With DC's The Flash finally racing its way into theaters, it seems there are four major criticisms that keep coming up among critics.
Ezra Miller's solo Flash film has been a long time in the making and is getting middling reviews upon first appraisal despite what some of Hollywood's finest may say.
The film opened at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, and after 89 critic reviews, it settled at 71%.
So, here are the four biggest criticisms critics seem to have of DC's super-speed blockbuster.
1.) Lack of Supergirl
Something that has come up in a number of early reviews for The Flash is the lack of Sasha Calle's Supergirl, with many reviewers specifically calling out the very little the character actually has to do in the film.
Ever since the first trailer for The Flash premiered back at DC Fandome 2021, Supergirl has been branded as one of the headlining heroes of the movie, yet in practice, it does not seem to be the case. While the character is great when she is involved, audiences ultimately do not get enough of her.
Despite the top-billing marketing that has been put into Calle's Kryptonian, the character is only present for very little of the film, not coming into the picture until late into its two-hour and 24-minute runtime. This means she ends up not having a tonne to do and is not given anywhere near a full arc by the time credits roll.
2.) Poor CGI
CGI and VFX have been hot topics as of late when it comes to Hollywood's biggest blockbusters, and The Flash is no exception. DC's latest film has been flagged for being another big-screen miss when it comes to its CG elements.
While the CGI as a whole has been called out in multiple reviews, it is the Flash's Speedforce that has been a particular sore spot for critics. Basically, every time a character enters super speed (with the environment slowing down around them) the use of CGI doubles becomes immediately apparent ruining any illusion that these are real people on the screen.
One sequence in which Miller's young hero navigates a storm of CGI babies has been described as particularly nightmarish, spotlighting how truly ugly some of the computer-created elements of the movie are.
3.) A Tired Multiverse Story
Right now, Multiversal storytelling (especially within the superhero genre) is all the rage. So, with an abundance of this particular narrative framing device, a film really has to do it well to stand out.
And that is something that The Flash seemingly does not do. The film has been said to not take its Multiverse story far enough, merely skimming the surface of some interesting concepts and not taking the plunge some may have hoped it would.
While other movies using the same narrative device seek to challenge audience perceptions of their characters, The Flash remains fairly straightforward, never really diverting expectations on that front. The Flash has some big Multiversal shoes to fill, and it was not up for the task.
4.) Relies Too Heavily on Nostalgia
The nostalgia-bait tag was going to be something The Flash was always going to have to overcome, as the film brings back not only characters from past DCEU movies (ie Michael Shannon as General Zod) but legacy DC properties overall like Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne/Batman.
While these nostalgic plays make for a fun wink at the camera or tip of the hat to longtime fans, the overall consensus is that their impact isn't really felt beyond being cool that they are simply there.
Instead of the satisfying gourmet meal some of The Flash's fan service moments could have been, they are more akin to that dollar menu fast food burger, delicious in the moment, but packing very little substance.
The Flash races into theaters on Friday, June 16.
