Speak Now Storyteller

Summary: Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.

SO I wanted to address first, because it needs to be said, Ezra Miller has committed awful crimes and they need to answer for the things they have clearly done (you can also criticize Ezra without misgendering them). There isn’t much “allegedness” going on in their situation. I don’t know what what the future holds for them in acting, especially with this character, even with James Gunn taking over the mantle as the “Kevin Fiege” of the DCEU. However, regardless of what their future holds, restitution needs to be paid, in whatever form the victims need and demand. I personally think they need jail time as well as behavioral and mental health coaching and if the victims say that’s what they need in order to be vindicated then, it needs to be done. Ezra and the powers that be should not try to sweep their crimes under a rug and act like nothing has happened, it’s happened, very publicly. The damage is done, which I’m surely is hugely in part as to why this movie isn’t doing well, which honestly, that’s what they get. It sucks for the other actors and people involved. But again, the damage is done. Take that as you will.

So.. here’s the review. There will also be maybe minor spoilers because lol come on.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. There are some returning actors/characters but we don’t spend a ton of time with them so I’m not going to go into detail. But Michael Shannon returns as General Zod and he as good just as I thought he was in Man of Steel. Kiersey Clemons returns as Iris West, this time with actual screen time and lines and I thought she was good in her small role as well. I would have liked to see more of her but alas.

• Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash. I’m not sure how far into the future this movie is from JL but Barry is definitely different from when we last saw him. He’s older, a bit more mature and less socially awkward (though still socially awkward). He’s working as a police forensic investigator but he’s having a little trouble because he’s always late. He’s still emotionally affected by the tragedy of losing his mother at an young age and believing that his father was falsely accused of her murder. He ends up going back to a time where his mother is alive and his father is free and he meets the 18-year-old version of himself. I think it’s very interesting but very good and smart that this movie chose to make Barry, who most people found annoying in the JL movies (though I liked him but he was done a lot better in ZSJL) be like the “straight man” or the “mentor” to this younger version of himself, who is the annoying Barry, probably way worse actually. They both go through tremendous character development where adult Barry has to realize that while his powers allows him to do certain things, maybe he shouldn’t, not to mention, how to deal with his grief but also young Barry has to learn that maybe he needs to chill a little. There’s a lot of other stuff but without spoiling, so when you watch this on MAX, you can see. I think Ezra is really good in the movie. Ezra plays adult Barry and young Barry so differently, that even though we know they’re the same person, they’re also different because young Barry lives in a world with his mother so their experiences aren’t exactly the same. I think they do a great job of playing off themselves and a lot of the emotional beats they sell. It’s really a shame what they’ve done (and how it’s been largely ignored by WB) because I would have liked to have seen more of Ezra as Barry Allen.
• Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. We meet Kara in this alternate timeline, where she is the Kryptonian we meet instead of Superman. She’s being kept in a room away from sunlight and the Barrys and Batman find her, free her and she works with them on their mission. But I thought Sasha Calle was very good and I HATE that she’s in this movie with such bad aura surrounding it because a lot of people won’t see her and I would have LOVED to see her way more, to see more of her in this role and I don’t think that’s gonna happen now. There’s a melancholy about the way she approaches this role, I thought she had great chemistry with both Barrys. Maybe she has a chance to return in whatever James Gunn decides to do.
• Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman. This version of Bruce is old, and ultimately gets back in the game to help Barry in his endeavors. That’s all I’ll say story wise, but it was very exciting to see Michael Keaton return because he’s always been my favorite live action Batman, there’s just something a little off about him and his portrayal that I like, not to mention, he’s a tinkerer and smart (I mean world’s greatest detective…. duh), something I think only Robert Pattinson’s Batman also does. But he has great chemistry with the Barrys and it was fun to see him kicking ass, while also knowing not only is that a regular man fighting alongside a superpowers alien and a metahuman, but that he’s old. He was very awesome. Michael Keaton, I think is always a win.

The Story. I think the story has a lot of interesting ideas in there and I feel like the movie did manage to deliver on some of them. The aspect of Barry and his parents, that’s probably the biggest thing that works in this movie. How he’s been traumatized by his mother’s death and his father’s jailing is extremely interesting, not to mention, how he uses that to go back in time, once he realizes he can go back in time. Which also brings up the question, is this supposed to follow Josstice League or ZSJL because in ZSJL he goes back in time (great sequence by the way) which means it shouldn’t have been a surprise to him that he could… I guess I just answered my own question lol. I thought it was interesting that he created a new timeline where his mother lived but now he’s stuck in that time. Not to mention, the stuff with Kara and Bruce, it was interesting because we see how Barry is learning that you can’t really mess with time.

