The Flash Moments That Upset Fans The Most
Contains spoilers for "The Flash"
Following the controversies surrounding lead actor Ezra Miller, it became unclear as to what the ultimate fate of Andy Muschietti's "The Flash" would be. Would it be scrapped, leaving Warner Brothers Discovery with a $200-million-sized hole in the ground? But after many delays, "The Flash" has finally hit theaters worldwide to admittedly varying opinions from fans and critics.
The film has already generated a fair amount of discourse online, with people taking to social media to voice their praise and criticism. From certain story beats to the quality of the film's CGI, there seems to be no shortage of things to gripe about in the eyes of fans.
But with so many things to complain about, which are the moments that have seemingly infuriated hardcore DC Comics and Flash fans the most? Throw on your spandex and ride the lightning, because these are "The Flash" moments that left audiences seeing red.
Those creepy CGI babies
By now we're sure you've seen the tidal wave of memes and online mockery made in reference to the CGI used in "The Flash." Despite the film's sizable budget, many of the visuals are on par with PlayStation graphics from 1995. It's admittedly a little hard to describe just how botched many of the visual effects are in this movie, but we'll do our best.
A perfect place to start is with the film's first big action set piece, largely predicated on Barry saving some falling babies from a hospital. Implausibility aside, this could potentially make for a thrilling scene, however, it falls apart as soon as Barry enters Flashtime. This is a term often given to Barry's point-of-view while running at super speed, the distorted way that he perceives the flow of time in slow motion.
What starts off as an interesting concept soon takes a turn into the uncanny valley as we get a closer look at the airborne infants. The babies all possess the creepiest of soulless doll eyes, along with horrifically rendered faces on par with Bella's child from "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2." One fan has even memed this scene by reversing the footage to make it seem like Barry is putting a baby in the microwave. Simply put, the noble heroics of your titular hero are just a wee bit undercut when he's forced to rescue these Gerber Life gremlins.
The state of Ben Affleck's Batman
One can't help but feel a sense of melancholy when it comes to Ben Affleck's tenure as the Dark Knight. After a sizable amount of scrutiny from fans online, Affleck turned out to be more than convincing as Bruce Wayne. However, despite Affleck's best efforts as a performer, the presentation of the Dark Knight has often left a lot to be desired. From being made to murder in "Dawn of Justice" to the cringy jokes he was forced to deliver in the "Justice League" reshoots, Batfleck has hit many roadblocks.
Sadly, that is once again the case with "The Flash," which paints Affleck's version of the Caped Crusader in a less-than-stellar light. Here, the once shadowy vigilante of the Gotham underworld is now exposed to the harsh light one day, resulting in some blowback from fans on social media. Affleck, who cuts an impressively imposing figure as Batman, now feels like a cartoon character, complete with more cornball jokes. More specifically, we get a scene where, while accidentally holding the Lasso of Truth, Bruce begins making lame jokes about using his alter-ego as a coping device for trauma. Add to the fact that this might truly be the last time we get to see Batfleck, and this just becomes all the more deflating.
Wonder Woman's final appearance?
It's no secret that the DC Cinematic Universe has been in a constant state of flux en route to the release of "The Flash." Between the discourse surrounding the Snyder Cut and a series of films with varying degrees of interconnectedness, the whole thing has been a sizable mess. Sadly, one of the characters who has been lost in the shuffle due to this is Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot.
During the time before the film's perpetually delayed release, it was reported that some cameos had been altered or outright scrapped. With Henry Cavill's return to DC quickly reversed and Patty Jenkins being denied a third "Wonder Woman," the Justice League we knew may truly be defunct.
However, despite these creative tremors, Gadot's appearance in "The Flash" is very much still in the final cut, as Wonder Woman saves Batman just in the nick of time. While it is nice to see her again, especially with her cinematic future a bit uncertain, the appearance isn't exactly tremendous. We're treated to more comedy related to Wonder Woman's lasso before she flies off, never to be seen again for the rest of the film. Sure, this is the Flash's movie, not Wonder Woman's. But still, if this is the last gasp for Gadot's time as the character, then it's more than a little underwhelming for fans.
The comedic stylings of younger Barry
The biggest hindrance to "The Flash" ahead of its release has been the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller. Simply put, Miller's name was plastered all over the news for a series of incidents, from violence in Hawaii to alleged kidnapping charges in Vermont. This had many fans fairly wondering just how Warner Brothers Discovery was going to promote this film with Miller's status as persona non grata. Despite the various headlines, the studio opted to not scrap the film, keeping Miller's performance as Barry Allen intact. Unfortunately, given the end result seen in this film, we wonder if this was seriously a performance worth fighting for.
Miller pulls double duty in the film, playing both the modern-day Barry and his teenage counterpart. Definitely a fun idea on paper, but then you get a taste of young Barry's humor, and that goodwill tends to dissipate pretty quickly. Humor, like many other things, is subjective, but based on the social media response, it seems that many find this iteration of the character annoying. Ezra Miller wasn't doing well in the public eye before this film's release and it's unlikely their performance here will do much to aid that.
Keaton's one-liners
One of the biggest selling points for "The Flash" has been the long-awaited return of Michael Keaton as Batman. Keaton first played the part back in 1989 for Tim Burton's "Batman," mainstream pop culture's first major taste of a grittier Dark Knight. He reprised the role a few years later in the even darker sequel "Batman Returns," getting to add more layers to the character.
