The Flash - Spoiler Review

Now that The Flash is in theaters everywhere, it's time for a spoiler deep dive into all the cameos, plot twists, and possible reshoots in DC's latest superhero movie.
Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at www.stamps.com/murrell. Thanks to Stamps.com for sponsoring the show!
Small business owners: go to Collective.com before June 30th to potentially save thousands of dollars on taxes this year!
BOOK ME ON CAMEO: www.cameo.com/danmurrell
JOIN ME ON PATREON: / danmurrell
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: / murrelldan
YOU CAN GET ALL MY SHOWS ON AUDIO NOW!
APPLE: tinyurl.com/t736rphc
SPOTIFY: tinyurl.com/u7p5pfk
AUDIBLE: tinyurl.com/yrffy95s
AMAZON MUSIC: tinyurl.com/9a278znb
STITCHER: tinyurl.com/4yzrntjs

[@GlenBird]

The ending with Clooney felt like a Twilight Zone kinda thing, that Barry clearly hadn't repaired the timeline, that there likely is no way to repair the timeline. Like Keaton said with the spaghetti, it becomes a mess.

[@109mon2]

I am okay with George Clooney and any other actor as Batman in the last scene as all the actors , including Supergirl, aren't coming back in the new DCU.

[@JIOLDTroll]

P cc

[@datdankdj8264]

Yeah, it wouldn’t have made sense for Affleck to be in the end of the movie, because it doesn’t matter if he “fixes” the timeline…he was still there, and it still changes the timeline

[@CockneyCharmer]

The "I got you line" is also what Barry says when they rescue Kara and Barry refuses to leave her behind so scoops her up, Kara opens her eyes and Barry says "I got you"....its less about a nod to the Reeve Superman saying it to Lois and more of a callback to what Barry first says to Kara which is probably the first act of kindness she has had since being captured.

[@uosdwiSrdewoH]

I think Sasha Calle will be the biggest missed opportunity if she isn't brought back. As much as I'd love to see more of Keaton we at least have a couple of movies with him in them. To go to the trouble of finding the next Supergirl who was really good in the role only to get rid of her and have to find someone else seems like such a waste.

[@DanMurrellMovies]

I'd agree with that - they laid a solid foundation and she showed so much potential. It'd be a real shame if it all went to waste.

[@15Candles]

Sasha is actually way better than I expected. I'd love to see her in more DC movies. Gunn better not waste her and give her a better material to work with

[@lawrenceadelfoacuna9933]

she has great screen presence.

[@Alex-Lay]

At least they can pull in a version of her in the new universe, just have her pod land in the modern day.

[@t.a6159]

Nah, Just wipe the slate clean. I want absolutely no remnants of snyderverse.

[@01calvin02]

I loved the opening sequence even though the babies looked horrible.

[@mckenanbundy3578]

I’ve heard the theory that they made the babies look fate so that nobody would be too upset by the imagery. Who knows?

[@TheGeekHeroes]

I'm fine with it. Story comes first. The special effects conveyed what they needed too

[@yourmotherheaux]

That's the speed force effects. That's why they looked rubbery and fake lmfaooo.

[@alcoballic9593]

It weird that Dan didn’t have a problem with the two Barrys in the same scene with one clearly being CGI but has a problem with the babies. I thought Barry’s CGI face was awful. Makes me wonder if we were watching the same movie quality.

[@metallicnole4514]

I think the fox xmen with quicksilver did a better job with a similar sequence

[@alexmaverick6647]

The CGI faces in this movie were scarier than anything in IT: Chapter Two.

[@ronyYTube]

If you want to know the reason for the ending cameo, you should check The Hollywood Reporter article about it. The ending you wanted (Supergirl and Michael Keaton's Batman) was the original ending and that's how it was filmed. But then after the merger of Warner and Discovery, they did a different ending with those 2 plus Superman and WonderWoman too. And then James Gunn and Safran came and said "we're resetting everything anyway so scrap all this, we need something new" and almost as a joke, thought what other Batman they can bring in and thought of Georges Clooney. And somehow he accepted and that's what you get.

[@gingram2]

And that's exactly what most of this entire film feels like. A joke.

[@daaniel_malik]

I love James Gunn for a lot of reasons, but I really HATE IT when he does goofy ass stupid shit like this 🤬

[@zegsi364]

@@gingram2 nope, its a good movie

[@jordanmertens8972]

I really love and appreciate the shout out to the great Jon Schnepp. Thanks Dan.

[@stormtraitor6545]

You just know that with the Nicolas Cage cameo, Schnepp would be mentioned in most reviews. And like Dan said, I think he’d be happy to see that.

[@firefly4f4]

I want to see more of Sasha Calle as Kara. I loved every second she was on screen, and IMO it would be a real shame if that's the only time she gets to play the role. Her change of heart made sense to me. She remembers enough of Krypton to know Zod is doing bad things, and was soured on humanity due to being locked up. She knows Barry expected to find Kal El, but still saved her despite her not being whom he was looking for. To me, that arc of her having a change of heart makes sense, even in that limited time.

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

I think it was intended at one time for her to continue. She was promoted as the next breakout star. They were acting like she'd be leading the DCEU at least for a while. The way this movie plays out is so weird. It's clearly been rewritten and reshot multiple times and it just shows. It's just clear that whatever the original intent was, it changed dramatically

[@hkaayaakuu]

Why they not let her be more comicy? Visually

[@TheMaestroMizerous]

@@hkaayaakuu Some Bigot: Supergirl is a blonde Aryan goddess!

[@thedarkemissary]

Yeah. I didn't know the "I got you" was a original Superman reference. I thought it was a payoff for Barry saying "I got you" in the tunnel when he was saying her.

[@hkaayaakuu]

@@TheMaestroMizerous if she can stomp me good

[@orlandoheavener8932]

The CGI wasn’t the best but to me it was a minor distraction because I really liked the story and the acting.

[@yeskev]

100% agree. Too many movies have had good graphics and weak stories where I wish they had spent more time working on the story instead. The graphics all through this movie were completely acceptable.

