CBR supports the hard work of creators and industry professionals to create movies fans all know and love, but it's important to remember the ongoing controversy with Ezra Miller. You can find CBR's continuing coverage of Miller here.
The following contains spoilers for The Flash, which is showing exclusively in theaters now.
The Flash has finally been released after an incredibly long and tumultuous production. Filled with multiple director changes, constant rewrites, and troubles with the star, Ezra Miller, audiences have had cautious excitement about the film's release. After a lot of initial good buzz from fan pre-screenings, The Flash has some less-than-favorable reviews coming in, largely due to the nostalgia-heavy cameos. The Flash's heavy reliance on nostalgia is not only the film's downfall but an issue within modern cinema.
The Flash adapts a version of the well-known comic book story, Flashpoint. In the movie, Barry travels back in time to save his mother from her death -- this not only leads him to a different universe but toward almost destroying the entire multiverse. From Michael Keaton and Adam West to George and Christopher Reeves, the movie is obsessed with evoking emotions from old characters and actors.
The Problem with The Flash's Nostalgia Filter
The driving force behind a lot of the nostalgia in The Flash is the return of Michael Keaton's Batman. Seeing Keaton return to the role is amazing and stirs emotions for fans who grew up watching him, yet his Batman is little more than an action figure spouting his main catchphrases. The bigger issue is that many of the people going to see The Flash likely did not grow up with Keaton. Without having a pre-existing connection to Keaton's version of the Caped Crusader, there is nothing to grasp onto when he shows up. The emotional weight of that moment is gone. One of the biggest moments of the film is when Barry realizes that Batman can't be saved and must die. Yet, if fans don't care about Keaton, they likely won't care as much about this scene.
The film also seems to elicit nostalgia from even more recent films with its brief Wonder Woman cameo and the appearance of Ben Affleck's Batman. The SynderVerse is dead yet a minority of fans still long for its return. The Flash could have easily ignored most of what came before, especially since that universe is part of the past. Still, the movie chooses to bring back the SnyderVerse version of heroes for one last hurrah. Then there is a ghoulish resurrection of multiple dead actors -- George Reeves, Christopher Reeves and Adam West are all brought back to the screen with some truly horrifying VFX. Utilizing dead actors' images simply for a little nostalgia boost is something that Hollywood desperately needs to move away from.
The Flash Represents a Larger Problem in Hollywood
Many people seem to echo the sentiments that Hollywood is out of fresh ideas. It seems that each "new" project is only a reboot, remake, or filled to the brim with cameos. While this obviously isn't true, it becomes harder and harder to find exciting stories being made. Disney is remaking all their old movies, and fans are expecting the MCU to bring back everyone who was ever cast as a hero for Secret Wars. The Flash weaponizes nostalgia in the same way that other major franchises do. They all use it as a way to create less-than-thrilling stories that audiences will ignore for a chance of seeing their old favorites back on screen.
The Flash is a fun multiverse romp that chooses style over substance. Unless the audience has a preexisting connection to Michael Keaton's Batman or a love for the SynderVerse, many of the emotional moments miss their mark. The movie uses nostalgia to cover up the lack of substance and some less-than-ideal VFX. The use of nostalgia to blind audiences to subpar stories is a trend that is becoming all too familiar in Hollywood.
The Flash is now playing exclusively in theaters.