So when it was announced that Keaton might be donning the cape and cowl once again, fans were ecstatic. When the alternate Bruce Wayne first appears in "The Flash," it quickly becomes evident that playing this role is like riding a bike for Keaton. Almost immediately, he displays the same swagger and reserved charm that made his Bruce Wayne so engrossing in the first place.
However, Keaton's return isn't without some unfortunate pitfalls, the main one being the insistence on using his catchphrases from the '89 film. This is present in the film's trailers as well, with Keaton uttering "I'm Batman" and "Let's get nuts" in two separate scenes. In a trend that's unfortunately been permeating comic book movies, it seems as though space has been left for the audience to applaud. It feels very hollow and put there simply to elicit a cheap emotional response from the crowd, with many fans growing wise to this cynical trend.
The death of Batman
If the last few years have taught us anything about the modern state of movies, it's that it doesn't take much to set off hardcore fans. Killing off a character, especially one that many fans hold dear to their hearts is always a risky gamble. In the final battle of "The Flash," despite their best efforts, the two Barrys can't prevent the deaths of Supergirl and, more shockingly, Batman.
First, after the Batwing is hit with a Kryptonian energy blast, Batman decides to go out in a literal blaze of glory by crashing into General Zod's ship. The Barrys reverse this, but Batman meets his end again at the hands of a giant Kryptonian warrior who proves too much for the Caped Crusader. We're then treated to Batman bleeding out in Barry's arm, thanking him for getting back in action one more time before succumbing to his wounds.
Needless to say, some fans haven't taken Batman's demise well, with many taking to Twitter to comment on the decision. Given the fact that any other footage of Keaton shot for this film, or the scrapped "Batgirl" movie, has been binned makes this more than a little harsh. We can only hope that they haven't fully shut the door on Keaton's Batman, but even if that's the case, it was nice to see him one last time.
Those CGI cameos
We've already touched on a bit of the fan reaction to the CGI for "The Flash," specifically in regard to the baby rescue scene. However, that isn't the last use of lackluster CGI in the film, and it most certainly isn't the most egregious in the eyes of some fans.
That level of criticism has been reserved for a little sequence that pops up during the film's bombastic climax. During the battle with Zod's forces, the two Barrys head back into the Speed Force to get themselves a redo. However, it appears that whatever they do, the end result is always the same: The deaths of Batman, Supergirl, and countless others. At the same time, the older Barry sees that their meddling is literally unraveling the fabric of space and time.
This means we're treated to some cameos of older versions of DC heroes, including CGI versions of George Reeves and Christopher Reeves as Superman. We're also shown nods to Jay Garrick, the original Flash, and a version of Superman played by Nicolas Cage. This is a reference to Kevin Smith's scrapped screenplay for "Superman Lives," where the Man of Steel was supposed to fight a giant spider. Other than the fact that the CGI looks abysmal, fans have also criticized the admittedly ghoulish nature of deep-faking dead actors who aren't, obviously, in a position to consent to their likeness being used.
No references to the Arrowverse
Continuing with the siege of deep-faked cameos in the film's climax, fans have also taken umbrage with the cameos that weren't included. Specifically, they bemoan a lack of any appearances from any heroes from the Arrowverse, made up of the various DC television shows produced by the CW.
What originally started with "Arrow" soon became a multiyear prime-time television juggernaut comprising many different shows, including "The Flash," which starred Grant Gustin in the title role. In addition, the series also paid tribute to "The Flash" series of the 1990s, by featuring several appearances from that show's lead, John Wesley Shipp. Both men have been praised by fans as two of the finest actors to ever rock the red and yellow spandex. From their comedic timing to their respective dramatic skills, both Gustin and Shipp are more than worthy of the Scarlet Speedster's legacy.
So with all that said, it's more than a little mystifying that neither of them makes even the briefest of cameos in this new film. It's even more baffling when you consider that Miller himself cameoed on "The Flash" television series for its "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event. Even a brief use of their theme songs or some archival footage would've been better than nothing. With DC's multiverse bigger and more vibrant than ever before, it seems like a wasted opportunity that they wouldn't reference pop culture's other Flash actors.
The ending
A film's final note is arguably its most important, as it's the last thing you see before the credits start to roll. Even if a film is perfect for 99% of its runtime, a bad closing scene can leave a very bitter taste in the mouths of the audience. Sadly, in the case of "The Flash," the film's closing moments might just be some of its most confounding.
Barry does succeed in restoring the timeline by setting the events leading to his mother's demise back in place. Following a tearful goodbye with his mom, Barry races back to the present where he's able to get his father exonerated. He exits the courthouse where not only does he score a date with Iris, but sees that Bruce has arrived on the scene. However, when Bruce reveals himself to Barry, it's not Ben Affleck or even Michael Keaton, but instead George Clooney, reprising his role from "Batman & Robin."
While it's certainly a neat little cameo, it's ultimately a bit more confusing than anything. Fans have already deduced that this was originally going to be another appearance from Keaton, but that was seemingly scrapped. The original ending, per some leaked set images, would've also had another appearance from Sasha Calle as Supergirl, but this was also cut it seems. It's just a needless change that frankly raises more questions than it answers, and has left many viewers confounded.