[@FoolishInTheEnd]

just go watch the animated movie, this rendition is a tragedy

[@KameronMcQueen]

Agreed

[@MikeKnight009]

Copium

[@gregoriomassa8529]

Wut? The cgi look like a ps3 Game

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I think the idea for the sequel would be that all the "fate" that Barry experienced was the Reverse Flash all along.

[@arianshahrokh1439]

Sad we didn’t get to be a reverse flash origin. I thought it would be super cool for Barry to have to go back and kill his own mom to save the universe, maybe become the reverse flash.

[@jjjones8609]

Sounds legit. I just don’t see any movie company risking a100 million or more on Miller.

[@definitelynottheriddler]

Dear God, please no sequels.

[@philbox3productions]

This movie didn't make shit opening weekend plus add in the fact that Ezra Miller is box office poison they're not going to make a sequel.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

@@philbox3productions I mean, obviously. I'm just saying what the idea for the sequel would've been.

[@CyGea]

I really think, that if the babies looked REAL, that scene would have been horrifying.

[@andycalmes4201]

Good point. They could’ve easily used real baby faces and chose not to.

[@josephphillips3985]

It still kind of was horrifying lol, but I thought it was a fun scene.

[@dwaiting883]

Yep. I complained about how it looked but my wife turned away till she saw they looked fake and argued later that had they been real, it wouldn't have been fun, it would have been too disturbing.

[@burymeinjhenny918]

I think the idea of babies falling from a building is already way too disturbing, regardless of if they looked real or not, I don’t think that part should of been in the movie

[@adamwhite4858]

@@burymeinjhenny918Yeah, I agree that it was just a bad concept for a scene to begin with.

[@nightmareparanormal]

When supergirl said, "I got you" as she's flying The Flash up to the lightning I saw that as when The Flash was carrying her out of the facility and he said, "I got you"

[@EM-zf5dr]

Loved the Nic Cage Superman scene, instantly thought of Jon Schnepp!

[@Cornwallis7]

For me the comedic tone was suprising at first for sure, but I think it works with the character of the Flash. I like that he's often a kind of jokey character but also has to deal with a lot of tragedy. The way he goes from light to heavy really quickly feels true to life if you know anyone with a light sense of humor who has also gone through a lot of tough stuff.

[@corysantana6171]

As a kid who grew up with Batman '89, it made me so happy to see Keaton as Batman again, and so fun to see his fight sequences in this movie. But it also makes me sad that he's used as a one-off. Keaton looks like he still has it in him to be Batman for a few movies.

[@analogblues]

Totally agree! Keaton could definitely give us another excellent Batman film. It’s not too late for him. But sadly the reason we won’t is James Gunn.

[@BlueBoboDoo100]

Did not know about Keaton and Calle being in the end of the original shoot. That makes waaaay more sense. Especially remembering that this was originally supposed to come out before Batgirl, and Keaton reprised his role for that movie.

[@metallicnole4514]

I wonder how many changes this movie went through

[@ProuvaireJean]

I was expecting Christian Bale to come out of the car.

[@Suzanne_sf]

@@ProuvaireJean That would have made much more sense.

[@stormtraitor6545]

@@metallicnole4514 Tbf, it started production in 2020, and they were still doing reshoots in 2022… so they’ve done over 2 years worth of reshoots.

[@DanielTorres-pw8il]

​@@ProuvaireJeanThey tried to

[@baltimorefilmmaker]

I think Kara changed her mind about humans just because of Barry saying he helped her because she needed help. That beat really stuck with me.

[@Pinkie_JediJew]

“Come on Barbie, let’s go party” is a reference to a line from a cheesy AF pop song from (I think) the 90s. It’s called “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.

[@DaveRoman]

Also thought it was an interesting idea that in Keaton's timeline, Batman was so good at being a hero that Gotham City became idyllic and Bruce Wayne had nothing productive to do to channel his madness.

[@obara7366]

Im always happy to spend part of my day with you, Dan. In fact, i rewatch some of your videos regularly. Thank you for being a genuine and earnest sweetheart, you make the world a nicer place to exist in. At least for me, haha. Hope your weekend is a good one!

[@solaris100]

I think the tone was totally uneven: Storywise it’s a pretty dark movie. Basically everyone dies, no one gets saved. Then again it was full of slapstick humor ( baby in the microwave etc.)

[@maagg456]

What I love about your reviews Dan is that you expertly articulate all the thoughts I have about the particular movie but in the back of my mind. Thanks again.

[@stormtraitor6545]

Dan is slowly becoming the GOAT of reviews for me. More so than Jeremy Jahns, Chris Stuckmann and John Campea.

[@spankyxl00]

Dan to your point of supergirls turn to help, she asks Barry why he saved her and he said "because you needed help" so I think that was the push for her to help him....because he needed it

[@akirahojo2]

I think you nailed it on its head @Dan Murrell when you said that WB was rebooting the whole universe, so they didn’t bother “finishing” the VFX. Looks like they needed to apply couple more filters and some rendering time to polish those waxy CGIs, but the project manager probably told the team to stop working when they got the news about the reboot.

[@anony-mousse8487]

It's not undoing the arc at the end I think it just shows that he hasn't fully let go of it and he couldn't help himself. I liked it.

[@kwongwahwong6289]

With regards to Supergirl (22min in your vid) it seems like you missed (or forgot) the scene where she asks Barry why he saved her, before she decides to help him. This was in the HK version shown on the 15th Jun here

[@alldayjumper3079]

Agreed. She even mentioned that Kryptonians was a race of peace and seeing Zod slaughtering the human soldiers was very contradicting to her

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

From a broad view, I think this was a great adaptation of the "Flashpoint Paradox" story, but with changes that were really well done. When you do adaptations, some things have to change because of the mediums, some things need to change because of story reasons when you're building on an existing franchise. And some things are changed just so fans know know the original story have some twists they wouldn't have expected. I think this movie handles all of those types of changes really well. ***Spoilers for this film and Flashpoint*** The reason Batman was in this movie was because he (or a version of him) was pivotal to the Flashpoint Paradox scene. Even trying to help Barry recreate the accident that gave him his powers was lifted straight from the books. The Supergirl appearance, that was also lifted from the books, except that it really was Clark being held (by the US military, not Russian, if I recall), so that's one of those not-needed-but-well-done changes in this film. And then tying it together with the MAN OF STEEL stuff, I think, was a smart idea that was decently executed.

