The Flash delivers action and heart
Though at times it may seem like an inventory of the studios’ properties, at its core The Flash is a belated origin story as the circumstances revolving around how Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) became the Flash is finally told on screen. However, this comes after the first act is completed and when the Scarlet Speedster commits a monumental mistake.
Discovering he can go back in time, Allen decides to return to the day his mother (Maribel Verdu) was murdered in order to prevent her death. Just as Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) warned him his actions could have a profound ripple effect, Allen soon figures out something is amiss when he meets another Barry Allen, who has no superpowers, and realizes he never returned to his own timeline but is trapped in another where everything is the same, but different.
Miller proves to be the linchpin to the entire film as he creates not just one sympathetic character but two, the actor gleefully bringing to life the small but key differences between the two Barrys. Juggling the mature version with the goofy one, and then through digital trickery, filming each scene twice when the dual Flashes are together, this allows the actor to display their range to great effect. These performances are so convincing and nuanced that you forget you’re watching the same actor, the two characters rendered so distinctively.
Perhaps the biggest piece of news surrounding this production is the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. The actor’s presence is far from a stunt, his gravitas grounding the film, as he gives us a weary Caped Crusader who’s hung up his cape and cowl. He’s convinced to don his iconic costume once more when the Barrys ask him to come to their aid in battling the Kryptonian General Zod (Michael Shannon), who’s shown up to take over the Earth. Reasoning there must be a Superman in this universe, the trio sets out to find the Last Son of Krypton but instead stumble upon his cousin Kara (a winning Sasha Calle), who possesses formidable powers of her own.
As smart as the film is – get a load of Batman’s spaghetti-aided explanation of the multiverse – it does fall prey to the seemingly inescapable bloated third act. I understand these movies revolve around enormous threats and that larger-than-life action is needed to address them, as well as meet fan expectations. All I’m asking is that it be wrapped up a bit more quickly. The final throwdown with the Zod and his army goes on far too long, though it does segue into one of the movie’s more poignant moments as well as a major revelation when the Barrys finally realize the ramifications of their time-traveling shenanigans. However, The Flash delivers the spectacle and interactions fans have craved, as well as more heart than expected. In theaters.
Satirical Blackening as smart as it is funny
My fear was that Tim Story’s The Blackening would be done in the vein of the Scary Movie films. Thankfully, the social commentary in this brisk 96-minute feature is spot on. No prisoners are taken in this pithy examination of Black culture, as seen through the lens of the horror films genre.
Things get off to a familiar start as the setting is an isolated cabin in – you guessed it – the woods. Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah) are the first of a group of friends to arrive who are gathering to celebrate Juneteenth. While exploring the house, they find a board game called “The Blackening.” It doesn’t end well, and the rest of the crew, Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Allison (Grace Byers), Dewayne (Perkins), King (Melvin Gregg), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Shanika (X Mayo) and Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), have no idea what they’re stumbling into when they arrive the next day.
Get Out, Saw, and Scream are the obvious antecedents and it’s to Oliver and Perkins’ credit that they put their own spin on tropes that have become pop culture touchstones. Through this lens they put Black stereotypes in the crosshairs to pointed and hilarious effect. Under pressure, we find that each character is struggling with balancing how to embrace their cultural heritage in a world that is predominantly white. Obviously, this is material that needs to be handled deftly and all involved are up to the task.
Story pulls off an impressive highwire act, the laughs coming hot and heavy, countered nicely by suspenseful moments that pay off more times than not. The comedic timing of the cast is sharp, as is the way they deal with the film’s many awkward moments. How closely each character has embraced Black history and culture whenever a round of the titular game is played results in one barbed laugh after another. When they are asked to come up with the second verse of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” or prove how Black they aren’t when the above-mentioned sacrifice is brought up – who have thought admitting to voting for Trump would be a life-saving revelation – you can’t help but be impressed with how far Story and his crew take things.
Sequels to movies such as these seem inevitable. However, I think that Story, Oliver and Perkins could avoid the curse of diminishing returns as The Blackening. The film just scratches the surface where the social issues and satirical approach is concerned. The approach on display here is the perfect way to bring these vital issues to the table with humor and intelligence. In theaters.
This article appears in Bringing health care to community gardens.
