THE FLASH starring Ezra Miller 2022 10 10

[Aman619]

I finally watched it last night.  I actually liked it!  all the DC multiverse stuff, all the Batman's etc was fun.  I got used to the Flash character from JLA movie, too, especially after the "multiverse Barry" showed up and made DCU Flash much more serious.  Supergirl was fierce, like WW in Batman v Superman.  Of course I got a bit lost and uninterested when they get trapped inside the time travel scenes.  But CGI was well done, and I just wonder why he runs like he's swimming!? what all the arm swinging!

... and of course overall I had my expectations really low.  thats helps.. I expected to get through it in half hour chunks , but plowed through wanted to see what happens next.

 

 

[Aman619]

On 9/3/2023 at 11:53 PM, bentbryan said:

I’ve been background watching it on MAX the last few nights in 20 minute or so segments.  It’s not even what I would call bad CGI. It looks more like a straight-up animated movie during the action sequences.  
 

I’m watching right now and I take that last sentence back. It doesn’t just look like, it IS a straight-up animated movie. 
 

well, Im sure you're just exaggerating... Ive tried to watch the WB DC animated versions of the comics series.. and they are to me stiff and unwatchable. Bluey has better graphics.    The CGI in this was almost too much like everything else coming out. The extensive cities and planets landscapes in all the shows (like the Star Wars ones )  and a few actors against a blue screen with the rest a CGC background. Even Foundation etc etc.    Cheaper nowadays to CGI it than construct sets... and it looks more realistic too.

[Larryw7]

I watched the 4k disc last night, and I still really like this movie. The only disappointing thing is that I think the audience

Spoiler

was cheated with the ending that was used, apparently because of Gunn's tampering. If the original ending, with Michael Keaton as Bruce and Kara showing up was used, it would have given the audience closure, as they're just dead in the released cut. Maybe part of the reason audiences were down on this movie was the unsatisfying ending. Kind of a bummer to think of Michael Keaton's Batman as dead while Clooney is the replacement for Affleck.

Gunn hates 1989 Batman, The Dark Knight and has already changed a movie for the worse in his job as the new head honcho for DC. I'm very pessimistic on his take for the new DCEU.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Larryw7

[Dr. Balls]

I got bored yesterday, so decided to rent it. I did not have the bad experience that others felt with it. I'm still not a fan of Ezra's Barry Allen, the characterization is really inconsistent across all the movies he's in. But it was a decent flick and kinda fun. I didn't think the CGI was as bad as it was obvious. I mean, there's a lot of CGI character rendering, it looked a lot like Polar Express.

I think the point of Batman and Kara not having any resolution is to show the futility of messing with the timeline. I actually liked that they simply disappeared with no closure (well, there was closure - but it wasn't what the audience wanted). I felt that was a compelling way to end the story. I can also see why people didn't like it - but I like endings like that.

As far as the homages at the climax, I was left wondering why:

Spoiler

In terms of "seconds" of screen time, why they chose to show Nic Cage twice as Superman, but not Brandon Routh's version. And why they showed Jay Garrick's Flash, but not Grant Gustin is also odd - unless they didn't want to acknowledge the clear fan preference of Gustin in the film whatsoever (which is what I think is the reason). I liked the Adam West Batman that was plugged in there, but again - why no Christian Bale version? And if Ben Affleck is done, I don't understand the George Clooney version.

The Arthur Curry end credit scene was also kind of...pointless. I didn't stick around for the credits, but was that actually Jason Momoa? It didn't look like it, and it really didn't sound like it. They obscured his face so much, I was guessing that it wasn't him.

The Old Barry Allen/New Barry Allen stuff was fun, and it went on longer than I thought (in a good way). Michael Keaton was also great to see, and they worked in some cheesy lines for him and plugged in the old Danny Elfman Batman music on his scenes. I liked that they showed him as a spry old man out of the costume, as it seemed believable when he was kicking azz in costume. I thought it was great.

I'm sure I'll take heat for this, but I've never been a Henry Cavill Superman fan. But, it's totally personal preference - I see why everyone else likes him as Supes, and he's a great actor. To me, he always seemed like an angry substitute teacher, and he never really brought the "boy scout" feel to Superman. But I'm guessing that was the whole concept of his version of the character.

Anyway, the point is that I really liked the Kara portrayal. She managed to emote a lot of her character for the short time she was on screen. I don't know if it was the whole "less is more" concept, but I actually miss her character the most because I would have wanted to see her story continue and I'm glad they didn't muddy this movie up with Superman. They did a great job bringing her in, and not laying on the exposition - which I really liked. They brought her out into the sun, and it's never explained why she gains her powers back - and it doesn't need to be because we all know! I love when movies do that.

All-in-all I found it Pretty OK, I'd say it's worth the six buck rental easy.