[@zenquantum1246]

The fact that there is an alternate 3rd act and endings for Keaton as Batman and Calle as Supergirl is fascinating. Fingers crossed that we get these scenes on the home video releases, but knowing that now makes the WB execs (in charge at the time) seem even more cynical. Could it be that this movie simply had too much time “in the oven”?

[@josh0253]

I like the balls of the movie to kill michael keaton because in these movies we're used to batman always having a way out, always having a plan b, and I think Barry himself views batman in that same way despite him being just as flawed and damaged as barry and when he's holding him after he says "i'll bring you back" and he tells him "you already did" that was to me the most powerful scene, cause it was him having to let go of the ideals and misconceptions of people and life that he held onto for so long

[@markant9534]

They did the same thing with the original iconic characters in Star wars, I knew Keaton would die in this.

[@Geeksmithing]

But he didn't die, as Barry at least reset that reality by going back and taking out the tomatoes.

[@ylx4219]

Who else like me think the dog's reaction when it's falling from the builing while the end credit rolls is the best VFX in this movie?

[@sampriddy3924]

Keeping me entertained while at work, you’re the best Dan ❤

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

I took it that Supergirl changed her view because she saw that the humans held her captive in service to Zod and then she thought back on Barry saving her.

[@adam_franklin]

In the future, I think everyone will come around to appreciate the schlocky tone they were clearly going for with The Flash. Even the film's score was consistently over the top. LOVED keaton. He slipped back into the role with even more energy and charisma than in the '89 movie.

[@mylesmaughan5018]

Something I think you didn't talk about Dan was how good of a comic adaptation it was. Quality of the film aside, I thought as a film that was trying to do a flashpoint story without doing a direct adaptation they did a great job. They hit all the points without doing a direct remake. The way Batman V Superman was kind of trying to pay tribute to The Dark Knight Returns this paid a much better tribute to flashpoint, but did not require any sort of prior knowledge of that graphic novel or the animated feature.

[@Dude-oh8vq]

Oddly the CGI didn't bother me in this. I was surprised. However, what did bother me was the annoying use of music at times, and the annoying antics and acting of young Barry, which got tiresome quickly. What I loved was everything with Keaton as Bruce/Batman, even during some dumb moments. Keaton looked and acted perfectly again, and it was as if he never left the role. So damn good! I also enjoyed the opening sequence with Batfleck, and Flash speeding to Gotham and saving the babies.

[@brianh3253]

VFX didn’t bother me either

[@Jarrete320mm]

Why did Jay Garrick look like Teddy Sears? In the show John Wesley Shipp was Jay Garrick, Teddy Sears was Hunter Solomon (Zoom). But Zoom did pretend to be Jay Garrick for a few episodes, did someone just googled Jay Garrick in TV Flash and got the wrong picture? Feels about the right the level of care that went into this film.

[@riopato2009]

If Barry actually accepted his fate, instead of moving the tomato can, he should've travelled to the point where he stops himself from changing the timeline in the first place. Like they wrote it in the books.

[@jonathanortega753]

On the Twitter Flash page one of the movie reviews quote "believe the hype" and I laughed my ass off when I saw it because I don't feel the hype and so does the social media audience

[@RAYMONDFORCHIONFILM]

Great focused review!

[@Lobster_Dance]

Excellent review. One more like this and you have a new subscriber. Keep it up!

[@centrevezgaming4862]

I loved Sasha as supergirl she brought heart to the character you can tell she is born for the role as she explained on how Gal Gadot inspired her whilst seeing the first Wonder Woman movie that was an great story that she told in an interview and the very moment when Sasha got casted for the role it reminds people of the time where Helen Slater got casted wayback in 83 when supergirl went into production and now here we are again.

[@nuclearpcs2139]

Superman vs the spider ... that is truly the movie I wanna see. That's what I learned from the Flash.

[@wisehippo3072]

That was supposed to be the plot of Superman Lives with Nick Cage, but they decided not to make it at the last moment.

[@kenchun24]

Good review Dan! Just saw The Flash...and I really dug the film! 8.5 out of 10 for me. To me CGI is whatever, since I'm an older film buff and can see it's evolution from Tron to Young Sherlock to Abyss to T2 to JP '93 etc etc to what we have now. It's use as a filmmaking tool or it's overuse from practical location use etc. The CGI in Black Panther end fight was not great either, but the story & characters were so strong, that it makes the film, and I feel the same for The Flash. To me, when Barry & Dark Barry are in the Chronodome pretty much every "otherverse" character portrayed (except for George Reeves & Adam West) were pictographic stylized images similar to Kryptonian history scene in Man Of Steel - Cavill, Gadot, Affleck, C. Reeves, Helen Slater, and of course Nic Cage in full "Superman Lives" realization, in which I shed a tear a bit thinking of John Schnepp and us longtime Schmoes Know fans :)...but that particular CG didn't bother me at all, I see it as a style/design choice. And most of these CB genre films with big budget scale has pricey CGI to some level, again as an older movie buff to me bad CGI is Spawn '96 and The Mummy Returns "Rock-scorpion" finale lol... I had a blast. Loved "Back to The Future" meets DC. Ezra was great as the two Barry's! Keaton was great! Sasha was great! Both of them kicked butt, loved all the little touches...Batfleck & WW & Barry 30 scene, I liked Barry 18 using a Batman suit, loved Joker '89 laugh box, loved Flash phasing, love spaghettiverse, the opening Baby Save was hilarious (to me) and I got the Clooney "Bat-earth" ending which was a hoot...yeah, considering all the issues and postponing The Flash had, Muschietti did great IMO.

[@npigamer]

The pleasure is all ours Dan, thank you for everything. Greetings from Mèxico

[@themikereda]

That sequence of Nic Cage fighting a giant spider is such a deep cut, I’d be shocked if more than 10% of the audience got it. That entire sequence is probably more confusing to general audiences than anything else.