The Emotional Beats. I feel like the heart of the movie is the relationship between Barry and his mom (and his dad). I think the parts we got were really good and I wish the movie focused on them way more. Maribel Verdú plays Nora Allen and she does really well with what she’s given, particularly in the scene in the grocery store at the end. I think her scenes with Barry are what the movie should have really focused on. They don’t do it enough in my opinion. There are also a couple of scenes between adult Barry and Kara that I thought was done pretty well. Scenes with both Barrys that were nice, it’s hilarious to see Ezra playing off themselves but it works. I think in the third act there were some good emotional scenes as well but the stuff with Barry and Nora is truly where it’s at lol.

It’s Funny. I think the movie has some good humor in it. I liked a lot of the interactions between the Barrys and Bruce. There was a lot of good physical comedy in the movie and humorous chemistry between both Barrys. One of the funniest scenes is when adult Barry tries to phase through a wall but shenanigans happen which causes Adult Barry to run in a circle… you’ll know the scene when you see it. Also, the scene at the beginning in the coffee shop and even outside the coffee shop got laughs from my audience.

Good Action. I think for the most part the action is done really well in this movie. The first big sequence we get is Barry helping Batman in Gotham, which then leads him into saving a bunch of babies from a hospital. The implications of this scene were great and it was funny but like… in an awkward way. The stuff with Batman looked great, I think if there’s one thing they do well with Batffleck is the action. Then later when Keaton-Bruce attacks the Barrys because they just come into his house, it was great and funny. Then the scenes at the end were also pretty cool because we got to see Barry use his powers in a way we haven’t really had the chance to see him use them before. I think overall, the action sequences are pretty well choreographed and fun to watch.

Cons:

The Frigging CGI. Apparently the way the CGI looks in the Speed Force is supposed to look wonky and a bit silly because that’s how Barry is seeing the world because he’s moving so fast and whatever other excuses given for how it looks, I could kind of forgive that but it’s so bad distracting that I can’t really forgive it. Well, let me put it like this, while in the Speed Force, the “stuff” was fine but when Barry started to see that he was rewinding time, the way the people looked was horrifying. So bad. Also, there are two Barrys and there are so many times and I noticed every time, where you can clearly tell which Barry was Ezra Miller and which one was a stand in with a CGI Ezra face. There are also times just during the fight scenes, where Barry isn’t even doing anything and his face is CGI! Why are we doing this?? Some movies have been doing twins or the same actor playing different versions of the same character before and it’s looked so much better than this. I hate it. I think overall the movie looks good, I think there are a lot of really cool use of CGI and what not, but when it’s CGI heavy, it’s not great. There was even a scene where Barry is just TALKING in his earpiece and his face! I was like, what is happening? These studios really need to let these VFX artists take their time. I’m aware we have schedules and money to get… but jeez, you still want your movie to look good and be well received overall by the viewers. I mean come on. I blame the powers that be more than I blame the VFX people.

The Third Act. So, I generally like the third act because of what it means for Barry but I feel like it could have been achieved in a different way. I kind of don’t like what that means for that world’s Bruce and Kara. I know because Kara was held prisoner for so long she’s not nearly as strong as she could have been if she actually grew up in the world, in the sun but damn, her fighting Zod was kind of brutal. Not to mention, having Zod there at all, I’m not sure if that was necessary. So, instead, I feel like the movie could have been the same but with Barry trying to save his mom, like maybe after going back to create a timeline where she lived, instead she keeps dying or something like that. It’s just with the way it is, it feels like a waste to have Kara and Bruce there, it could have been more intimate. It’s not like this movie is some cinematic universe altering movie, at least not in the way they might have wanted it to be.

Overall, as a movie, I don’t think it’s as bad as I’ve seen people say nor do I think it’s as good as I’ve seen people say. In the canon of the DCEU it is one of the better ones but the bar is low. I think it’s fine. The acting is good, the action scenes are good, I think the costumes look mostly good, Kara’s suit is amazing. I think the story is interesting and had a lot of potential and the emotional beats are fantastic and I wish the movie would have leaned into those more. My biggest complaint is with the VFX and I’m sorry but I can’t get behind the excuse being that humans look weird in the speed force and even if I did get behind that, what about the times OUTSIDE of the speed force?? I also think the third act could have been different as to not waste Kara and Bruce the way they did. But in the end, again, the movie is fine.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

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