Upon seeing the negativity surrounding The Flash with the box offices numbers and critiques on the special effects, figured it was time to share our thoughts on the film. We saw an unfinished advance screening of The Flash on May 31st with Mind’s Eye Comics and we have to say that the film does not deserve the hate it is receiving. The film is called The Flash and is about the Flash but the stars of the movie are Sasha Calle as Supergirl and the return of Michael Keaton as Batman.

After his directorial efforts on the IT films, Andy Muschietti does prove to be the man for the job. The action and even the Back to the Future/ Bill & Ted vibe works well to set the tone of this film. Muschietti’s directing and the script by Christina Hodson and Joby Harold shows that superhero films do not need to be dark and gritty to work….. something that Shazam: The Fury of the Gods failed to do.

The storyline is influenced by the popular comic story arc Flashpoint, where Barry Allen discovers that he can time travel when we runs at a certain speed. Barry tries to save his mother from being killed and his father being framed for the murder, but in typical time traveling/multiverse hijinks, things do not go as planned. Current Barry runs into younger Barry, creating the problem of the two co-existing. Throughout their adventures, the Barrys find themselves in the middle of General Zod’s attack from Man of Steel with no Superman and the Batman only being a myth. The two Barrys discover that Batman (Played by the returning Michael Keaton) is older and real and need his help to discover if Superman exists. The only problem is that its not Superman, its Kara or better know as Supergirl (Played by the remarkable Sasha Calle). Teaming up with Batman and Supergirl, the Barrys fight against Zod and the negative repercussions of multiverse jumping.

Overall, the film is not the best DC film but neither is it the worst. It’s the best DC film since Matt Reeves’ The Batman and may be the funniest since James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The thing that holds the movie back in my opinion is wanting more from Keaton and Calle as they dominate every scene they are in, honestly it would be a missed opportunity if Sasha Calle does not come back to play Kara in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Keaton is a one liner machine but at the same time proves that he is the best live action Batman we have seen. It is a unique opportunity to see the different approach to the caped crusader with Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton both being in the film.

Special Effects and Ezra Miller do need to be discussed. The special effects are best described as wonky, there are moments are greatness and moments of “what the hell is going on here?” Muschietti did mention that it’s on purpose to show how fast Barry is running and nothing is clear when in super speed. His statement makes sense but also it can be jarring in certain moments, such as one scene with Barry’s head is just floating. Now with Ezra Miller, it is hard to get pass the horrible acts that he committed in real life, but putting that aside Ezra delivers two different performances while acting along himself for a good portion of the film. Just like in Justice League, Miller is the comedic relief and does not take things seriously, but at the same time has the ability to feel sadness. The acting from Miller, Keaton and Calle are all top notch but there is one performance that is wasted and that is Michael Shannon as General Zod, a great performer in a great role that is reduced to only a few scenes.

In our honest opinion, this film being released so close to Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse does impact the film. A few weeks ago one of the best comic book films came out with a similar premise and did it better. That being said, this film does have rewatch value to it especially with the humor, Keaton’s Batman returning, a great Supergirl and some amazing cameos. If you love comic books, this and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse represent what we love about the medium perfectly; its fun and imaginative!