[@wisehippo3072]

Yeah, that one was probably made for those who watched that "Death of Superman Lives" documentary.

[@rockypalladinofilm]

How many people saw the giant spider and immediately thought of Jon Peters? He was obsessed with getting that in a superhero movie

[@darrylbrumfield7659]

@@wisehippo3072 yes exactly

[@dwaiting883]

My wife forgot Clooney was Batman, so she thought the movie got too weird at the end to have two Hollywood actors make cameos as heroes, and I had to explain that Kevin Smith story about Cage and the spider. Given that was never a movie, it really was out of place and not a good choice in my opinion. And if you are gonna do it, film him as an old Superman. The cgi was so dumb looking.

[@spideyfan1990]

My girlfriend and her dad were confused why Superman looks like Nicholas Cage. I explained after the movie. They thought it was super random.

[@moviereviewrelay]

Ezra Miller did a great despite public issues. Michael Keaton had the loudest applause. followed by Nick Cage at my screening. Good music too. Job well done! As always great review Dan.

[@sev3596]

man i love this mans reviews

[@ThomasVenge]

“Come on Barbie, let’s go party” is a line from the song Barbie Girl by Aqua.

[@itsreelydalin]

As always, your reviews are on point. I think my biggest tissue with the multiverse "bubbles" is the inconsistencies of who is in what universe/the meaning behind them. Because the first bubble features a Golden Age/B&W Flash & Superman, are we supposed to be under the assumption that there is an equivalent Flash for every generational multiverse, racing in the center to effectively save Superman? Also, why is Nicolas Cage's Superman not the Superman within Keaton's multiverse world (since they were both initially Burton projects) - it's silly details like this that likely sound dumb to the majority of audiences, but it's the kind of stuff that (when planned properly) tells me that the creatives involved actually care about the movie as a whole. But considering Andy's comments on the VFX, I'm assuming he didn't point as much thought into this as I am within this comment lol.

[@_JellyWalker]

Well said.

[@Antonio_Ortiz]

The movie had a fantastic first 15 minutes (basically a dream Justice League 2 movie), had some surprisingly weird moments and some Looney Tunes-styled Slapstick humor. The ending not really resolving anything wouldn't feel so anti-climatic if there was already a sequel lined-up, but that's not happening. I'm ok with all the CG, except the CGI replacing humans or babies in action sequences look super-rubbery. The last scene with the mom was very emotional. Mostly good with brief flashes of greatness. 8/10.

[@manuelmendez6022]

Look in the background of the movie in the back to the future convo scene and it says looney toons. Thought that was a cool touch.

[@adamwhite4858]

I can’t stand when time travel films try to pull that “fixed point in time” nonsense. There were definitely plenty of ways Barry should have been able to save Supergirl and beat Zod, but they just used that tired excuse to give him a reason not to.

[@jarrodjones6990]

I'm so glad you mentioned THE NAKED GUN -- that's precisely where my brain went during that scene.

[@xen2412]

You mentioned you didn't really see any moments where both Barry's were present and the editing was bad but I had seen a couple and they're kinda stuck to me. The 2 major ones are when they're getting young Barry's powers and when they're in the Batwing. When they phase through the walls to get to the lab, it looked very noticeable after the phase. When they're in the Batwing to get Kara and young Barry is wearing the suit, you can see especially from his mouth that he looks really edited. They both look like really bad deepfakes. Aside from those 2 moments that I can remember, everything else looked really clean when both were on screen.

[@the_quadracorn]

Tbh none of them stuck out to me. The weird early 2000s looking CGI in so much of the movie stuck out a lot more

[@DamnFineCupOfCoffee]

It’s weird how they did it in one shots (closeups) though

[@robchuk4136]

Yes! I wanted to bring those two parts up

[@molin1]

I enjoyed the rest of the movie so much that I didn't mind the weird CG of the chrono-bowl, nor the fanservice smorgasbord at the end. Also, they actually shot 3 endings - at first it was just Keaton & Calle meeting up with Barry, then they did a reshoot adding Cavill, Gadot, and Momoa to showcase Cavill coming back, then once that plan (and everything else) was scrapped James Gunn asked for the final version that essentially promises nothing and is mainly a joke. They did have big plans for both Keaton and Calle originally, so I'm a little bummed about that now but screw it. Bring on the clean slate.

[@ProuvaireJean]

As always, Dan's review was very well thought out and articulated. I do get the impression that a lot of his opinion was framed by the expectation game that he talked about in both his spoiler and non-spoiler reviews. I saw the movie without having been exposed to any of the hype, so my expectations were pretty non-existent... maybe on the low side, given that the DCEU has been more miss than hit for me. As such, I enjoyed the movie. It felt pretty Marvel-esque, with lots of humour, extravagant set pieces, a bevy of extended-universe guest stars, all underpinned by a solid emotional core to lend some weight to the proceedings. I actually thought that the baby rescue scene at the beginning was a lot of fun (I've not seen the Naked Gun movie Dan mentioned, so it reminded me more of the air rescue in Iron Man 3) and signalled that the movie wasn't going to take itself too seriously. (I'm not sure, by the way, why an unharmed baby in a microwave should be offensive compared to, say, the callous and over-the-top violence in most of James Gunn's superhero films and TV shows where people are brutally killed by the dozens in a way that's often played for laughs... a cruel streak in his writing and direction that I hope he tempers in his Superman movie, where it would definitely not be appropriate.) I do agree that some of the VFX work was subpar... for example Batman's cape early in the movie looked amateurish. It's weird to me that, on the one hand, according to reports there's such a shortage of VFX artists in the industry that as a result so many blockbusters suffer from bad FX; but on the hand this hasn't resulted in VFX artists getting paid more. Normally when demand outstrips supply prices go up. But this doesn't seem to have happened in the VFX industry. It's interesting that Dan pushed back against the fan service in the movie, especially in the multiverse sequence towards the end, when he fully embraced the fan service in Picard season 3. I had the opposite reaction. I thought that the fan service in Picard was so egregious it made me lose respect for the writing, whereas the fan service in The Flash fell mostly in the "short and sweet" category (other than the Michael Keaton Batman movie callbacks, which did become a little bit tedious). As someone who used to have a crush on Helen Slater and regretted the fact that her Supergirl never had a chance to team up with Christopher Reeve, the shot of the two of them - even in dodgyly rendered CGI - made me misty-eyed. And seeing Cage Superman battle a giant spider was a chef's kiss easter egg.

