The Flash has arrived in theaters and something tells us this will be a movie which fans either love, hate...or love to hate!
No matter how you feel about the latest (and perhaps final) DCEU movie, it's fair to say there's a great deal about the Scarlet Speedster's first big screen solo outing which simply makes no sense. That was largely inevitable in a story about time travel and the Multiverse, but those are far from its only issues.
In this feature, we're taking a deep dive into certain nonsensical moments, attempting to figure out what the heck was going on and ultimately why it didn't work in a movie that, while fun at times, has a lot of issues. Even if you loved this blockbuster, we think you'll agree these creative decisions made zero sense.
Take a look through this spoiler-filled breakdown by clicking on the "Next" button below.
5. Another Batman Returns
The Flash does a pretty good job of explaining that, when you travel back in time, rather than creating a divergent timeline, a new one is formed. That's why the reality Barry Allen finds himself lost in isn't his past, but an alternate path on the wider Multiversal map.
Now, we get that changing things so that his father is exonerated is what creates a world where George Clooney's Bruce Wayne is Batman, but what was the point? Aside from being a splashy cameo meant to cover up the fact Michael Keaton once stepped out of that car, there's absolutely nothing gained from this scene.
If Clooney ends up being the DCU's Batman, we'll happily rescind that statement, but the actor wearing a business suit isn't exactly akin to the Batsuit! The whole thing also proves The Flash learned nothing about the devastation his actions caused when he created a timeline where literally everyone died.
4. Everything About Young Barry Allen
On the one hand, you could assume that The Flash's intention here was to show us how normal Barry would have been had his mother lived. It shouldn't be down to the audience to fill in gaps like that, however, and while we don't need everything spelt out...why the f*** is this younger Barry apparently a simpleton?
In the present day, Barry is an awkward weirdo with no friends and confesses to being a 28-year-old virgin. His past self, on the other hand, has the world's most annoying laugh, the personality of a stoner from an early 2000s comedy, and heck, may even have a genuine brain injury given his behaviour.
This could be a case of bad acting on Ezra Miller's part or the result of a juvenile screenplay from a writer who assumed this would leave everyone splitting their sides. Younger Barry isn't a dumb 18-year-old kid, he's a buffoon, making his eventual transformation - we'll get to that - all the harder to actually buy into.
3. Batman And Supergirl's Deaths
The Flash coming to the conclusion that he can't save the timeline he's created is actually a pretty solid moment in the movie. After all, it forces him to acknowledge that by changing the past, he's created a reality full of death and destruction (which doesn't stop him from changing the past again a few moments later).
In that respect, Supergirl and Batman's respective deaths make sense...mostly. They basically become MacGuffins, with a Girl of Steel too weak to defeat General Zod and a Dark Knight who we see die twice mostly due to his own stupidity.
Originally, these two would have returned in place of Clooney, leaving them both a permanent part of the DCEU. General audiences won't know that, though, and now get to watch a movie where the two best characters die horribly and never get any sort of satisfying send-off. Batman kind of does, but Supergirl is cheated.
2. Dark Flash
The younger Barry, all of a sudden more serious than stoner, decides to try again and again to stop Batman and Supergirl from dying. Along the way, he starts suffering some pretty nasty injuries, including being impaled by Kryptoniant debris.
When we finally see Dark Flash, it's a much older Barry who has somehow become covered in that armour. It may also be a result of all the time he's spent in the Speed Force, but like his motivations, the villain's appearance is poorly explained and we're left to assume he's somehow become covered by those shards.
Dark Flash reveals he pulled Barry out of the timeline to create a paradox which would mean he could help him save the day...despite knowing it wouldn't work? It's typical time travel nonsense, but to throw this character into the mix for all of two minutes when Reverse-Flash was right there is beyond baffling.
1. The Cringeworthy Cameos
The Flash has undergone so many changes in the past year, it's become hard to know what was originally planned for the Speed Force. We're assuming the cameos were a last-minute addition, anyway, as that's the only way to explain the appalling video game graphics used to resurrect Christopher Reeve and company.
The coolest of these cameos shows Nic Cage as Superman battling a giant spider and the intention was obviously to deliver some fan-pleasing moments here. However, the fact they all look so fake ruins that and the idea of worlds colliding ends up feeling like a rip-off of the MCU's incursions.
That's unlikely the case (the imagery is similar to Crisis on Infinite Earths) but it is how many moviegoers will likely perceive it. Regardless, what could have been a celebration of the DC Universe which set up the new DCU feels ghoulish, artificial, and adds little to the story The Flash is attempting to tell.