10
-Cinematography (Visual Language & Lighting, Setting, and Wardrobe): 5/10
-Editing (Pace & Effects): 3/10
-Soundtrack (Sound Design & Film Score): 6.5/10
-Directing (Vision & Execution): 6/10
-The “It” Factor (One-of-a-Kind & Transcendent): 6/10Overall: 6/10 || 61/100
wow....I thought that was the best DC movie since Nolan was involved. I wish it came out before the spiderman films, since the multiverse stuff felt a little played out. But I definitely loved this movie
Pure garbage. He looks and acts nothing like Barry Allen. Hell, why didn't they just use Grant Gustin as the actor? Horrid acting from Ezra, crappy dialogue, and not even an appearance from Reverse-Flash! Why would Bruce Wayne even attempt electrocuting Barry Allen, when he'd think it'd kill him? It should've been Thomas Wayne like the comics. Ezra and Ezra just felt like a bad attempt at Bill & Ted, rather than a serious time-warping experience. The whole point of going back to the past is preventing his mother's murder by Eobard Thawne, but instead he just puts tomatoes in her shopping cart... How did that one thing prevent her brutal murder?
He's part of the Justice League, but has no idea where Wonder Woman would be? Why not contact the JSA? Shazam? Anyway, the new Supergirl was nice and one of the few redeeming parts of the movie. Rather have seen her in a solo movie than this crap. If you're a fan of Flashpoint, know this is nothing like the comics. If you're a fan of Barry Allen, know this Ezra is nothing like the character. If you're a fan of good superhero action, go watch Across the Spider-Verse. My greatest gripe with this movie is: Warner Bros chose to cancel a finished Batgirl movie, but decided to side with this pedophile abuser, Ezra Miller. Not even George Clooney, Christopher Reeve, or Michael Keaton could redeem his baggage. Whoever was in charge of this movie should be fired. The owner of Warner should be dismissed, and Warner should get actual DC Comics fans in place.
Seriously, why are Peter Safran and James Gunn even associating with the criminal? Toss Ezra out, and start fresh.
Just another DC movie. So close but so far from good. CGI was so uncanny and the dialogue was literally plot point to plot point without any kind of smooth transition.
Writing out a review is too much for this insult to comics, audiences, and the film industry. Christina Hodson, Geoff Johns, and all the manchildren responsible for this nightmare need to lose their jobs. Easily the worst, most obnoxious film ever released theatrically on this budget. Thank God it's going to lose $300M at the box office. People are rejecting this slop.
Overall it's an "okay" movie. I would have given it a 6 but... phew... how can something so recent be so ugly? Some scenes feel like video game cinematics and not from a recent one. Makes it really hard to watch.
it's good (said without enthusiasm) the best, the non-flashes like batman. That Keaton's batman with Keaton's Baman's music rocks, that wonder woman. 1 post-credits scene
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Flash’:
First and foremost, every single time any semblance of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme could be heard, I was filled with immediate joy. Having Keaton back was a gift I never thought I’d receive. And, honestly, he was the primary reason I went to the theatre.
The spaghetti metaphor was completely lost on me. And so was that weird “timeline arena” setup. I thought they did a horrible job explaining the multiverse and how Barry did whatever he did.
There were moments of solid humor that generated laughter from our theatre. And there was a decent amount of heart that warranted some tears. But nostalgia is the winner here. The best parts, for me, were the walks down DC memory lane, cameos reliving the greatest (and, erm… unique) hits of the historic comic universe. They not only reminded us how great these characters can be, but also — unfortunately — that we’ve veered far away from that greatness.
Bonus Thought: So. Much. CGI. And it wasn’t even good CGI. Far from it actually. With Gunn’s DCU on the horizon, did they just not want to waste the money?
Review by XiofireBlockedParent2023-08-05T14:17:12Z
We're evidently at the stage now where competency isn't enough to secure success in the comic book movie market, and The Flash finds itself squarely in the firing line of this new level of expectation. By all metrics it's fine and does everything you've come to expect from a modern hero feature:
Multiverse shenanigans :white_check_mark:
Questionable CGI :white_check_mark:
Awkward, stilted, overly used humour :white_check_mark:
Simple arc solved by time manipulation that is quickly reversed at the end :white_check_mark:
It's all here and should be enough to satiate the exclusively popcorn-feature viewing masses, but clearly it is not; based on the revenue and viewership numbers that is. Is it because audiences have chosen their allegiances and will only tolerate the 47th entry in their chosen ongoing movie franchise? Was it the drama around Ezra Miller? Was it the weirdly targeted Twitter campaign that soiled the films rep in comparison to its peers?
Who knows. My rambling aside, it's just a fine CBM with questionable visuals and overt callbacks and references that everyone seems to love given their prevalant usage in modern media. There are worse ways to spend 180 minutes, but there are much better ways too. If you must be in at the ground floor on DC's next attempt at a Marvel style universe, it's almost mandatory viewing. What a depressing thought.