THE FLASH RATE & REVIEW THREAD

[Detective Conan]

Since WB are already throwing free early fan screenings there are already members here who have seen the Flash before it hits theaters in most areas in the world next week so I thought it’d be fine to make a thread to rate and review the movie now. Rate and Review The Flash here.

 

[Lily Adler]

I was just thinking this forum was missing something.

 

[Filmfreak]

So I won tickets for The Flash and saw it today. I wasn't expecting what WB tried to hilariously promote as the best superhero film since The Dark Knight, but I definitely expected more than this.

It was a pretty generic movie with very ugly visuals and overly used CGI (worse than Marvel even in many instances), for the most part pretty lackluster action, overly comedic tone, a passionless Keaton and two obnoxious Barry Allens. Despite an ambitious concept it was too lighthearted to feel the stakes (there's a part in the opening act that is almost like parody bad), especially when on top of all that you introduce time travel that can conveniently change anything whenever. Which by the way it is tried to be explained in a way that it makes some sort of sense but at the end it fails miserably. The worst thing about it that I didn't expect was the paper-thin characters. Everyone except Barry was completely one-note and was there either to just to be an obstacle or to give a helping hand to move the plot forward or look cool. I laugh hard at Affleck thinking he was at his best in this film where he's barely doing anything. To be fair Snyder had set the bar pretty low though. Also just to say that all the multiverse shenanigans and fan service had stopped working for me a long time ago in these types of movies.

That's not to say that it was all bad. It had funny moments, there were some cool action parts, the drama while barely there it worked for me when it was, Sasha Calle was really good with what she was given, there are of course a couple of cool cameos and some of the ugly suits that we've seen from trailers (and toys) while still ugly there is a reason they are like that and that definitely works in the film. The biggest praise I can give the movie is that despite a big complaint/fear that the Flash himself feels like a secondary character in his own movie based on the promos, I can confirm it's mostly because the marketing. While watching this, it very much feels like a Flash movie, far more than I thought it would. And I think fans will be pleased on that front. If they can stand Ezra being overly annoying x2.

It's not a bad movie, but it has many bad elements. Overall it's just there. I probably wouldn't even put it at the top 3 of the DCEU train wreck, let alone consider it as one of the best the genre has to offer. To be honest I have been getting pretty fatigued for quite some time though, so maybe that plays an important role.

 

[psylockolussus]

This movie was fun, well at least 2/3 of it. This is my first Dc movie I watched in a theater since Birds of Prey. I wanted to see The Flash's first solo film in a big screen (just like WW/Aquaman/GL) even if DCEU is going to be over soon. I won't be watching Blue Beetle in thebig screen but I'll see Aquaman 2 in a theater.

I liked that this is really a solo Flash movie despite the other superheroes appearing in this. However, this feels a 2nd Flash movie, its like The Flash in the Madness of the Multiverse. I would have preferred a proper origin film.

I don't have any major problem aside from the third act. The film looks eXpensive and well made. The vfX are fine. I wish the other Flash has a better costume but oh well.

Spoiler

Seeing Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and stock photo of Henry/Jason, really feels WB squandered the potential of this cast. After the Superman cameo in BA and Wonder Woman cameo in S2 - Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot as JL members are in a DC movie starring Ezra Miller. Its so weird how DC is getting a reboot so soon when these movies are still just coming out.

The cameo of Nicholas Cage/Christopher Reeves did nothing to me. Though it was cool. It took a minute for me to figure out why George Clooney is in the movie. I find Supergirl/Kara to be underdeveloped. I wasn't a fan of the early Batman movies, I find them boring. So i didn't get nostalgic. I was just a baby when Batman 1989 was released.

The main villain could have been handled better. I feel like once Kara got out everything just went so fast, and boom here's the villain Flash and after that ten minute scene with 3 Flash the conflict is already resolved. The mother story arc was touching though.

I think this is my top 2 DCEU movie after Wonder Woman. I didn't really enjoy Birds of Prey and Shazam! didn't age well to me especially after Fury of the Gods.

 

[Bats123]

Yeah, nowhere near The Dark Knight lmao.
That being said, i did have fun with it. Keaton is great as usual, Sasha Calle was fine, i enjoyed Miller as Barry, not so much as Past Barry, its like they went full Whedon with it.
The CGI is horrendous at times, specially near the end DEAR GOD.
Anyway, fun crowd-pleasing movie, i think it'll do fine box office wise. Maybe.
7/10

 

[flickchick85]

Ooof. Y'all.