[bentbryan]

On 9/6/2023 at 10:01 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I got bored yesterday, so decided to rent it. I did not have the bad experience that others felt with it. I'm still not a fan of Ezra's Barry Allen, the characterization is really inconsistent across all the movies he's in. But it was a decent flick and kinda fun. I didn't think the CGI was as bad as it was obvious. I mean, there's a lot of CGI character rendering, it looked a lot like Polar Express.

I think the point of Batman and Kara not having any resolution is to show the futility of messing with the timeline. I actually liked that they simply disappeared with no closure (well, there was closure - but it wasn't what the audience wanted). I felt that was a compelling way to end the story. I can also see why people didn't like it - but I like endings like that.

As far as the homages at the climax, I was left wondering why:

  Hide contents

In terms of "seconds" of screen time, why they chose to show Nic Cage twice as Superman, but not Brandon Routh's version. And why they showed Jay Garrick's Flash, but not Grant Gustin is also odd - unless they didn't want to acknowledge the clear fan preference of Gustin in the film whatsoever (which is what I think is the reason). I liked the Adam West Batman that was plugged in there, but again - why no Christian Bale version? And if Ben Affleck is done, I don't understand the George Clooney version.

The Arthur Curry end credit scene was also kind of...pointless. I didn't stick around for the credits, but was that actually Jason Momoa? It didn't look like it, and it really didn't sound like it. They obscured his face so much, I was guessing that it wasn't him.

The Old Barry Allen/New Barry Allen stuff was fun, and it went on longer than I thought (in a good way). Michael Keaton was also great to see, and they worked in some cheesy lines for him and plugged in the old Danny Elfman Batman music on his scenes. I liked that they showed him as a spry old man out of the costume, as it seemed believable when he was kicking azz in costume. I thought it was great.

I'm sure I'll take heat for this, but I've never been a Henry Cavill Superman fan. But, it's totally personal preference - I see why everyone else likes him as Supes, and he's a great actor. To me, he always seemed like an angry substitute teacher, and he never really brought the "boy scout" feel to Superman. But I'm guessing that was the whole concept of his version of the character.

Anyway, the point is that I really liked the Kara portrayal. She managed to emote a lot of her character for the short time she was on screen. I don't know if it was the whole "less is more" concept, but I actually miss her character the most because I would have wanted to see her story continue and I'm glad they didn't muddy this movie up with Superman. They did a great job bringing her in, and not laying on the exposition - which I really liked. They brought her out into the sun, and it's never explained why she gains her powers back - and it doesn't need to be because we all know! I love when movies do that.

All-in-all I found it Pretty OK, I'd say it's worth the six buck rental easy.

Your point about Polar Express is exactly my sentiment. Wasn’t bad per se just it is what it is. 

[Larryw7]

Spoiler

I think in continuity, Routh is supposed to be the same Supe as Reeve, which is why they don't show him. I think the same goes for Val Kilmer's Batman, who at the time when Batman Forever was made, was supposed to be the same Batman that Michael Keaton played.

 

[shadroch]

On 7/22/2023 at 9:46 PM, Silver Surfer said:

5 minutes into this movie and I already want to turn the channel, ugh. 

Those were my thoughts, especially with the ' baby shower", but I'm glad I stuck it out. I had a few laugh-out-loud moments, and while the movie lagged in a spot or two, I enjoyed it.

It was nice seeing some of the old stars back in action, and surprisingly, I found myself liking Ezra's Flash.  Overall, it was one of the better superhero movies I've seen in the last few years.

[Silver Surfer]

I find that it was hard to follow, seemed like the storyline was all over the place. And why does the fastest man alive have the slowest start off the blocks? 

[NewEnglandGothic]

This might sound horribly ironic, but I fast-forwarded through most of it.  By no means was it awful, just average.  And sometimes, that can be bad though.  

[Aman619]

On 9/7/2023 at 2:22 AM, shadroch said:

Those were my thoughts, especially with the ' baby shower", but I'm glad I stuck it out. I had a few laugh-out-loud moments, and while the movie lagged in a spot or two, I enjoyed it.

It was nice seeing some of the old stars back in action, and surprisingly, I found myself liking Ezra's Flash.  Overall, it was one of the better superhero movies I've seen in the last few years.

me too.  On his own the Ezra Barry is cringy unsure and annoying.  But with the other Barry, he became sober and heroic, more like a "true" Flash is supposed to be starring in his own (title role) film..

[Aman619]

On 9/6/2023 at 10:01 AM, Dr. Balls said:

 

I think the point of Batman and Kara not having any resolution is to show the futility of messing with the timeline. I actually liked that they simply disappeared with no closure (well, there was closure - but it wasn't what the audience wanted). I felt that was a compelling way to end the story. I can also see why people didn't like it - but I like endings like that.