[@daaniel_malik]

Great review Dan! 👏🏻👏🏻 I agreed with everything you said...this movie had me feeling... Strange

[@GoddessKelly]

Hi Dan, I can't believe you didn't get the reference of Barry's tooth falling out of his mouth at the end. When Barry changed the location of the tomato cans in the grocery store to the higher shelf, this caused a "butterfly effect" that had major ripple effects. Remember Barry went back in time and he lost his tooth when he was hit by lightning. Not only did he lose his powers when he was hit by lightning, but he also lost his tooth, which he superglued back into his mouth. So the fact that he loses this tooth at the end of the film when he is talking to George Clooney Batman means that our Barry DID NOT return to our timeline (with the Ben Affleck Batman), but that he is still stuck in an alternate timeline, where yes, his father is exonerated, but the characters and history of this timeline have been altered. This is actually kind of sad because since this DC Universe is ending, it is very unsatisfying that we don't know what will happen to our Barry/Flash. The end credit scene with Jason Momoa is significant because we learn that our Barry has been trying to get back to his timeline. He tells Aquaman who is very drunk, "...they were all Batman, they were all Bruce Wayne, but each of them is a completely different person." This statement indicates to us that he has been trying to get back but it has failed because he keeps encountering different Bruce Wayne/Batman individuals who are NOT the Ben Affleck Batman. He also tells Arthur Curry/Aquaman that in every timeline, Aquaman is the same guy. "Yeah, pretty much, you're lovable, furry, loyal, motivated by bacon." I had to think about this end credit scene for about an hour or so, and this is the conclusion that I've come up with. Aquaman is supposed to be a God. A God of the oceans, so maybe as a divine entity, Aquaman does "live" as the same person/divine entity in different timelines. What this means for the upcoming Aquaman movie, I don't know. But if Aquaman is the same person/divine entity throughout all time lines, then I think the actor, Jason Momoa might play Aquaman in the new DC Universe. So in this way that end scene, even though it wasn't the best concocted way to present this very important information, connects the Aquaman character to the next coming DC Universe. I really didn't like Jason Momoa on the ground with his face in gutter water. Dan, you have your informants in Hollywood, so maybe you can find out if Jason Momoa has agreed to continue being Aquaman in upcoming DC movies. If so, then this end credit scene was very important because it sets that up. 😉

[@1Bean1]

According to the googles, in dream interpretation, a tooth falling out in a dream is associated with life changes. The movie isn't setup to have symbolism on this level, but it seems to be a neat coincidence, outside of the direct narrative meanings about the tooth falling out that you pointed out.

[@Hardbody217]

I don't think Aquaman's divinity saves him, rather Barry has only happened to have been to universes with Momoa like Aquamen (as he's probably continuing in the role). We, as an audience, know there is at least one universe with an Alan Ritchson Aquaman and one with a Justin Hartley Aquaman. Given Ritchson's age and size, I'd love to see him tackle Arthur again, with a bit more Hawk/Reacher attitude over Smallville's frat-boy.

[@Deviant_Prod]

@@Hardbody217 Aquaman was never considered as a god. He's a king.

[@SLiV9]

The tomato cans were a bit confusing to me. First of all because the can looked blue to me, not green. But I guess it was supposed to be green because otherwise it wouldn't change the past. Ok. But then when he steals back the can at the end of the movie, he puts it back on one of the middle shelves. So how can it be that his father then picks up the same type of cans from the top shelf?

[@GoddessKelly]

@@SLiV9 The mother, Nora, tells her husband what color of tomato can to buy.

[@waterywingz]

Agree w Dan… upon seeing Chris Reeve, I was happy for exactly 1 second, and then my smile fell 😕 it just didn’t seemed right…

[@stormtraitor6545]

It’s still cool that the Christopher Reeve’s universe is included in DC’s multiverse (not that it was out of the question), but the uncanny valley does tank it. Imagine if Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were CGI all throughout NWH.

[@warrenfeng1570]

the superman vs spider monster was pretty cool and like being able to know the history of that idea is like really surreal just to know that we could have saw the actual movie on the big screen

[@SugarRushTimes2030-gs3qp]

A lot of great points Dan! Personally I would have preferred not to see the writer’s reference to Back to the Future at all, but overall very entertaining, and the nostalgia makes up for its flaws, gotta love Keaton being back.

[@big-fish1199]

Honestly I am really surprised at how mixed the reactions are to this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had no real complaints. Usually when people have big issues with a movie I can see their point, but this one was truly a near flawless film in my eyes. A really good 8/10 movie for me, I wish other people felt the same but I understand we’ve all got different tastes

[@_Amit_Sunil]

"...near flawless" "...good 8/10" Which one is it then

[@ArtBurbs]

It's a fun movie saved for me by Keaton and other cameos. I enjoyed the opening scene and the best end titles sequence. Other scenes were less thought through and less creative. Don't care about critics, they represent tiny percentage of movie goers and just try to make money and the easiest way is to complain. Its a silly comic book movie, don't take it seriously.

[@Natak222]

I couldn't agree more. Absolutely nobody would've had a problem with that baby scene if Deadpool did the exact same thing, and then to nitpick on Batman's BADASS fight scenes really did it for me. The only thing that urked me was the ending and how easily the villan was defeated but it's still a 8.5/10 movie

[@DarwinDarko]

Nearly flawless... but not even a 9/10 😅

[@StueyTheWiz]

Definitely not a flawless film but I'd agree I think an 8/10 for this movie easy. Like there was alot of fan service sure but who cares it was awesome. I'll be honest I enjoyed this movie more than guardians 3

[@theranchokid]

I don't always agree with your takes; however, I always appreciate that you explain your reasons - including conjectures about industry decisions. After this review, I am going to subscribe. Good job Dan!