This is, without exaggeration, quite possibly the ugliest blockbuster film I've ever seen. SO. MANY. SEQUENCES are an absolute eyesore. I found myself questioning "WHY DID THEY DO IT LIKE THAT?" So many times throughout. I don't remember doing that so much with any other movie, except maybe Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or that pee-tinted whale movie Chris Hemsworth did. But make no mistake, this looks notably worse than both of those. Even if this movie had been made a decade ago, it would still look very dated. And so many instances that the terrible CGI was employed for absolutely no good reason. So many times I was like, "why did that need to be CGI at all???"

I am now like....trembling with fear that the DP of this abomination is shooting Superman: Legacy. We should all be very afraid.

This movie also continues the trend of what I'm just going to call a DCEU staple at this point: try-hard needle drops. There are many. None of them work.

Ezra also does not work. And no, I'm not saying this because they belong in jail. I will give them this, they are actually quite good at the dramatic stuff. But they are godawful at comedy, and unfortunately, at least 75% of their dual roles here deal in that "comedy." None of it lands. It's painful. And the movie acknowledges more than once that Barry is obnoxious, as if that would make it better. It doesn't. When it's just the two Ezra's on screen, it's totally insufferable.

The entire 3rd act of the movie is a total hot mess, and if it turns out not to be quite the crowd-pleaser people were expecting, I think I can pretty much pinpoint the exact moment a lot of the GA might disengage.

So what DOES work? Well, the story is mostly fine and entertaining until that 3rd act, and it has a heart, which goes a long way. While the action is quite unpleasant to look at in terms of execution, conceptually, it has some fun moments. The actress playing Barry's mom is wonderful. I didn't give a s*** about either Barry, but I still wanted them to succeed in saving this lovely lady. Keaton is not just there to spout catchphrases. And I wish he hadn't bothered to do those because he delivers them like he's being forced to at gunpoint. But he has a couple of nice moments. Sasha Calle wasn't given much to do, but she acquitted herself rather well, I thought. I like jaded, rage-filled Kara, tbh. Would be down for her to continue on in Woman of Tomorrow. She's the only one from this movie I'd want to see again. Honestly, I think I could forgive this movie's offensive visuals if it had a more charismatic lead, and one who actually had chemistry with...anyone. But it doesn't. As such, is it entertaining? Sure. Is it a good movie? Hell no.

Better than Black Adam. That's about the nicest thing I can say here.

 

[Rick190293]

What a weird movie, in every aspect! Not only for the CGI (wich is bad indeed, but nothing too horrible), but the plot, some acting from Ezra and of course the context in wich DC movies are in the moment give this a bittersweet taste afterall...
It's a very good Flash movie and Ezra is great, he's the heart of the film and his arc is pretty emotional. But when you start think about it it becomes such a mess, like NWH, where you left with more questions than in the beginning. Keaton is great and it was awesome finally seing his Batman in the big screen for the first time, Sacha Calle was good too, althrough underused in the story, Affleck's action scene was great besides the horrible suit, and the cameos were... strange.
Still a fun popcorn flick that'll have a massive appeal to general audience who enjoy (a LOT of) humour and psychedelic action sequences, but I'm not sure if it's a good movie, in fact... maybe on a second view this may change.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Miller is non-binary, and uses they/them, it, and zir pronouns. Just wanted to bring this up because I know a lot of people will be posting in this thread, unaware. So while they are a garbage human being, please remember they are a human being.

 

[AntonGobbs89]

It was fine overall. I was really hoping for this thing to knock my socks off but it never quite got there. The sequence of them breaking out Supergirl was probably my favorite part.

Overall the comic book movies this year, and the past few years have just been ok. I think I’m over the genre at this point. I keep waiting for it to get back to the level of Spider-Man 2, X2, Days of Future Past, The Dark Knight, etc. and it’s just not happening anymore. I hate to say it but I think those days are over with, at least until both Marvel and DC put aside this Cinematic Universe stuff and get back to making great standalone films.

 

[Karelia]

I wanted to love this, and parts I do... but overall, it was just okay. My wife actually hated it and couldn't stand Ezra Miller's Flash lol.

The CGI was definitely noticeable in a lot of spots. The opening scene was fun... the ending scene was uh, yeah... lol. Some funny moments, but not enough for me personally, especially since they were going for a lot of laughs.

The Batmen + Supergirl were the highlights for me, bar one spoilerish moment.

The Flash Season 1 with Grant Gustin was miles ahead of this, IMO.

6/10

 

[bapi]

Only liked the Siberia part. The movie should have been like that, something more grounded, smaller. Opening scene was fine, Keaton was good, Calle is just there, Ezra surprisingly fine... Act 3 is a joke, CGI is like 2/10 quality and I just don't understand why they had to use it everywhere. Even on costumes and so. I liked two cameos, well basically three but that CG face was painful. I mean all those CG faces were like Beowulf level. Just crazy bad.

5/10 and I don't want Muschietti to direct The Brave and The Bold now.

 

[kguillou]

Ok y’all! I have very complicated feelings about this movie. Overall i think its good…but i felt underwhelmed at the same time. I was struggling with acts 1 and 2 and then third act pulled it all together.

I kept thinking to myself during the movie, “whats wrong? Why am i not enjoying this like i should be? Its funny, the action’s good, Keaton is GREAT, the story and directing is competent..what am i chaffing against here? ” Something was wrong that i couldnt put my finger on. Then halfway thru the movie it came to me: the tone and Ezra Miller.

This movie wasnt the tone and vibe that the trailers promised. I obviously expected the movie to be funny and humorous but I feel like the trailers were promising something a bit more…visceral and weighty? Ezra was….a lot. There were several moments I genuinely thought Ezra was doing a great job and then others where their jokey, wacky, manicness was taking me out of the film completely. The tone of the movie overall felt very cartoonish at times and the ….questionable cgi contributed to that feeling. The tone of the film and Ezra’s zaniness kept pulling me out of the movie though. Thank God for Michael Keaton who brought the movie back down to earth and gave everything weight again.

I have much more to say but yeah, far from the best superhero movie of all time. Its got problems and yet i do think this is a crowd pleaser. My audience was laughing and cheering and i think they were trying to make a very light on its feet kind of movie thats fast paced and easily digestible. I personally was hoping for something a but more epic based on the trailers and this wasnt that.

7/10 rating for me for now but i need to see it again with reset expectations. I do absolutely see why critics are tearing into it though. Its a little messy but i feel its good but…i feel a bit let down. It wasnt the movie i thought i was getting

 

[Primal Slayer]

Main Barry was a very good character. 2nd Barry was a manchild. Bats was fun. Kara was good enough.

CGI was embarrassingly bad that it seemed like it was meant to be as fake as it looked at times? Esp within the speedforce?

Overall story was decent but needed a bit more fleshing out with some quick flashbacks for Bats/Kara.

7/10

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The only DC live action movie I've seen worse is the Skwaq. Rather watch Halle Berry play basketball. 2/10.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Apparently he did say its supposed to look bad.....I dont believe him as far as the cameos but inside the flashpoint...I can kind of see it though its a very bad art direction to take

 

[Moncton]

6/10, disappointed that it wasn't as weighty and serious as the trailers showed. The film is at its best when it's about Barry and his struggles and at it's worse when it's just mindless action, which unfortunately there is a lot of.

 

[Hurm...]

Ooof. Y'all.

This is, without exaggeration, quite possibly the ugliest blockbuster film I've ever seen. SO. MANY. SEQUENCES are an absolute eyesore. I found myself questioning "WHY DID THEY DO IT LIKE THAT?" So many times throughout. I don't remember doing that so much with any other movie, except maybe Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, or that pee-tinted whale movie Chris Hemsworth did. But make no mistake, this looks notably worse than both of those. Even if this movie had been made a decade ago, it would still look very dated. And so many instances that the terrible CGI was employed for absolutely no good reason. So many times I was like, "why did that need to be CGI at all???"

I am now like....trembling with fear that the DP of this abomination is shooting Superman: Legacy. We should all be very afraid.

This movie also continues the trend of what I'm just going to call a DCEU staple at this point: try-hard needle drops. There are many. None of them work.

Ezra also does not work. And no, I'm not saying this because they belong in jail. I will give them this, they are actually quite good at the dramatic stuff. But they are godawful at comedy, and unfortunately, at least 75% of their dual roles here deal in that "comedy." None of it lands. It's painful. And the movie acknowledges more than once that Barry is obnoxious, as if that would make it better. It doesn't. When it's just the two Ezra's on screen, it's totally insufferable.