 

I agree.  When you introduce the concept of a multiverse, there are thousands of Earths that developed similarly with twists. Killing off a Batman and a Supergirl is no big deal.  There are plenty more to work with and as you said, it made for a more compelling end to the story.  On THIS earth, Zod wins because he already killed Kai-El and had only Kara to defeat, and he did.

[Dr. Balls]

On 9/7/2023 at 12:55 PM, Silver Surfer said:

I find that it was hard to follow, seemed like the storyline was all over the place. And why does the fastest man alive have the slowest start off the blocks? 

I couldn’t tell if his posing was meant to be “ironic” or if that was supposed to be a serious Tai Chi type of pose before he speeds off.

[Aman619]

the swimming with his arms bothered me more than "taking a moment" to psych up to superspeed.  Were the arm poses lifted out of the comics, and just look weird in motion but cool in a static drawing?

[Silver Surfer]

I get it, the Flash is a tough character to translate to film as a main character for 2 hours but this was typical DC story telling for me, confusing, goofy and disappointing. Reminds me why I never took to DC growing up, Marvel stories were just so much more interesting and engaging. Pretty sure I would have fallen asleep if I had to sit through this mess in a theater. But at least it wasn't as bad as WW 1984 (maybe one of the worse movies I have ever seen). Gal is mesmerizing and she is the only reason I was able to finish watching it. 

[Sauce Dog]

Finally watched it, thankfully with lowered expectations. It wasn't the worst DC fare we've got in recent years, but it wasn't that good. Was a slog in many parts and really suffered from what felt like an overload of forced humor and forced references. You could have cut every single scene talking about his caloric intake and food and it would have had zero impact on the film (would have made it better). Visually it was all over the place, had this been pushed to be streaming only I think it would have gotten far more leeway on visual critiques (but for a major theatrical blockbuster the standard is higher for getting the small things right). To its credit it was by far the best DC team up we've got so far (for Justice League at least, minor ones still outshine this with Suicide Squad) and did feel like a shlock comic book story arc event put to film (for good and bad)

I found alt-Barry annoying at first, but that was the point, so it fit in well and I do like how they became so obsessed at the end it resulted in Dark Flash (maybe wish we had a little more screen time of him interfering, but was fine as-is). Ezra was fine, so in the end of all the problems I had with the movie very little had to do with them (overall they are near the bottom of whatever list of negatives hurt this movie honestly).

100% a better watch than Black Adam, but still only around a 5-6 out of 10.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Sauce Dog

[valiantman]

On 9/8/2023 at 2:17 PM, Sauce Dog said:

I found alt-Barry annoying at first...

He was better with Bill and Rufus in the movie with the telephone booth.

[Larryw7]

On 9/7/2023 at 3:58 PM, Aman619 said:

I agree.  When you introduce the concept of a multiverse, there are thousands of Earths that developed similarly with twists. Killing off a Batman and a Supergirl is no big deal.  There are plenty more to work with and as you said, it made for a more compelling end to the story.  On THIS earth, Zod wins because he already killed Kai-El and had only Kara to defeat, and he did.

Yeah, but Michael Keaton! You can't kill off the Keaton Batman.. That's like killing off James Stewart at.the end of It's a.Wonderful Life. Some things just aren't done.

[Aman619]

but, Michael Keaton was a burnt out shell.  Retreating from life.  Suddenly Flash appears and he gets out there again. And dies a hero (sort of sine they lost to Zod.   But, there are millions of earths, and lots of them probably have the Michael Keaton version.  no harm done.  Its not like they killed him in his Batman movies

I dont think this Batman dying was in any way a big reason the movie didnt work for many people, right?  A bigger reason could be "why does a Flash movie NEED a Batman in it in the first place.... or a rehashing of the Zod story?"

[Larryw7]

Yeah, I think they were counting on Batman to beef up the box office, but that didn't really work. I think it would have been cooler if the heroes had to face some peril from an earlier movie. Maybe the Penguin Army from Batman Returns,  or even the original Zod, Ursa and Non from Superman II. But that would have taken a lot of CGI. 

[Bosco685]

On 9/9/2023 at 12:14 AM, Aman619 said:

but, Michael Keaton was a burnt out shell.  Retreating from life.  Suddenly Flash appears and he gets out there again. And dies a hero (sort of sine they lost to Zod.   But, there are millions of earths, and lots of them probably have the Michael Keaton version.  no harm done.  Its not like they killed him in his Batman movies

I dont think this Batman dying was in any way a big reason the movie didnt work for many people, right?  A bigger reason could be "why does a Flash movie NEED a Batman in it in the first place.... or a rehashing of the Zod story?"

Have you read or watched the animated Flashpoint movie? It very much was a team event, while also hitting on how Barry changing elements of the past could mess with established events.

So the Battle of Metropolis very much made sense. The cutting out of Henry Cavill due to Gunn tampering to build his universe - along with forcing George Clooney instead of what was planned (a setup for Crisis) is what made the film a throwaway experience. It could have been much more impactful as planned.