There hasn’t been a film that’s had as much pressure, praise, and controversy leading up to its release recently as The Flash. It’s no secret that the film’s development has been complicated by directors constantly rolling in and out of the project and the DCEU never really finding its footing or vision. Add in Ezra Miller’s recent history of arrests and allegations as well as James Gunn stepping in to change and reset the vision for DC’s cinematic universe and we have a literal mess that’s sadly fitting for the DCEU.

However, the conversation around The Flash started to change when Gunn and others started to give the film high praise and pitched it up as a game-changing comic book movie. With this newfound praise though came new pressure that most films would buckle under. Instead of it just being the first Flash solo film, The Flash was set up to be a legacy-defining multiverse adventure that celebrates DC’s history. So, in short, the big question was if The Flash could live up to this new hype? Well, that’s unfortunately not totally the case.

What’s good about The Flash is that it’s truly a Flash story above all else. Despite it featuring a bunch of nostalgic incarnations and new characters to the DCEU, Barry Allen (Miller) absolutely takes centerstage. The story is a classic Flash scenario that sees Barry attempt to change the tragedy of his mom’s death by using the “Speed Force” to go back in time. However, his actions ultimately cause the timeline to change and for Barry to be introduced to alternate versions of the heroes he’s come to know – as well as another version of himself. Now, Barry must work with these new allies to stop a daunting threat from destroying this timeline and keep the multiverse from collapsing.

When the film focuses on Barry and his personal journey in this new timeline, it can be an incredibly enjoyable and surprisingly emotional ride. The story surrounding the death of Barry’s mom is very tragic and gets the emotional hooks in viewers right away. The ripples of that event feel clear in the present for Barry, and it makes it easier to understand why he not only wants to change the past, but also protect this new timeline where his mom lives. The film also establishes its sense of humor really well with Barry’s awkwardness and slight clumsiness creating a lot of hilarious interactions and one-liners early on. His constant need to eat to keep his energy up makes for some funny scenes and even him talking with other DCEU heroes can be a total blast.

However, it’s when Barry meets another version of himself that the humor and heart of Barry’s story is elevated to an all-time high. There’s such unique and engaging storytelling with how Barry’s origin as a hero is discussed and it’s fun to see Barry sort of reexperience what it’s like to gain his powers through another version of himself. This younger, more inexperienced version of Barry is just a pure ball of energy from start to finish and there’s nothing funnier than watching Barry be annoyed at himself. Yet, this second Barry isn’t just played for laughs and acts as a pivotal part of the original Barry’s growth. In some ways he comes to learn how far he’s come as a hero and there are moments where he gets to become a mentor to this alternate Barry – which creates a more compelling arc for the two characters.

To be honest, just watching Barry deal with the ramifications of his actions in changing the timeline is super compelling and there’s a great turn in the big final battle that really lets the weight of reality crash onto Barry – and fans will feel the full impact of it. It’s a heartbreaking realization that Barry doesn’t have the power to truly change everything and save everyone like he thinks he does, and it leads him to make a big choice. This choice results in a tear-jerking interaction between Barry and his mom that hits all the right emotional notes and leaves things on a satisfyingly tender scene. It helps even more that Miller delivers a fantastic performance that shows their great range and how they really embody what Barry is all about.

There’s no doubt that Miller crushes this dual-role performance and delivers the type of humor and heartfelt emotion that belongs in a Flash story. They display an openness to poke fun at Barry’s weird running form and some of the wild chaos Barry encounters in this adventure that really makes the character so relatable in this film. Plus, every encounter between Barry and his parents is just full of raw feelings and Miller’s performance in the final scene with Barry’s mom is flawless. It’s honestly tough to leave that scene without shedding a tear or feeling those palpable emotions pouring out of the screen. Miller certainly shows the potential for what their version of Flash could have been and maybe even delivers one of the best performances of their career. Still though, it’s unfortunate that there’s a bittersweetness to it all that stems from Miller’s actions outside the film.

