THE FLASH 12A

Can The Flash outpace its problems? After long delays, the Scarlet Speedster arrives laden with off-screen controversies at a time when the DCEU, multiverses (Spidey aside) and superhero movies seem to be losing some traction.

- KEVIN HARLEY

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Barry Allen’s fitfully fun, fan-service-freighted headline act sometimes looks like an expanded universe imploding, to ambitious but often messy effect.

True, much of It director Andy Muschietti’s superhero debut entertains and surprises (less so perhaps in the latter case, thanks to those pre-release reveals). The story has emotional stakes, honed by Christina Hodson’s multi-stacked script. But The Flash also suffers from too many under-integrated elements in the mix, often caving to excess.

Consider Ezra Miller, doubled up as Barry and an alt-timeline ‘bro Barry’ish variant. When prime Barry discovers he can travel through time by running really fast, he visits a period before his mum’s murder and attempts to save both her and his imprisoned dad. In the event, Barry changes much more – the gags about altered 80s movies are nicely nerdy – and ropes slob-Barry into helping rectify matters.