Is The Flash's Bizarre Battle Scene Worth The Hype?
Warning: This post contains spoilers for "The Flash."
With his long-awaited DC comics blockbuster "The Flash" finally racing across the finish line into theaters across the country, director Andy Muschietti has given Superman fans one of the most shocking surprises ever — at least it would've been shocking if he hadn't spoiled it weeks ahead of the film's release. Yes, we're talking about that jaw-dropping, head-scratching "cameo" appearance from none other than "Nicolas Cage" (or, perhaps more accurately, his slightly less expensive CGI body double) in the role of the Man of Steel.
Much hay was made of his inclusion in the film after Muschietti leaked the news. While both the scene and the uproarious reaction from fans may have been confusing for casual observers, it's actually a reference to an almost mythological DC comics project that was shelved many, many years ago (y'know, back when Michael Keaton was slightly more believable as a cape-wearing acrobatic strong man).
Having existed only through vague recollections and test footage, fans familiar with the project have likely been in the clouds themselves imagining what it might look like when they finally get a glimpse at the "Superman" film that might've been. Then again, now that they've actually had a chance to see the scene for themselves in the context of the uneven multiverse story of "The Flash," they may now be questioning if it's worth all the hay in Smallville.
Superman Lives was abandoned back in 1998
For those experiencing the legend of Nicolas Cage's Superman for the first time in "The Flash," we'll briefly recap its long, confusing history in development hell. The story goes that, hot off the success of his indie film "Clerks," Kevin Smith was contacted by Warner Bros. to write a new "Superman" film within the universe of Tim Burton's "Batman" series. Later in the process, Burton himself would even be attached to direct, under the prospective title "Superman Lives."
According to Smith, producer Jon Peters felt that Superman, as a character, was too queer-coded — which is a nice way of saying that he kept calling the character the f-slur in his production notes. Because of this homophobic anxiety, Peters gave Smith three non-negotiable parameters for his story: one, that Superman wears all black instead of the apparently effeminate blue and red; two, that he never be seen flying; and three, that he fights a giant spider during the final act of the film.
Unfortunately, these were far from the last bizarre notes Smith or Burton would hear during production, most of which concerned the addition of scenes and characters that were just there to sell merchandise. Either because of genuine quality concerns, the rapidly inflating budget, or a lack of confidence following the abysmal response to 1997's "Batman & Robin," "Superman Lives" was shelved for good in 1998, doomed to tease fans for 25 years. But now that we have some part of this promise finally fulfilled, was it really worth all the hype?
Did Nicolas Cage's Superman live up to nearly three decades of buildup?
The problem with the lightning-fast "Superman Lives" sequence is the same problem that follows the rest of the forced cameos in "The Flash." Even ignoring the fact that the CGI model for Cage is far from perfect, the scene itself is merely slapped onto the outside of the story with no set-up, payoff, meaning, or impact. If the scene weren't there, and your friend in the theater tapped you on the shoulder instead during the final battle to show you a YouTube clip from "Man of Steel," the effect would be exactly the same.
If you were looking for a meaningful glimpse at Tim Burton and Kevin Smith's scrapped "Superman" project, a version of Superman appearing as a real character, or anything more than a look at what a cutscene from the "Superman Lives" PlayStation 3 game would have looked like, you're likely going to be disappointed. However, for those of us that go to these multiverse films to regress into the "Pointing Rick Dalton" meme, Nicolas Cage's uncanny turn as Superman makes "The Flash" every bit the masterpiece it was said to be.