Movie Review: The Flash

    Hey folks! It’s me, your favorite persistent, inconsistent blogger who hasn’t gotten the hint again. It’s been some time since last we spoke and, that’s right, I’ve been watching movies—worthwhile stuff I swear. Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Flash” (2023) was one of them.

The summer blockbuster hit theaters a couple months ago, and like the Covid-19 anti-socialite I am sometimes (still) more than capable of morphing into, I waited until I could watch “The Flash” from the comfort of my living room. Now, I am fully aware that waiting for “The Flash” to hit my favorite streaming service might give my millions (and millions!) of fans the impression of both my opinion and the movie’s box office attractiveness. I am also cognizant of a certain Hollywood scandal and the subsequent disgrace surrounding the film’s marketing, release, and lead actor. 

However, I feel “The Flash” has gotten some unfair press. In fact, after watching the film and laughing loudly at its every hilarious moment, my opinion is that there is much about the film that should encourage viewers to check it out. There is even more than comedy to win you over while you watch.

Ezra Miller, whose personal exploits will pass unmentioned and unpunished here, plays Barry Allen: a man who, quite by accident, is struck by lightning and inherits… *ahem* …The Speed Force (sorry that’s my one I promise). To anyone who has paid attention to the classic comic book series/graphic novel “Flashpoint” (DC Comics 2011) on which the film “The Flash” is based, the origins of Barry as well as his onscreen adventure should come as no surprise. Truth be told, the story captured therein was so good that Warner Bros. adapted an animated film in 2013, to rave online reviews. 

I think you’re starting to get the point. What I am saying is that, to those who will listen, the quality of the story speaks for itself, and for its rather well-crafted themes of personal growth, self-awareness, inevitability, faith, fear, letting go, and forgiveness—things we all must develop to get through life. It also does a bang up job explaining, repairing (in some instances), and, in the end, comedically retconning the obvious incongruities within and between the DC Extended Universe(s). 

See what I did there? Heavy sigh… Someday it’ll matter.

If you have an open mind and a couple of hours you don’t mind filling up with laughter and, overall, good vibes, go find out where the film is streaming and give it a look. It’s worth it. The references are great and you will have fun. There… I’ve said my piece.