The Flash director Andy Muschietti is understandably proud of his movie and, based on much of the feedback he's been getting, it's not hard to see why.
David Zaslav, James Gunn, and Tom Cruise are among those who have heaped praise on the DC Comics adaptation, while there are plenty of fans who have clearly had a lot of fun with the Scarlet Speedster's first solo outing. We can surely all agree that the visual effects aren't great, though, right?
Whether it's inside the Speed Force, those surprise cameos, or that opening sequence in Gotham City, there are a lot of CG characters and moments which simply don't look very good (even The Flash's costume has drawn unflattering Green Lantern comparisons).
Talking to Gizmodo about the scene which sees the Fastest Man Alive rescue several babies falling from the sky, Muschietti made a startling revelation when he claimed that what we were seeing isn't unfinished VFX, but The Flash's very specific point of view.
"The idea, of course, is...we are in the perspective of the Flash," the filmmaker claims. "Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this ‘waterworld’ which is basically being in Barry’s POV. It was part of the design so if it looks a little weird to you that was intended."
While there's a chance Muschietti is being deadly serious here, he's surely made enough big budget movies to know these CG characters - who have been compared to those from a mid-2000s blockbuster or PlayStation 3 cutscene - would come under fire.
If it was indeed a creative decision on the director's part, we'd say it didn't quite work. Also, this doesn't explain why, when Barry is no longer using super speed during that opening scene, the baby he removes from a microwave (don't ask) still looks incredibly cartoonish.
We'll take Muschietti at his word, anyway, but if and when The Flash does return in the DCU, it might be a good idea to reevaluate how the hero's abilities and the Speed Force are portrayed on screen.
The Flash is now playing in theaters.