Look, regardless of how strong Miller’s performance is in The Flash, their actions, arrests, and allegations have put a mark on this film that can’t and shouldn’t be simply overlooked. Sure, Miller’s actions don’t weigh on the final score of this review or totally overshadow the talent they clearly have. But that talent also doesn’t overshadow what they’ve done either and it’s a big reason why their performance has this disappointing feeling to it that can’t be shaken. For those that have been keeping up with Miller’s troubling behavior, it’s especially hard not to feel conflicted about their performance. The hope is that Miller can or is in the process of getting the help they clearly need and can get to a place where they can take genuine accountability for their actions and the consequences that could follow. For now, Miller’s great performance here shows huge potential that could be lost due to their own actions.

Unfortunately, the disappointing aspects of The Flash don’t stop at just the bittersweetness surrounding Miller as there are a lot of major letdowns that keep the film from reaching even remotely close to its expectations. Even while Barry’s story has such engaging humor and morals that lead to memorable emotional highs, it does feature some bland and messy storytelling that constantly halts the momentum of the film. Frankly, the explanations behind time travel and the multiverse are very bland and don’t leave much of an impact. The multiverse conversation is tied to a jokey sequence that doesn’t land well and the film doesn’t try to continually build out these ideas throughout the film.

Also, outside of Barry, none of the other characters are utilized effectively despite good performances. Kiersey Clemons shows interesting potential as Iris West but is barely a meaningful part of Barry’s story or the film as a whole. Michael Keaton’s return as Batman is definitely something special as it feels like an evolved version of his incarnation. He’s much more knowledgeable and seasoned, and it’s awesome to see him be a part of more fast-moving action scenes. However, his place in the story feels unimpactful outside of being another mentor for Barry and there’s a potential to continue the story from Keaton’s Batman films that isn’t tapped into for some reason.

It just feels like a waste of bringing Keaton’s Batman back and it’s one of the many ways that the film’s use of DC’s nostalgia feels hollow. Sasha Calle also delivers a good performance as Supergirl but is undercooked as a character. The sense of maturity and frustration Calle brings as Supergirl is fantastic and it’s definitely a portrayal that stands out for good reasons. However, she’s basically just a walking plot device and her arc in this film feels non-existent. It’s another introduction to this DCEU that holds no real meaning and just feels like a wasted part of the film. Even worse is that the great moral and lesson that Barry is meant to learn from correcting his actions is completely upended by the film’s ending – which also acts as a cheap way to reset the timeline.

It’s also a shame that The Flash is marred by god-awful visual effects. While there are some cool action sequences that see the Flash and others tear down some tough foes, the visuals are a total eye sore. The overuse of CGI in this film creates some terrible-looking concoctions that are utterly distracting and don’t reflect the hefty budget this film was given nor its production time. The sequences where Barry is in the Speed Force are especially terrible and it’s bizarre how effects like this got the thumbs up from those involved. Even worse is that the terrible CGI plays a role in some of the multiverse cameos seen in the film – which also highly disappoints.

With Across the Spider-Verse sending viewers into a fun and ambitious multiverse experience, it’s hard to look at The Flash as anything more than underwhelming and boring. Sure, there are a couple of cool nods to some of the earliest parts of DC’s history. But there’s so much that isn’t touched on and paid homage to that should be. The Flash doesn’t even touch on DC’s more recent triumphs – which is a damn shame – and even what it does highlight is unfortunately ruined by crummy CGI depictions that don’t feel right. The Flash barely even holds a candle to what the Arrowverse and Titans have recently accomplished with the multiverse – let alone Across the Spider-Verse. It’s a highly disappointing attempt at the multiverse that is deeply upsetting as a fan and every bit of nostalgia on display in The Flash feels soulless.

The Flash is far from being a bad entry in the DCEU thanks to its intriguing and, at times, moving story focused on Barry and the talented ensemble cast. However, it’s just as far from being the best due to its horrible effects, messy story decisions, and unremarkable homages to DC’s past. Sadly, The Flash is a fitting end to the DCEU in that it’s highly disappointing and struggles to meet even the simplest expectations. It’s another moment where its clear that DC fans deserve better and hopefully, that’ll be the case the DCU heads in a new direction.

Watch the Trailer Here: