‘The Flash’ flopped at the box office despite DC cameos; not the best movie

The recent film “Flash” proved to be a box office disappointment, grossing just $55 million in its first weekend in the United States, falling short of Warners expectations, which projected it to hit $70 million. However, the failure of this film of CC It’s not just due to issues like digital effects or too many free cameos.

In fact, the real problem lies in the general exhaustion of the superhero genre in cinema and the tendency to replace solid stories with unwarranted appearances.

‘Flash’ is a film that exemplifies Warner’s failure with its DC superhero project. Always in Marvel’s shadow, DC has been producing films following the same formulas and hoping for similar results. This time, they decided to release ‘Flash’ just two weeks after the successful launch of ‘Spiderman: Crossing the Multiverse’.

That is, they are releasing another multiverse, crossover, superhero, and cameo film very similar to Marvel’s in a short space of time. It is evident that Warner has opted for an imprudent strategytrusting that being an animated film aimed at children, it would not affect its box office performance.

“Flash” received criticism for its visual quality, with understated digital effects and a scene featuring monster children that shatter any sense of unease into a seemingly funny moment. Despite the manager Andy Muschietti has tried to justify these aspectsstating that they are designed that way on purpose, the real problem with the film goes beyond the CGI or the actors having a “deepfake” performed worse than in many fan videos.

The screenplay is crass, poor and disorganized, and in addition to shoeing the bailouts of the moment, it is full of crude dialogue, awkward jokes and a confusion between emotion and excessive kitsch. Even compared to the criticized ‘Shazam 2’, ‘Flash’ lacks ingenuity when it comes to inserting humor.

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Ezra Miller doesn’t look great either, though his controversies don’t overshadow that

Regardless of the controversies, Ezra Miller has never been known for his grace, and as he transitions from supporting role to leading man, he exhibits the same over-the-top mannerisms as Johnny Depp did in his worst days. Also, Barry Allen’s alternate persona is irritating, exhausting, and redundant.

When he meets Batman and shows an exaggerated gaping surprise, trying to channel the fans’ emotion through the screen, we can’t help but think that this character doesn’t deserve that moment and that someone else should be there to experience it.

Nothing to complain about Ezra Miller’s performance in ‘We need to talk about Kevin’, where he just opened his mouth and managed to convey a believable fear. However, since his appearance in ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’, it’s hard to believe him in comedic roles or clowns.

Also, the film desperately tries to make sight gags in the style of early 3D animated films, when they were trying to be funny to appeal to parents. These devices, with obvious pauses to insert laughter and signal where you should react, create awkward silences and convey a sense of desperation that should be considered funny.

However, the the real sensory disaster comes in the final stretch of the film, with an avalanche of wax faces representing the worst of cameo culture, digital necrophilia and the manipulation of nostalgia. While there are living actors who could have looked perfectly, we witness scenes with their half-baked digital avatars.

It’s an exaggerated succession of “surprise” memories that fail to excite, rather they are artificially inserted emotional triggers, turning the superhero blockbuster experience into a constant “Look who shows up now!” synthetic and repetitive.

It is evident that the multiverses have become the last frontier of the superhero genreand the current state of superhero cinema can be described as the “Monster Mash” or “Ready Player One Syndrome”, which seeks to impress through the accumulation of elements.

This is clearly seen in Marvel, which after its successful creative cycle has resorted to parallel dimensions in films such as “Doctor Strange 2” or “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. “Flash” has arrived to complete this cycle, introducing a new Supergirl, Tim Burton’s Batman and Ben Affleck, among other appearances, which address the same superhero movie problem.

While it’s exciting to see Michael Keaton as Batman, the truth is that his presentation is predictable and follows expected clichés to the letter. Every new joke always comes when you expect it, and every famous line is delivered with Danny Elfman fanfare at exactly the right moment. There are no surprises or unexpected twists.

While not a total disaster, it leaves a feeling that the film could have taken an interesting turn that never comes. It does not offer a proposition that differs or modifies what we have already seen in the fiction of the character.

When looking at the failure of ‘The Flash’, it’s important to remember that the CW’s hit series has already adjusted the Flashpoint storyline to a more satisfying resolution. However, the film misses the opportunity to bring the TV incarnations of the hero to the big screen. Instead, it focuses on engaging the non-comedic viewer. through family cameos to the last shot and awkward post-credits scenes.

The box office results of ‘Flash’ could be an indication for DC and the entire superhero genre. Whether or not it deserves its financial failure, we should extract something positive from the message that the public has sent with the last four failures of the last six releases of the subgenre.

Simply bringing relics back for profit is not enough to motivate, excite and re-interest the viewer. This is something James Gunn’s time at DC and the next stages of the MCU should take into consideration.

In short, ‘Flash’ failed to captivate the audience due to the saturation of superhero movies and its reliance on cameos without justification. The problems go beyond digital effects and forced beats.

The film mainly suffers from a shoddy and disjointed script that sacrifices solid storylines to accommodate a series of saves and guest appearances. As audiences are faced with a constant deluge of superhero movies, the lack of innovation and originality becomes more and more apparent.