[@gerrigarrick]

I agree the strongest part of the film is the Barry arc, so I just kept wondering why they left the family out of the majority of the movie after the first time he returns home. I kept wanting them to go back and spend time with mom and dad. Doing so would give even greater resonance to his ultimate decision to let her go, and that's saying alot as it already packs an emotional punch. It would have helped the film's pacing I think as well. i realize they needed to stop zod, but still could have interspersed some scenes at home.. for example, mom and dad upset... "where have you been Barry?" All of that said.. miller's performamce was off the charts fantastic. A real talent. Hope he gets help or whatever..in his personal life...

[@Benergi]

The opening sequence was outstanding I loved it, totally hilarious (but Batman in the day time is odd)

[@LevonBand]

Flash is an 8/10 in my opinion. Really enjoyed it.

[@ItsTheCatSpeaking24]

I suspect they told their effects team to start doing it on the cheap the moment they learnt about Millers alleged crimes. They didn't want to put any more money into it, knowing it was a likely box office bomb/weak release, so that's why there's an odd mix of good effects versus really cheap 90s looking stuff. There was no point in them throwing more money into the pit

[@alexp601]

Actually I think the film was pretty much done, if not completely finished, before Miller started choking girls. The film was finished ages ago, and that's likely more of the reason why the effects look old.

[@daviduribe5897]

@@alexp601 they had wrapped production but had not really begun the postproduction pipline A.K.A the VFX were barely started

[@travisspazz1624]

​@@alexp601 Peter Jackson infamously didn't finish Return of the King until a week before the premiere!

[@Mr.rbfitz]

I think there’s an element of this to it. If they really believed in this movie as critical to their future, a lot of these scenes probably would have gotten at least another 2 or 3 passes before release. I think they definitely decided to cut and run at a certain point. And a big problem with a lot of movies shot in 2020 and 2021 is that they had to incorporate COVID-19 protocols which for larger films literally added tens of millions of dollars to the budget, but didn’t translate to anything on screen.

[@benjaminelliott6361]

The video of Ezra choking a pregnant fan was early 2020, months before filming on The Secrets Of Dumbledore, which was before The Flash, which apart from a few reshoots was before Ezra's crime spree in Hawaii and other 2022 adventures. If we believe the story of a mental crisis now addressed, and I can almost buy that, then Warner knew it was dangerously bad from the strangle video and had months to get Ezra mental help BEFORE Secrets Of Dumbledore. By not making Ezra get help or recasting the actor then, the 2022 stuff is on Warner Brothers, so I don't need to see this movie in theatres.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Wow, very good review! I agree with you completely! I enjoyed the movie but it's very far from perfect for all the reasons that you mentioned so eloquently

[@CraigNull]

For those who've seen it, if The Flash leaves little room for future appearances of Keaton's Batman and Calle's Supergirl, does it treat Miller's rendition of the character with a similar finality? That is, supposing you didn't know anything about the IRL controversies, what would you guess about the character's future potential from the film alone. Are we to believe that leaving Miller's Barry Allen in Clooney's Batman universe is effectively retiring him?

[@starhawk63]

I don't know if you caught it, Dan, but "I've got you" was also a callback to Barry saying the same thing to her at one point during their rescue of Kara. Also, the "come on Barbie, let's go party" line is from the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua.

[@DanMurrellMovies]

Yes, I know the song "Barbie Girl." But why was it used as a big punchline? It seemed like a callback to a joke that wasn't set up earlier in the film.

[@_Amit_Sunil]

Do we understand how Kara speaks English if her time on earth was fully in a Russian prison?

[@WatchingTokyo]

@@DanMurrellMovies I wonder if it's just because "Barry" sounds similar to "Barbie". Maybe he should have said "Come on Barry let's go party"

[@szeto326]

@@DanMurrellMovies Barbie Girl was SUPPOSEDLY listed as being part of the soundtrack, so there's a theory floating around out there that it was supposed to be a needledrop moment to play the song but that it must've been taken out.

[@matthewdekker6064]

@@DanMurrellMovies I googled it, and it looks like it might have something to do with Supergirl, because they announced that they're making a Barbie version of Supergirl (so, something to do with the fact that she's Latina and Mattel's always trying to be progressive with the new Barbie iterations). Of course, this doesn't explain why *Barry* says the line, but it could just be a random nod (like the various other random nods in the movie). And like someone else said, maybe they were initially going to play that song, and/or had some other Barbie-related jokes that got cut.

[@sampriddy3924]

I give this movie like a 6.5-7/10, the cgi was pretty rough at times but then other times some shots were fantastic

[@matthewluisantero5051]

Finally, a review that mentions the OST (maybe it's just me, but I am unable to find many reviews of The Flash that mention the original music for the film, which is probably the best part of the movie).

[@shaianderson8]

Agree with your entire review - *ALL* of it (you've conveyed thoughts in my mind ... 😱) I also learned a bit about what actually happened during production watching your review too. And ** YES ** I too would have LOVED to have watched more about the aforementioned, Eric Stoltz version of "Back to The Future," Michael J. Fox version of "Footloose" AND the Kevin Bacon version of "Top Gun" - 😆😆😆

[@gavinhenderson7250]

What did you think of the ‘Joker’s Last Laugh’ easter egg? Initially I thought it was cute but upon reflection, why would he keep that? And it really kept going for all those years?

[@DanMurrellMovies]

My biggest issue was that it sounded ALMOST like the one from Batman '89 but was clearly a recreation. Why not just use the actual sound?

[@kwalton7690]

Yeah the expectations were raised so high by the creators and studio it was a repeat of Eternals where the film was ok but everyone was expecting Oscar level quality so it got piled on. Also, in hindsight, releasing a few weeks after another Multiverse film that is more loved in Across the Spider-verse was a miss.

[@stormtraitor6545]

The fact that Tom Cruise, apparently, went as far as to say; “this is everything you want in a movie” is more than overpraising. I wouldn’t even say that about some of my favourite films of all time (The Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Beauty and the Beast, Goodfellas, Schindler’s List etc.)

