Barry Allen runs so fast he can go back in time. Wanting to prevent his mother’s death, he is catapulted into another timeline where he meets a slightly younger version of himself.
Should we ignore the person behind the artist when it comes to critiquing his art?
In Ezra Miller’s case, it’s hard to ignore his many run-ins with the law and inappropriate behavior since 2020 – assault, assault, burglary, even rumors he was a cult leader. .
Ezra Miller has portrayed Barry Allen, aka The Flash, since 2016’s Batman v Superman. His subsequent performances in both versions of Justice League are among their rare qualities. The feature film dedicated to The Flash was therefore expected for a while. And it’s good! What we don’t write often about a DC Studios movie.
There are a few disturbing elements to The Flash, however, that aren’t solely related to Ezra Miller’s presence. It starts right from the start, with a scene in which The Flash has to save people from a collapsing hospital. Remember that his power is speed. The most effective way to bring him to the screen is in slow motion: everything moves very slowly except him. Screenwriters Christina Hodson and Joby Harold came up with the idea of dropping babies from a nursery on one of the highest floors. Besides being in bad taste, newborns don’t look real. We doubt that the special effects are deliberately of poor quality to alleviate the situation, because they are not successful in other places.
Multiverses have been in vogue for some time. The Flash launches DC’s in theaters. Although it requires explanatory dialogues, it is rather coherent. Let’s say this multiverse is less chaotic than that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not as crystal clear as that of the Spider-Verse movies. We like that it directly affects the Barry Allens and that it is not just a screenplay trick for a franchise that will be relaunched shortly by its new leaders. The surprises, although pleasant and unexpected, do not add anything to the story.
Andy Muschietti’s (both It’s, Mama’s) directing is precise and rhythmic, qualities you appreciate even more when sitting down for almost two and a half hours. It may just be an impression, but some scenes seem to bear a different signature than that of the Argentine. It may have been in the editing…
Let’s finish with Ezra Miller, who carries The Flash on his shoulders. Warner Bros. promotional campaign Despite putting forward Michael Keaton’s Batman – honest, nothing more – and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl – underutilized – the fastest man alive is the star here. The writing of the discussions between the two Barrys is uneven, but Ezra Miller delivers them with conviction and panache. The liveliness, humor and tenderness of these dialogues prevent the film from taking itself too seriously and even manage to make us forget the misdeeds of the interpreter in real life. Not everyone will share the same opinion and we understand why.
