Will THE FLASH help save the DC Universe ?

By : Edgar Allan E. Yu 

THE FLASH is loosely based on the Flashpoint story from the comic books. Barry Allen went back in time to save his family. There he met his younger self, who is more awkward, and more obnoxious than he is. General Zod from the planet Krypton came to Earth threatening annihilation. It's up to Barry to look for help and save humankind.   

This is probably one of the best comic-book films from the DC universe. From the opening sequence where Flash had a literal baby shower, to the final battle with the Kryptonians, so many awesome moments were on the screen one after another. Most of the jokes are funny. The action set pieces are spectacular ! And the super heroes are awesome ! This is not to say that the movie is perfect though. Some of the VFX looked great, while some of them looked weird. There's also this long scene about roommates, which I didn't really appreciate.  

 

Ben Affleck as the Batman is really great ! I love that chase scene with the Batcycle, and the way he catapulted to the air and glided was truly awesome ! Sadly this is said to be his last outing as the Caped Crusader. Michael Keaton as the other Batman is just as great ! After so many years since he last suited up as Batman, he is back in top shape. I think what he did here was even better than what he did in his previous Batman movies. When I first had a glimpse of what Sasha Calle looked like in her costume as Supergirl, I didn't like it. I know it is based on Lara Lane-Kent from the comics, but I thought she was unappealing. After watching this movie, I had a change of heart. She's stunning ! Her Supergirl is really bad-ass, and very powerful. I want to see more of her.     

 

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/the Flash has always been the one I had difficulty accepting. His iteration of his role is so far away from the Barry Allen/Flash that I know from the comics. Among the members of the Justice League, he's the only one I didn't like with Zack Snyder's casting choices. With this film though, Ezra has improved and demonstrated his range of emotions. He was able to show the difference between the two Barrys. And his emotional scenes with his mom were very effective.    

Those numerous cameos in the film were great fan service and brought nostalgia. They sure made me smile and brought back good memories whenever they popped up. By the way, the ending scene and post-credits scenes were kept hidden during earlier screenings. The post-credits scene though, was kinda meh. I have no animosity towards the actor that appeared, but the audience would have loved it if It was Grant Gustin, or even better, Henry Cavill.   

Overall THE FLASH is very enjoyable, and definitely one of the best DCEU films I've seen in a long while. Director Andy Muschietti who helmed IT Chapters 1 & 2, which I both loved, is a great story teller, and I trust that he'll do more comic-book films that will entertain us.     

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures 

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