‘The Flash’ Movie and 4K Review
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
In order to be direct with the readers, I must admit two things before reviewing “The Flash” – I’m not at all familiar with the drama surrounding Ezra Miller and his off-screen antics. I’m also not at familiar with “The Flash.” Because of these reasons, I was able to go into the film fairly fresh, which is how I like to go into most movies. The less I know about a movie or a character, the better. I believe a film should be able to stand on its own two feet for the diehard fans along with the newbies. When the movie accomplishes that tricky tightrope act, it has done its job.
Ezra Miller stars as Barry Allen/The Flash. He’s just trying to get his energy for the day with a sandwich when he must help save a hospital, specifically the maternity ward, as babies are flying out of the window along with a nurse and a dog. Barry even says to himself that he feels like the janitor of the Justice League. Meanwhile, he shows up late to his job at a research center, where his coworkers are none too pleased with his track record for being tardy. After work, he sees an old friend from college, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). She’s a reporter who wants to find out how Barry feels about his father’s upcoming trial for the murder of his mother. Barry maintains that his father is innocent. This sets him on a mission to try to go back in time using his lightning speed and change the past.
If he can change the past, his father will not be in prison and his mother will still be alive. Batman (Ben Affleck) warns The Flash about the consequences of messing with the past. He says their past made them who they are, and they need to grow from it. The Flash, however, believes he can right a wrong and is determined to change past events. When he goes back into his childhood home, he sees his mother, father, and a different version of himself. He meets up with the second version of himself and tries to explain what he’s trying to do and how they are going to do it.
“The Flash” had a great opening sequence which was fun, exciting, and really well-done by director Andy Muschietti (“It” and “It Chapter Two”). I thought the film was establishing a really good baseline of humor and emotion, especially in the scene with Barry talking to his father (Ron Livingston) on the phone. I could feel the connection between Barry and his mother and what an important relationship this was to him. It’s the emotional core of the movie. Who amongst us has not wanted to go back in time and fix the past? However, the middle of the movie is really bogged down with action sequences, Michael Keaton looking bored as Batman, and the film lost its way in the multiverse. It ends on a high note with the emotion and heart from the start of the movie. At that point, we were two hours plus into this movie, so it was too little, too late.
Miller is entertaining in small doses here, but when there are two of him, he overplays it a little bit and tries way too hard to be funny. Less is more with the multiverse angle in the film. The second version of Barry is incredibly grating, annoying and cumbersome to spend time with as an audience member. When the first part of him is grounded in some form of reality, it’s really good. Overall, it’s a mixed bag with his performance. The film loves nostalgia with cameos and callbacks throughout the film, but it didn’t work for me because it felt like they were trying to be a little too cutesy. Overall, there is a good film in here somewhere, but it really lost its way in the middle. Once it regained its footing, it was far too late.
* ½ out of * * * *
4K Info: “The Flash” is released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. The film has a running time of 144 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language, and partial nudity. It comes with a digital code for the film as well.
Video/Audio Info: The film comes with a Dolby Vision transfer and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. I’m sad to report, this is not one of the better transfers I’ve seen for a new film. It didn’t stand out in any way, really. It looks very lifeless and run-of-the-mill. The audio was solid, but the visual look of the film left a lot to be desired.
Special Features:
“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash
“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” Behind the Scenes
Deleted Scenes
Saving Supergirl – featurette
The Bat Chase – featurette
Battling Zod – featurette
Fighting Dark Flash – featurette
The Flash: The Saga of the Scarlet Speedster – featurette
Making the Flash: Worlds Collide – featurette
Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again – featurette
Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton – featurette
Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse – featurette
Should You Buy It?
I had high hopes for this film as I’m a big fan of director Andy Muschietti, and I thought he would bring a unique visual flair to it. I also felt as though the film would do what I wish more superhero films would do, which is incorporate comedy and emotion with some fun action sequences. Instead, it goes off the rails for a good chunk, and it doesn’t stick with what works in the beginning and end of the film. It also completely forgets about the love story between Iris and Barry, which was moving in a really good direction. For the most part, this was a pretty dull and uninteresting viewing experience. The 4K transfer also leaves a lot to be desired. There are plenty of special features here, so if you did enjoy the film, you will have a lot to go through if you pick this disc up. If you did like the film, I’d suggest waiting for it to drop down in price a little bit, as the 4K transfer doesn’t make this a must-own right away. I wish it would have included the Blu-ray, as I would have liked to have seen the difference between the two formats. Overall, if you haven’t seen this film, you aren’t missing anything. If you did see it and liked it, you have the special features going for you, but the visuals are truly underwhelming.
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.
The Ultimate Rabbit 