The entire 3rd act of the movie is a total hot mess, and if it turns out not to be quite the crowd-pleaser people were expecting, I think I can pretty much pinpoint the exact moment a lot of the GA might disengage.

So what DOES work? Well, the story is mostly fine and entertaining until that 3rd act, and it has a heart, which goes a long way. While the action is quite unpleasant to look at in terms of execution, conceptually, it has some fun moments. The actress playing Barry's mom is wonderful. I didn't give a s*** about either Barry, but I still wanted them to succeed in saving this lovely lady. Keaton is not just there to spout catchphrases. And I wish he hadn't bothered to do those because he delivers them like he's being forced to at gunpoint. But he has a couple of nice moments. Sasha Calle wasn't given much to do, but she acquitted herself rather well, I thought. I like jaded, rage-filled Kara, tbh. Would be down for her to continue on in Woman of Tomorrow. She's the only one from this movie I'd want to see again. Honestly, I think I could forgive this movie's offensive visuals if it had a more charismatic lead, and one who actually had chemistry with...anyone. But it doesn't. As such, is it entertaining? Sure. Is it a good movie? Hell no.

Better than Black Adam. That's about the nicest thing I can say here.

I agree with everything in your review. This has the worst CGI I've seen in a blockbuster in a decade. You could see the face replacement on Ezra's double every single time it was used. I'm convinced that WB didn't want to invest more money into this once they realized the DCEU was coming to an end.

Also, I'm with you. I'm scared that The Brave and the Bold will visually look like this since Muschietti is directing that. Yikes. Terrible script too.

 

[kguillou]

6/10, disappointed that it wasn't as weighty and serious as the trailers showed. The film is at its best when it's about Barry and his struggles and at it's worse when it's just mindless action, which unfortunately there is a lot of.

You felt that way too right? I felt like the trailers were selling a different kind of movie. Glad its not just me. The comedy and silliness in this really brought the movie down for me considerably. The dramatic stuff was great but all of that was relegated toward the end.

 

[Moncton]

You felt that way too right? I felt like the trailers were selling a different kind of movie. Glad its not just me. The comedy and silliness in this really brought the movie down for me considerably. The dramatic stuff was great but all of that was relegated toward the end.

Oh yeah, for sure. I felt like there many times you felt as you were in the campiest parts of Josstice League. I don't know if you felt this way, but it seems like a "multiverse" of films and tones going on.

 

[kguillou]

Oh yes, that opening scene, although fun felt VERY Josstice League to me.

 

[herolee10]

I am now like....trembling with fear that the DP of this abomination is shooting Superman: Legacy. We should all be very afraid.

Perhaps, but I feel like a DP's cinematography can also be influenced by the Director they're working with.

Wasn't the first Avengers and Godzilla (2014) films shot by the same DP? There's a huge difference in quality between both films when it comes to the cinematography.

Plus, I think this film's visuals was probably hampered by the numerous times they had to reshoot something during the middle of the pandemic.

 

[kguillou]

This cinematographer also did GotG vol 3 and while that was a good movie, it looked SUPER ugly as well. It had none of the colors and pop of the first two. And that was with Gunn. I'm very nervous how they're going to film Superman.

 

[flickchick85]

Perhaps, but I feel like a DP's cinematography can also be influenced by the Director they're working with.

Wasn't the first Avengers and Godzilla (2014) films shot by the same DP? There's a huge difference in quality between both films when it comes to the cinematography.

Plus, I think this film's visuals was probably hampered by the numerous times they had to reshoot something during the middle of the pandemic.

True, I'm sure it won't look this bad, but it won't look as good as a Superman film could look, that's for sure. After all, we've seen how Gunn/Braham collaborations look. They're ok-not-great, visually imo.

 

[Another_Fool]

At least in the short term, hyping this movie up as the best thing ever is going to be one of the knocks people have on this film. Because this is not near the greatest thing.

Ultimately I came away liking it. I'll say though that I like Across the Spiderverse and Transformers much better than The Flash.

 

[Ninjablade]

The Flash goes into a special category of suck. Are there things I liked? Yes. A couple of minor things here and there, but they're so few of them it's hardly worth talking about. The script is broken on every fundamental level, it's one of the worst directed major blockbusters, and has a lead actor who can't act and is annoying on top of it. It's in the running for worst DCEU movie, which is really saying something with that collection of garbage.