Movie expeditions to distant universes, coexisting with the creation we know, are all the rage in superhero cinema these days. While Spider-Man pays a visit to a multitude of parallel worlds in the famous "Across The Spider-Verse", the intergalactic long-distance runner The Flash, title hero of the new comic adaptation "The Flash", is content with a single trip outside.
The Flash: Ezra Miller's masterpiece
Of course, this journey through time has it all. When The Flash (played by Ezra Miller) makes a mistake along the way, a monstrous but long-defunct villain is awakened to new activity. General Zod (Michael Shannon) prepares to destroy humanity with his troops. The situation is hopeless because Zod seems invincible.
"The scars on the soul are what make people what they are," Batman once said to The Flash, and this sentence is something of a leitmotif of the film. The Flash, a creation of the publishing house DC Comics and a superhero himself as a member of the superhero troupe Justice League, could lead a happy life were it not for a severe childhood trauma.
At that time, Barry Allen, his real name, had to witness how his mother was murdered. His father was (falsely) suspected of being the perpetrator. Now Barry/The Flash travels back in time to undo the murder and the personal tragedy it caused - unaware that he is unleashing such a global tragedy.
Superhero Action
The Flash, USA 2023
Regie: Andy Muschietti.
Starring: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Gal Gadot.
The Flash, the comic book character, may be a child of the 1940s, but "The Flash," the film, now brings the lightning-fast sprinter to the big screen for the first time.
The Argentinian Andy Muschietti was selected as the director, a novice in the superhero genre who caused a sensation with the two "It" film adaptations (after Stephen King). Mussetti puts his stamp on "The Flash" in a way that is at times inspiring, by balancing out the violence of the action sequences with a lot of empathy and humour.
Batman appears twice in the time travel adventure (apart from Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck also has a scene). Ezra Miller plays multiple roles as Barry Allen/The Flash and Barry's younger self, in keeping with the parallel worlds theme.
Whereby the somewhat childish young Barry often gets on the older one's nerves. The way Ezra Miller separates the characters and reunites them emotionally is a masterpiece.
So "The Flash", despite all the action-shooting typical of the genre, has become a refreshing film that often deviates from the well-trodden path of superhero cinema. You can also tell by the fact that the best scene wasn't saved for the finale, but is already shown on the screen in the first third. The Flash witnesses the collapse of a high-rise hospital building.
Babies in a maternity ward are at risk of dying in free fall. But the superhero acrobatically swings into the air and collects the infants and their caregiver before they hit the ground. This is great cinema for the soul and at the same time, because of the breathtaking technical implementation.