What Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Are Saying About The Flash

Few films can claim to have the kind of press as "The Flash" in the lead-up to its release. After spending years in development hell, the movie finally started making progress with director Andy Muschietti at the helm and starring Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster. However, Miller's well-documented instances of breaking the law have tainted what was otherwise a highly anticipated movie that could set up the future of the DC live-action cinematic universe, which will have James Gunn and Peter Safran at the steering wheel to guide a new direction of DC's heroes. 

Warner Bros. and DC have downplayed Miller's involvement and instead focused on how this could be one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Everyone from Tom Cruise to Stephen King got early screenings and raved about "The Flash" to anyone who would listen. Such reviews, combined with the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, certainly makes the film an enticing prospect, even to people who haven't necessarily been following DC's latest cinematic outings. 

But the question remains: how good is "The Flash" really? Does it live up to the hype, or was it all a marketing tactic? The first bunch of reviews for the movie has dropped on Rotten Tomatoes, and here are some general trends of what critics are saying.

At first look, it seems as though "The Flash" certainly isn't without its merits. It's currently standing at a 72% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 53 reviews as of this writing. Many critics praise Ezra Miller's performance as well as strong turns from actors new and old to DC's universe. Ben Affleck gets time to shine as Batman before Michael Keaton takes over those duties in an alternate timeline. But cameos aside, it seems as though critics have really taken to the emotional story beats that make up "The Flash." 

The film draws heavily from the "Flashpoint" storyline in the comics, where Flash travels back in time to save his mother, only to create an alternate timeline. The same happens in the movie, and the underlying story of Barry Allen trying to find his place as a superhero while maintaining his family gives the film some much-needed weight. Brandon Zachary of CBR pointed this out, "The Flash is a surprisingly emotional film, exploring concepts like the inevitability of mortality even in a world of limitless potential. The consistent undercurrent of grief and loss keeps the stakes high."

It's these moments that help the movie stand up on its own two feet, even during more questionable moments. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter suggests "The Flash" isn't perfect. Still, that core concept helps carry it through: "If The Flash ultimately proves uneven, its wobbly climactic showdown far less interesting than the more character-driven buildup, the story's core of a young man struggling to reconcile with the loss of his mother carries it through." Interestingly, a film billed as the second coming of superhero movies has more to offer when it's focused more on characters than spectacle, and the audience's enjoyment of such grander moments may vary.

Without getting into spoilers, "The Flash" seemingly does a lot. There's time travel, alternate timelines, and different versions of the same superheroes, including some apparent surprising cameos. The movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too, but many critics think the film stumbles more often than it flies.

In Ross Bonaime's review for Collider, there's praise for certain story elements, but ultimately, this is a film that's unable to stand on its own two feet. The critique concludes, "Unfortunately, this isn't a story that holds together on a narrative level. Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it's not quite there with The Flash." There's little doubt certain cameos may be enough to make general audiences forgive some of the movie's poorer moments, but critics are seeing right through them, especially as the film drags on.

Like so many big action movies before it, "The Flash" ends with a CGI-laden final battle that critics are dunking on ad nauseam, like Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian: "Despite some diverting touches, Miller's smirking, gurning, mugging doppelganger performance is a trial and in any case gets lost in the inevitable third-act CGI battle apocalypse, which is weightlessly free of jeopardy and, like the rest of the film, does not exactly go by in a flash." There's a wide range of opinions, with some thinking the film's one of the best superhero flicks of the 21st century, while others view it as another DC letdown. And coming out on the heels of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" may not help matters, either. People can make up their own minds when "The Flash" comes out on June 16.