TITLE: The Flash
DIRECTOR: Andy Muschietti
CAST: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdu, Kiersey Clemons, Jeremy Irons, Antje Traue, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso, Ian Loh
WHERE: In theatres near you
RATING: **1/2
The latest DC Comics superhero, The Flash - a member of the vigilante squad, Justice League, gets his own show, but alas!
The story tracks the enhanced human Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) and his superhero persona, The Flash, as he tries to exonerate his father, Henry Allen (Ron Livingston), who is on trial in prison for killing Barry’s mom Nora (Maribel Verdu).
For those not initiated with the DC Comics Universe soon learn that Barry is no God with divine powers. He is simply a nerd who gets electrified, and joins the league by accident. What makes him stand out is that with or without his superhero suit, he is a goofy and endearing guy.
Using his superpowers, Barry speed-travels wrapped in streaks of lightning, and traverses the multiverse, in which characters bend the space-time continuum and inhabit several realities at the same time. He even meets an alternate version of himself.
In his attempt to save his family, he travels back in time to change the events of the past and soon realises that he is trapped in a reality where General Zod (Michael Shannon) has returned, threatening annihilation. How he coaxes the retired Batman (Michael Keaton) and rescues an imprisoned Kryptonian Supergirl, Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle), who helps him in his endeavour, forms the crux of the tale.
Despite a simple and promising premise, the plot meanders, traversing a convoluted path and making the entire viewing experience tedious.
Working from a script by Christina Hodson, director Andy Muschietti’s film with ace production values is packed with cinematic gimmicks, which include lavish set pieces, spectacle-pyrotechnics, and absurd digital fabrication of scenes that may look flamboyant as the scene plays out, but, has no depth in terms of the narrative.
A case in point is the elaborate gravity-defying rescue scene where Flash saves newborn babies who are hurtling down the street when a hospital wing collapses. This outlandish cinematic ploy takes away any tension that might make Flash’s heroism resonate.
Some of Flash’s appeal comes mainly from Miller’s tense and almost feverishly charismatic presence. His performance as Barry is one of the reliable highlights of the film. He convincingly pulls off two roles simultaneously, which generates more empathy for the character.
Keaton’s Batman appears perfunctory and feels like just a plot device. So does Barry’s love interest Iris West portrayed by Kiersey Clemons.
Apart from them, established faces pop up as special-guest appearances, be it Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Ben Affleck as Batman too.
Overall, the film, despite having an upbeat vibe, never convincingly establishes the superhero as a confident stand-alone entity, and with a run time of 2 hrs and 24 minutes, the viewing surely gets tiresome.
