The Flash *** (2023, Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú) – Classic Movie Review 12,556

The amusingly good-humoured 2023 sci-fi action adventure film The Flash stars Ezra Miller, along with Michael Keaton as retired Batman, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdú. Ezra Miller is better than the movie.

Perhaps it’s more amusing than exciting, but it’s good to go back to ‘fun’ again with Batman. For some reason, it’s not just a Flash movie, it’s a Batman movie. Great though that might sounds, they should have stuck to The Flash, just trusted the material. It’s there to trust. This also takes us into frantic overdrive, and overtime at 144 minutes as corporate panic sets in. More value, more Batmen, just more, more, more. And, everybody knows, more is less, more or less.

The first two thirds of the film go really well, driven along nicely by Andy Muschietti’s dynamic direction, Benjamin Wallfisch’s lively score, and especially Miller’s endearing performance, and to a lesser extent Keaton’s nostalgic turn. Christina Hodson’s screenplay is ambitious, yes, but it is a muddled mess, struggling to carve out a coherent plot, though redeemed by its cute and campy sense of humour. It ought to look wonderful on a budget of $200 million–$220 million, and sometimes it does, but only sometimes. It’s weird that, with all the money obviously lavished on it, the visual effects are less than state of the art, looking cheap and cheesy.

Okay, so here’s the plot. Having been struck by a bolt of lightning, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) uses his Speed Force power to run back in time to try to save his mom Nora (Maribel Verdú) from being murdered and his dad Henry (Ron Livingston) from going to jail for her death.

But he enters a timeline where General Zod has returned. He meets his 18-year-old self (also Miller) and the two Barrys team up with a retired Batman (Michael Keaton) and a rescued Supergirl (Sasha Calle) to defeat a deadly invasion by General Zod (Michael Shannon).

That’s my best shot at the plot. But mostly they’ve lost the plot. It’s a bewildering, baffling head-banger, but not in a good way. Yet The Flash is, perhaps surprisingly, a whole lot of tremendous high-spirited fun. Ezra Miller is great as the two Barrys. They form a super screen team, and Miller keeps both characters entirely separate and entirely entertaining. He is a very good actor, and it’s hard to show you’re a good actor in superhero films, where mostly you just have to be there, no acting required. The young Barry is a kinda Keanu Reeves Bill & Ted type, providing a lot of laughs, and the older Barry is the grown-up, serious, sensible one. They have most of the movie together, certainly all the best of it. The visual effects are very good with the two Barrys.

The film gets slightly less good when retired Batman Michael Keaton comes fully in. The idea’s okay, and he’s okay, but it’s nothing very special. Mmm, a retired Batman? Not sure… But okay.

But when Zod and Supergirl kick in the film is not nearly as good, and this is when the visual effects start looking ropey. But that’s ropey in a good way. They look nice and cheap and cheesy like a kids’ animated comic. Michael Shannon seems to phone in Zod, looking grim and bored. But then what could he do with it? It’s a total non-part, and he is the main villain. Sasha Calle is just a wobbly visual effect as Supergirl. Why is she even there? Ron Livingston’s role is rotten too, also looking grim and bored, though Maribel Verdú does have a couple of nice little scenes to make her mark (even if one of them is dreadfully sentimental).

The best of the film is all the central, small story of Barry going back to try to save mom. If they’d trusted this and not wanted to throw in the whole world’s supply of kitchen sinks (and Batmen and Supermen), this film could have been a serious contender. All those idiot cameos, from the living and the dead! On no!! It just looks desperate. Reanimating Christopher Reeves as Superman seems gruesome and in bad taste. Let him rest in peace.

So there it is, two thirds of a decent film. Actually, you know, they’ve kind of let Ezra Miller down. He’s better than the movie. May he have a happy resurrection. He’s way too good to waste.