[@collin.a.]

This is the most holistic and balanced review I've seen thus far, even though I don't 100% agree with everything (1. I liked the intro baby saving scene, it felt very much "the flash" to me, but that is likely influenced by my liking of the first few seasons of the cw show, and I didn't think the CGI was quite as bad - Muschietti did say they used actual babies too and such. 2. I didn't feel as satisfied with Keaton in this, and was a bit more bothered by him not really feeling too relevant to the story). I think this movie is super close to being quite a bit stronger honestly, mainly if they just focused more on Barry and tieing everything element (Keaton, Supergirl, Barry) together.

[@TheWolvesblood6]

I had so much fun with this film. Just preordered Batman and Flash’s Hot Toys!

[@Yikes702]

Aw that Keaton one is sold out isn't it?

[@conorfurlong]

I was so excited for Keaton Batman but after seeing it I feel they’ve wasted their opportunity to do a third Batman film in the burton trilogy. There was so much story to tell with his older Batman: how he came to be so removed from society and unkempt, what has happened to him in the years since 1992, etc. but because it was in this film it was given 2 minutes and then they move on. I would also add that I hope this Keaton Batman is not the actual Keaton Batman from 89 or 92, but rather a variant from another timeline, because this Batman does things I really don’t think 89 or 92 Batman would do. He only begrudgingly helps Barry; he tells him after they find superman that he’s on his own, then when they find supergirl, Batman wants to walk away and leave her there and it’s only Barry who wants to save her. 89/92 Batman - even an old cynical Batman - would not refuse to help someone he saw who needed help.

[@RJ_____________]

i think it was nice to hear all your thoughts on this movie. i liked this movie.

[@madcat4301]

Didn't see it, never was going to see it. Thanks, Dan! I didn't miss anything.

[@AllInTheGame01]

Had a little suspicion at the start of the year that little old Blue Beetle could end up being the best reviewed of this year's 4 DCU movies!

[@higherstandard710]

Could Zack’s version still just be another timeline. And both versions still exist ? 😂 🤯

[@SB0083]

It exists, but let's not visit it again. It's garbage and the Snyderverse plans were absolute trash.

[@SydneyTravellersGuide]

1st flash sequence. I laughed a lot. It was fine. The rubbery baby cgi was comical too. I'm surprised you're saying the batman bit is bad but it looked great and it was nice to see batfleck do some action stuff.

[@eugenewu9004]

I wanted to like the movie more. I think it's got a lot of individual parts done well and done interesting. but somewhere along the way (maybe the desert 3rd act) takes away the true emotional cores of the film and by the time the film goes back to them things don't work as well as it could (barry's last moment with mom for example). I really like the mentorship btwn the two barry and the two batman. the barry family part i wish could get even more attention. chronobowl as a concept is interesting and the DC history easter eggs are great to see. But I was looking 4 something that really pull all these strings together better instead of just the sum of good parts. this has got to be 1 of the most unusual origin super hero stories out there. a cyborg short of the justice league and i don't mind the wonder woman cameo. Knowing that we may not see any of the characters in future DC works (except aquaman) puts this film in a weird sorta bookend to the DCEU.

[@themoonman-4]

Bravo Dan, the honest reviews I got said the same thing

[@alexp601]

How do you know which reviews are honest and which ones aren't? Are the ones that closely match your own opinions the 'honest' ones?

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

​@alexp601 Exactly. I HATE this "narrative" of criticizing something means "honesty" and/or praising something means "dishonest" or pretending. I genuinely despise that logic.

[@michaelglatt100]

I’m not sure why the decision was made to remove Keaton and Calle at the end. Particularly Keaton because he has a fanbase for his version of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Why not continue to capitalize on that? At the very least he could have been kept around to be in a Batman Beyond movie where he was the older Bruce Wayne mentor figure. Dan is right that putting Clooney in is a fun Easter egg to get people’s attention but ultimately it’s not going to lead anywhere. Clooney probably only agreed because he knew it was a short scene meant as a gag and he wasn’t coming back. If this is a James Gunn choice it’s somewhat off putting because it just feels like wasted potential.

[@hezekiahramirez6965]

I think it might be because the studio doesn't intend to follow up on any of that and the fans would probably not accept them just being somewhere out there and never addressed. James Gunn and Peter Safrin want to do their own thing (which just so happens to seem to include the star of Peter Safrin's biggest hit, funny coincidence there) without Keaton or Calle so I think they just cut the scene. Then I think they couldn't figure out what else to do so they just threw in Clooney because he was the only legacy Batman actor who was available and willing to do it. If they weren't able to get anybody at all I'm sure they would have just put some other unrelated thing at the end

[@andycalmes4201]

It was done for the sake of entertainment. I thought it was perfectly hilarious. By saving his dad he put himself in the worst Batman timeline. Classic!

[@Mr.rbfitz]

There’s a report from THR that this was actually the 3rd ending they shot. Each leadership team at DC had its own spin. Walter Hamada had Supergirl and Keaton when they were developing a Supergirl movie, and Keaton was going to be the new DCEU Batman. After the Discovery buyout, they kept Supergirl and Keaton’s Batman in there (even though they canceled the Supergirl movie, they were thinking of using her in other projects), but also added Wonder Woman and Cavill’s Superman, because Cavill was coming back for Black Adam, and they were going to develop a new Superman movie with him. And then once they hired Gunn and Safran, and they decided to reset everything, they were worried that putting all those characters at the end, knowing they had zero plans to follow up with those versions of the characters would just add to the disappointment for people, so they got Clooney to come in instead. You’re right that it won’t lead anywhere, and that’s the expectation they wanted people to leave with.

[@stormtraitor6545]

I think this movie is proof that DC’s lack of leadership (prior to James Gunn and Peter Safran), was plaguing the creativity and consistency. They didn’t know what would stick and what wouldn’t. So they tried what they could and they want to see the reactions. If anything, the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy had more consistency than this.

[@_Amit_Sunil]

​@@hezekiahramirez6965who is the star of Peter Safran's biggest hit?

