- Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck): If you were to go into the past, you have no idea what the consequences would be.
- Barry Allen (Ezra Miller): Bruce, I could fix things.
- Bruce Wayne: You could also destroy everything.
The Flash, a current DC multiverse adventure, does not profit from traversing universes as the way, say, Everyone, Everywhere, All at Once did when Michelle Yeoh and the film won best Oscars. The Academy will be fortunate just to untangle the time and space that propel Flash (Barry Allen) and his younger, wisecracking self to move toward saving their father and mother from murder charges and being murdered in that order.
As far as I can tell, the action for the Flash version of the DC multiverse has spanned three Spidey film, a Marvel animated TV series, and a Doctor Strange sequel, making it a challenge for the aud to keep it all in order. One thing we do know is that Barry Allen (Flash)going back to the future endangers the present in ways that even us amateurs know will happen, e.g., no meta humans will be here to handle such incursions as Zod’s (Michael Shannon) domination.
In other words, do not mess with time any more than you should Mother Nature. Yet, we do not want to miss seeing Ben, Michael, and Nicolas reprise their roles as Batmen even if their presence serves only to clutter the verse.
As in most other superhero films these days, some form of rescuing a family member or a whole clan dominates. So, too, here does The Flash embrace that theme, never sorted out well enough for me:
- Bruce Wayne: Tell me something. You can go anywhere you want, right? Any timeline, any universe. Why do you want to stay and fight for this one?
- Barry Allen: Because this is the one where my mom lives.
While the conclusion is easily foretold, along the way director Andy Muschietti and crew create a moveable feast of fantastic images, both aural and visual. Those delights should be satisfying enough until Indy saves the summer, I hope.
The Flash
Director: Andy Muschietti (It)
Screenplay: Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey)
Cast: Ezra Miller (Justice League), Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
Run Time: 2h 24m
Rating: PG-13
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts NPR’s It’s Movie Time and hosts Cinema Classics as well as podcasts Back Talk and Double Take out of WCBE 90.5 FM. Contact him at JohnDeSando52@gmail.com
