Why you need to buy ‘The Flash’

The Flash has become one of the most talked about films of all time. Yes, of all time! Since it entered production back in 2014, the film has been passed around by a number of directors and writers, until it fell in the lap of director Andy Muschietti (Mama, It and It: Chapter 2) in 2018. Everything seemed to be going well, we got the news Michael Keaton was returning as Batman and the film would also feature cameos from other members of the Justice League appearing in some capacity and then COVID-19 hit, which saw the film delayed. DC also announced the reboot of the cinematic universe, with hands of DC changing as James Gunn became the CEO of the film department at Warner Bros. Added to that, the films star, Barry Allen himself (played by Ezra Miller) was in all sorts of trouble off screen, resulting in further delays to the films release. It has been an absolute whirlwind for the film but thankfully in 2023, the film was finally released.

Met with praise from the fandom and critics alike, ‘The Flash’ became one of the most talked about films again of 2023, but for all the right reasons this time, with praise flowing for this film. Whilst underperforming at the box office, people have gotten around the physical release of the film and for good reason. It is by no means a perfect film, but its very well-made with some themes that are akin to some of the best superhero films ever made. Muschietti understood what made the character work and explores some darker and more emotional themes that we haven’t seen from the DCEU for a number of years now. I am a big fan of this film and very happy it finally got the love it clearly deserved despite all of the production issues and noise surrounding it. To celebrate ‘The Flash’ releasing on physical media in Australia, I will be breaking down just why you need to buy ‘The Flash’ on physical media. So, without further ado, let’s go!

“Don’t live your past. Live your life” – The plotting and story –

The multiverse plot has been tackled in quite a few superhero films of late. The craze really started with Rick and Morty’s blend of inter-dimensional travel and 2018s ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse’ solidified it as a viable plot device, which can bring characters we know and love from past film instalments together. The Flash lends itself to this type of story due to his time travel abilities and his tragic past, culminating in one hell of a multiverse adventure. He is motivated, to prevent his mum from dying and his father from being falsely accused of her murder and lends for high emotional stakes as well, as we understand what he’s trying to accomplish and why he can’t just walk away. The story isn’t overly reliant on call-backs and references, whilst they’re there, it's more of a personal tale of Barry Allen trying to guide a different version of himself through this new world and how to use his powers. Almost like a father figure type role, which is clearly something that Barry hasn’t had before. It’s layered writing with genuine humanity, which is something that is very refreshing for this type of film. The multiverse part of the story is played down compared to other films that dealt with similar story beats and elements, whilst also giving fans the service they desire. Its refreshing to see that sort of restraint from such a big film, but the film is better for it!

“There’s got to be a way to fix it, right?” – The characters –

As touched upon, the strongest elements here for me in the film are the great characters and the way they are brought to life. Ezra Miller’s off-screen issues and accusations aside, is fantastic here. They bring a real humanity to Barry Allen and toe the line with the humour, never going too hard with it and playing it just right, so it's not overbearing and annoying. He is also playing a dual role here providing subtle differences to the performance so that audiences can identify both Barry Allen’s distinctly. They do a really good job here. The other strength for me, is Michael Keaton’s return as Batman. Whilst he is not in the film nearly as much as the marketing suggested, it is a welcomed return with a truly engaging performance. One of the biggest issues with returning legacy characters is making them feel like the same character they previously played, and Keaton does this fantastically. He does feel like an older and slightly grizzled Bruce Wayne, it feels like a natural evolution of this character, and I love that. Another strength is Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl. Again, her performance is brief, but integral to the plot. She is fantastic here, she sells the physicality of the character and does a great job of bringing humanity to her as well, giving a truly memorable performance. The characters are all really strong here and left me very satisfied after the credits roll.

“Promise me that meeting me isn’t going to screw up space-time?” – The high stakes of the film with minimal collateral damage –

The Flash is one of the first superhero blockbuster films in a while to have incredibly high stakes, without a large, city destroying action set-piece to bookend the film. This may seem like a strange inclusion as a reason why you need to buy The Flash, but I really admired the restraint from director Andy Muschietti to reduce collateral damage and have a smaller ending to the film that fits this smaller, more intimate story. As I mentioned, the strengths here are the characters, so by removing the larger, bombastic action, we can really focus on these characters and connect with them on a smaller scale. The action is still very well done, with a Justice League centric action sequence that starts the film and a fun sequence towards the end, but the action never detracts from the smaller elements of the story and the intimate character moments. It's very well balanced, and incredibly well put together.

Overall, ‘The Flash’, is a fun and well-rounded film. It does a great job of establishing large stakes in a smaller film. The characters are great, the action is fun and doesn’t overstay its welcome and the story is memorable. I had a great time watching ‘The Flash’ and am so happy it finally got released! Be sure to head on over to Sanity to secure your copy on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K UHD and shop all thing’s ‘The Flash’ below!

Long live physical media!

Buy The Flash on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K UHD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here