Film Name: 闪电侠 / The Flash
“Expectation management” is such a gripping thing – when the first wave of positive reviews for ‘The Flash’ appeared a while ago, I thought another masterpiece had appeared, then I was thrown off by Rotten Tomatoes’ 72% rating, which made me think it was overblown, and then I was even more confused when all the positive reviews appeared in the past few days. When the various voices of mainly positive reviews appeared in the past few days, I was even more perplexed …… After seeing the movie last night, I finally have a definitive answer: at least the film is good.
To be fair, “The Flash” is not a great work, and the script design and related concept of time and space are not very original, but the story is well done, and the most valuable thing is that it is interesting enough, not dull, not cold, not boring, think about it should also be satisfied.
In the atmosphere of DC movies, which are all about family tragedies and scars, the movie is able to tell a sad story of “resignation” in a happy tone, which is unbeatable in itself.
[Friendly reminder: there will be spoilers below].
Let’s change our habits and talk about the plot first.
The story of The Flash is actually quite clichéd: Barry Allen’s biggest regret in life is the tragic death of his mother and the imprisonment of his father during his childhood. After discovering that he can go back to the past with his superpowers, Barry decides to take a shot at saving his loved ones, which ends up changing the future and causing disruptions in the parallel universes… …
Clichés are clichés, but this “classic” plot design also means that the threshold for viewing is low (the movie also pokes fun at/pays homage to Back to the Future), and almost all the elements and sequences in similar stories can be found in The Flash. For example, the time paradox, “you did not get superpowers, there is no future me”, “the present you die in the future you will also disappear”, etc.; such as the multiverse, “the past point in time after the change back to the new future “, “the more changes will produce more parallel universes”, etc.. These settings will remind some viewers of the anime “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” from 10 years ago, and there will be many people who feel that the script of “The Flash” has fallen short …… It’s quite normal to have this thought.
However, it must be recognized that the film’s script is executed very cleanly and never drags, the creators know exactly what to do when, unbuttoned at the point, unbuttoned and juggled for a while, without committing the faults that similar titles are prone to, such as staging, over-explaining, and forcing innovations, and the pacing is top-notch. Barry, who triggers all the chaos, finally realizes that in this cosmic timeline, Batman and Supergirl are destined to die in battle, and that his own actions to save his parents can’t save more humans, and that his tragic past not only shapes him, but also defines the future, so he can only give up his obsession with “changing his fate against all odds”. In other words, “The Flash” is a story of resignation, and in today’s environment where everyone prefers to shout “My destiny is mine, not God’s”, the movie even carries a sense of long-lost, classical poignancy.
Of course, in the end, Barry’s replacement of the supermarket ketchup to help his father get off the hook still resulted in a Batman swap, which was a harmless joke after the cap. At the same time, it sets the stage for another DCEU reboot (Director Roll has already stepped in, so make as many DC movies as you want from now on as long as you want). That said, The Flash is a barely watchable movie at best, and the storytelling features mentioned above only prove that it’s a “no-brainer”, not even close to a “yes” – thanks to the movie’s rich storytelling. -This is due to the movie’s individual laughs and action sequences, clever characterizations, and many rare eggs.
Taking the action scene as an example, I personally think the most representative is the opening scene of the rescue of the hospital that when you see a bunch of babies and a nurse and a dog falling from a height, compared to the tension, the audience is more curious (because of the understanding that it will not really be okay), want to see how the Flash to so many babies and his own stomach to relieve the situation, so when Barry ate first and then go from one to another to save the people, the hero’s suffering of the laughs and the seemingly slow but fast movement are in place. The “Smash Valludo” gameplay never gets old, the film slightly add some fast or slow modification, immediately can provide a new experience. ps: there are many viewers complained that this “The Flash” special effects and service level is not too good, I think it’s still okay, visible in recent years, Hollywood film hardware level will often be not enough. I think it’s not bad at all. The most helpful aspect of The Flash is the rivalry between the two Barry Allen actors.
It’s not uncommon for one person to play two roles, but there are still plenty of opportunities to shine, especially when Ezra Miller adds his own understanding to the chemistry between Barry and Barry. The protagonist of the movie, “Barry Through”, has lost his parents since he was 10 years old, and he entered the new world by mistake with a painful mission, and even after seeing the fruits of his parents’ efforts to live happily ever after, it doesn’t change his melancholic nature; while the “18-year-old Barry” of the world is a man with two parents. On the other hand, the “18-year-old Barry” in this world has lived to adulthood with both parents, carefree and without bitterness and hatred, which further emphasizes his attributes of a chattering and lively man of joy. The all-powerful Crossing Barry’s first acquaintance with the naive 18-year-old Barry is just an appetizer, followed by making the former lose his superpowers and letting the latter gain them is the main event – this is equivalent to separating Barry’s character attributes, with the 18-year-old Barry being responsible for the hero’s excitement, youthfulness, and confusion at the time of his origination, and the Crossing Barry being responsible for the hero’s stability, maturity, and firmness after precipitation, the audience is not only able to see the hero, but also to see his character’s personality, which is the most important thing. Barry is responsible for the hero’s calmness, maturity and determination after the hero’s precipitation, the audience can not only regain the sense of freshness, but also in the two Barry’s “asymmetric contrast”, savor the multi-layered rich interpretation of the character.
The two Barry’s scenes provide plenty of laughs and spectacle, as well as complementing key points in the plot, including the film’s final cliffhanger, which shows how differently a mature Flash and a reckless Flash would have made their choices. It’s also important to mention the numerous character eggs in The Flash: Sasha Calle’s Kara, who is a departure from her past counterparts and more akin to Henchman’s Kara; Christopher Reeve as Superman, who ushered in the Superman Era; Nicolas Cage, who is finally living his dream; and Kara, who is a newcomer to the world of the Flash, who is a newcomer to the world. -Cage finally fulfilled his dream and played Superman on the screen; George Clooney also took on the role of Batman …… The one who surprised me the most was Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. -Wayne, the value of childhood sentimentality is simply brushed full.
Not only because Keaton was the first Batman on the big screen, but also because Keaton’s acting and audience appeal has been so good over the years that watching him reprise his role as Batman, in addition to the ease with which he’s done so well, there’s also an undertone of a hero who is late and a veteran who is still alive – even if we don’t see the likes of Fonzie Kilmer and Christian Bale and the rest of the gang, I’d be happy with that.
All in all, The Flash is a worthwhile movie, a rarity in the ill-fated DC movie franchise, so if you’re not completely dead in the water, don’t miss it.
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