The reviews for the long, long, long-awaited DC outing, The Flash, are now in. So, following the much publicized praise from the likes of James Gunn, Tom Cruise, and Stephen King, does The Flash reach the heights of being “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” Well, not quite, is the frustrating answer, as The Flash sprints to a ‘Fresh’ score of 73% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
We begin with MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman, who heaped praise on The Flash and how it gives DC fans exactly what they’ve been looking for.
“Ezra Miller saves the Snyderverse in a stunning superhero adaptation that gloriously lives up to the hype. The Flash is the DC film that fans have been aching to see.”
Much hype has surrounded the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman in The Flash and, according to Julian, it was well worth it.
“Michael Keaton's return as Batman will kick your a** and break a foot doing it. The Caped Crusader soaring in his 1989 costume and vehicles to Danny Elfman's classic theme is stupefyingly awesome. Keaton plays the character as older and wiser but just as formidable.”
The applause continues courtesy of Deadline’s Pete Hammond, who calls The Flash the best superhero movie since Marvel’s similarly multiversal Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Easily the best in the genre since Spiderman: No Way Home, this fresh, invigorating, and hugely entertaining summer treat is as good as it gets when it comes to cinematic takes on superheroes.”
Rolling Stone’s David Fear also felt that The Flash deserves to be hailed as one of the best examples of the modern take on the comic book movie.
“The Flash is, by far, the best movie to come out of this modern, post-Nolan Warners/DC collaboration...”
Things get a bit more middling with Joshua Yehl of IGN, who criticizes the sheer level of fan service but did find the more intimate, central story gripping nevertheless.
“The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief.”
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter meanwhile calls The Flash “uneven” but equally found a lot to enjoy in the personal journey of Barry Allen.
“If The Flash ultimately proves uneven, its wobbly climactic showdown far less interesting than the more character-driven buildup, the story’s core of a young man struggling to reconcile with the loss of his mother carries it through.”
The Flash Will Land in Theaters Next Week
Here’s where things get more negative, as Variety’s Owen Gleiberman condemns The Flash for drowning in too much fan-service and Easter eggs.
“In The Flash, the multiverse of possibilities that opens up by toying with the past becomes an excuse to throw everything but the Batcave sink at the audience.”
Collider’s Ross Bonaime felt similarly, criticizing The Flash for its lacking story, which is lost amid the cavalcade of cameos.
“Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it’s not quite there with The Flash.”
Screen Rant’s Molly Freeman meanwhile simply could not see past The Flash’s controversial leading actor.
“The Flash is a passable multiverse superhero movie, but no amount of DC cameos can make audiences forget the awful off-screen actions of Ezra Miller.”
But we shall end on something more upbeat, with CBR’s Brandon Zachary enjoying The Flash for its combination of emotional heft and crowd-pleasing moments.
“As fun as the movie is, what elevates The Flash is a genuinely weighty concept explored with all the bombast fans expect from the franchise.”
Directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson, worlds will collide in The Flash when the superhero uses his powers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in an alternate reality.
Starring Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton, The Flash is scheduled to be released on June 16.