[@emerald_lion_xd6693]

Personally I would've liked to see a New 52 style reboot, having Flash's perspective of a Darkseid assault (which Zack Snyder already set up) in which the Justice League loses and Flash takes us to a new universe with us in his perspective as we meet the new line-up

[@jonathandavenport5326]

Agreed on all points.

[@plissken2156]

One question. Maybe I missed something, but in the original, unaltered timeline, who is it that stabs and kills Nora Allen?

[@DanMurrellMovies]

Good question!

[@captsfufp]

2/3rds of the way thru the movie, I was struck by how uninterested they were in solving the mystery. I thought maybe the dad DID do it! But I suppose it was “don’t interfere so don’t worry about who the murderer is.” But still stands out … Barry should want that closure too.

[@plissken2156]

@@captsfufp Especially since he's in a profession that does that very thing. You would think that someone in the field of crime scene forensics would make it their life's mission to solve the murder of their mother.

[@jayhartRIC]

@@captsfufp exactly even if he doesn't interfere he should at least wanna know who did it

[@billbilly8709]

I thought the Nickolas Cage Superman fighting a giant spider was awesome. If anyone knows the Kevin Smith story would probably agree.

[@DanielTorres-pw8il]

All 5 of you people. People thought the Knightmare scene was confusing. Seeing Cage fighting a giant spider would be weird.

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

12:13 This is almost certainly the result of whatever executive approved the Clooney cameo seeing Spider-Man had all three previous actors reprising their roles and wanted their movie to do the same thing without understanding why it worked. So, basically, the same problem the DCEU has always had.

[@kye1772]

Great video 🫡

[@thats4thebirds]

Given how long this was in production purgatory, I wonder how much better this movie would do, and if the concept would feel less stale 5 years earlier.

[@Yikes702]

I think this movie would have had a better shot if it had stuck to the November 2022 date, or even had taken the Shazam 2 release date.

[@FellaGuy2]

I did get a kick out of the baby bit lol.

[@solomonbrown1015]

I love Dan's honesty on films

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

+solomonbrown1015 You misspelled "opinions"

[@73richg]

I had a good time watching this movie. I was disappointed when he didn’t ask Barry “how much do you weigh?” In one scene, but it was redeemed later on.

[@DavidDatura]

The hype did some damage as that cinema score indicates. I saw it this evening. I liked it but I didn’t love it. And thought it was a major downer that Supergirl and Keaton’s Batman were both doomed to die…over and over! The wonky CGI took me out of it sometimes too. Especially the ‘baby shower’ sequence! Just so bad!! Still, some of Grace Randolph’s observations in her spoiler review didn’t occur to me at the time of watching the movie and actually improves my opinion of it somewhat. But in the end I found it to be a rather depressing movie overall, despite the funnier parts. Which I didn’t really find to be all that funny anyway 🤷‍♂️

[@stormtraitor6545]

Honestly, it feels like Warner Bros. hyped this movie to no end in an attempt to sugarcoat the Ezra Miller drama. I know I have no definitive proof of this, but they have never hyped up a DC movie this much prior to release. Not even ‘The Dark Knight’ or ‘Wonder Woman’.

[@matthewbertram4312]

I also would have preferred the leaked ending with Keaton being the new Bruce Wayne and Sasha being Supergirl for this universe. But I wonder if that change was made because they wanted an opportunity to put Ezra Miller in their own little pocket Universe they don't have to reference anymore. And that does leave WB an avenue to use Sasha or Keaton in the future without it having to be in "Ezra Miller's" universe. The sacrifice, of course, is an ending that's built on a cameo and not on a payoff

[@andycalmes4201]

The payoff is that he is stuck in the worst Batman timeline. 😂

[@leocheung811]

Interesting how both Dan and Jeremy praised the Two Barry CGI, saying it is seamless but Stuckmann says it is very notice and can always tell which Barry is CGI

[@mta1864]

Great review! Measured, considered and fair. And I disagree with large portions of it. But I'll limit my comment to just a couple bits. The CG was functional to the story and even exhibited some artistic personality. They chose to not merely copy the Quicksilver/Days of Future Past slow-mo look and went for something more outlandish to portray the Speed-Force. While it wasn't always pretty per se, it clearly let me know I was entering the Flash's hyperspeed point of view. As far as the Chrono Bowl, it made sense to me that he would only see distorted projections of the alternate timelines rather than 8K Ultra settings crystal clear realism. He was at a junction between universes. He wasn't in any actual universe. Meanwhile, I feel not enough praise is being made for how seamless the two Barry's just "exist" in this movie. Though it's clearly the same actor, I never once felt that these were not two distinct people. That's down to Ezra Miller's acting and, yes, the CG. I thought the "baby shower" was hilarious and ridiculous. It was definitely a situation only the Flash could resolve and it made me laugh a lot. I thought it was high energy and, more importantly, it contrasted Barry's more whimsical personality with the grim grittiness of Batman's scene right after it. I thought the fan-service was not tacked-on or nostalgia bait. It's a multiverse story so those things have to be there. But the old Supermen, Supergirl, Batman, Flash were not shown until the multiverse was about to collapse on itself. The old heroes were protectors of their respective universes and the Flash had to save them all at the cost of losing his mother. Simple enough right? They didn't need to "do" anything else.

[@chadwcmichael]

I think they may have cut a romance between Kara and Younger Barry. That whole “our children” line played like they got Super busy super fast to me. That would explain her shift and his commitment to saving her to the point of Dark Flashin’. On one hand, it makes sense, on the other hand, I’m glad I didn’t have to see (all) of that… some maybe, but how long were they going to make a Flash movie?

[@cmasterson]

O thought he was speaking in general I get what you mean. He saw batman and didn't want to film them in his ship. But he wanted Kara so yeah I see it know. How weird.

[@serwinzzalot9989]

After thinking about it..yeah that would eork because they eluded to his virginity. And yes he would want to save her selfishly again and again because shes his first love

[@lilgoomy]

Ohh i thought he meant our children like him and other barrys kids since theyre the same person that makes sense

[@waterywingz]

@@lilgoomy same!