Is the multi-verse a cheat? This is a problem we’ve struggled with ever since Spider-Man became Spider-Men. How can Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland all be Spider-Man at the same time? Simple, multiple universes. In this one, Spider-Man defeats the Green Goblin; in this one, Spider-Man defeats The Lizard; in still another one, Spider-Man is less a human and more a recluse living in the corner of a basement ceiling capturing bugs and small rodents for life sustenance. They’re different because the Earth is different (yet similar) each time.
You see the cheat here, right? At this rate, I can claim anything is anything by simply saying the magic words “abra cadersa, multi the versa.” Batman can be Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, John Mulaney, or Urkel if you play your universe right. Pesky continuation problems? Multi-verse! Statistical impossibilities? Multi-verse! No need to conform to actual societal conditions and commentary … multi-verse! Does it make for difficulty when trying to produce a meaningful product? Meh, only if you want to resonate with an audience … which leads us to today’s film The Flash.
Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) is one of those superheroes I think I could take in a fight. As The Flash, Barry’s power is being super, super, super fast, but if you take that away, he strikes me as the kind of guy who constantly wonders how the dry cleaners “lost” his pants. Ezra Miller is a tough sell for me … and the fact that he’s taking on multiple roles in this film doesn’t help.
Speaking of help, DC didn’t trust The Flash to be on his own for the film titled The Flash, so there’s a healthy dose of Batman, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and Supergirl (Sasha Calle). No, not Superman, Supergirl. I’m getting ahead of myself … which, ironically, is a very Flash thing to do.
At the beginning –and best scene- of the film, Barry The Flash is summoned to a collapsing hospital. The The Justice League has as many reservations about Barry as I do, hence, Flash is only summoned when every worthwhile superhero proves busy. But Barry does indeed save the day with super speed. The super speed is actually Ezra Miller in an exaggerated lope enhanced by special effects that make him look super fast. Pre-20th century, the effects wouldn’t have been good enough to get away with this and the film even shows us the non-effect-lope once for comic purposes.
Shortly after the hospital rescue, Barry realizes that he is actually faster than the speed of light (?!) – wait. Then how does he see anything? – and can, hence, go back in time. Well, once you realize you can go back in time, not much stops you from doing so … especially if you want to save your dead mom. Batman tells him to stick 
to the present, The Flash don’t play that, and, soon enough, he’s saved his mom, but created a paradox by which he exists twice in the past in a version of Earth where Superman never existed. So when General Zod (Michael Shannon) comes to play, he’s all disappointed that someone stole his toys.
There’s a lot to like about The Flash. It felt like DC was finally having a little fun –briefly that is- in between the perpetual dour. Flash exploring his messed-up timeline plays a little like The Blues Brothers getting the band back together. Michael Keaton revising his role as Batman is something at least two or three people might applaud. And celebrating Supergirl instead of Superman was a bit of a coup. OTOH, the film let us know time-and-time again it sided with bloated caricatures of heroism and villainy. We are required to favor “Responsible Flash,” who is a stick in the mud as opposed to “Noob Flash,” who is a moron. There’s some generation-bating bullshit right there – they’re the same guy; how do they not see eye-to-eye on anything?! And any scene where Michael Shannon appears necessarily makes said scene overly dramatic. Imposing, inflexible, and uber-serious, Michael Shannon was born to be in the DC universe like few others in modern history.
I’m on the fence here. As I said above, Ezra Miller playing one hero is a tall ask for audience. Two heroes? Ugh. And yet, it is hard to easily dismiss a film in which a bit player displays a leg tattoo of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly (alternate universe where Stoltz starred in Back to the Future). Hence, I’m giving The Flash a pass, but likely the good stuff here is just, dare I say? A flash in the pan.
Barry moved faster than the speed of light
And time-travelled to correct an historic plight
But now he’s in two
With the same genes, true
Explain why one’s wrong and one’s right
Rated PG-13, 144 Minutes
Director: Andy Muschietti
Writer: Christina Hodson, Joby Harold
Genre: Confusing hero film, DC variety
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Flashers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The easily addled
