You Really Don't Need to See 'The Flash'

By Allyson Johnson | Film | June 13, 2023 |

By Allyson Johnson | Film | June 13, 2023 |

If you haven’t heard from Mr. DC himself, James Gunn, or even author Stephen King, The Flash is knock-your-socks-off good. If the foaming at the mouth is to be believed, The Flash could single-handedly save cinema itself. A beloved character in the comics and animated series of our youth, brought to life with a certain charm by Grant Gustin for The CW series, and a character who was certainly there in 2017’s Justice League, the movie The Flash is here to allow the title character a moment to shine. Or, at least try, as the actor playing Barry Allen this time around is being largely benched for the promotional part of it. At least they’ve got Michael Keaton.

I have no plans to see The Flash for multiple reasons beyond the abuse elephant in the room, though that was always certain to be a deterrent. I crossed into superhero fatigue the moment the Avengers Endgame credits rolled and narrative cohesion was sucked into Marvel’s black hole where it joins distinctive direction, chemistry between leads, and Joss Whedon’s “comedic” influence.

This is why, for similar-minded moviegoers who are looking for escapism but exhausted by the state of superhero films and are sick of the way Marvel has been factory-line producing their “films” over the past few years, you’re in luck. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse remains in theaters and is definitely the only new and worthwhile superhero film at the multiplex. It even offers a story about the complexities of the multiverse, a young superhero grappling with loss, and the consequences of his immense gifts, similar to another superhero film that may or may not be coming out on June 16th.

A nice, unrelated note is that it also doesn’t star a violent groomer who is being abhorrently backed by a studio and seemingly half of Hollywood. That last part is par for the course though.

There are plenty of reasons to make sure to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on the biggest screen possible. The greatest is this: Across the Spider-Verse is the only good superhero movie of the past year because it understands that the visual spectacle is a key component of what makes these types of films great.

The bigwigs and deep-pocketed producers should look at what directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, and Kemp Powers have accomplished and be embarrassed. To look at the state of Marvel or DC today is to witness the descent of vitalized, tactile filmmaking and art direction, where tarmac gray and screensaver blues are the default aesthetic. The best modern superhero films play with visual language, even if it’s not their greatest strength, like Captain America: The First Avenger was shot and designed to emulate classic films from the 40s, with frames that are direct comparisons to those in films like 1946’s A Matter of Life and Death by the directing duo Powell and Pressburger. The Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy pulsated with his DIY, B-horror energy, with camera tricks and practical effects that gave it lasting energy, even in its faulty moments.

Compare that to something like the slapstick ugliness of Thor: Love and Thunder or the cement-slathered Batman vs. Superman. Superhero movies more often than not (barring something like last year’s The Batman) demonstrate a severe lack of understanding of what it means to possess visual language and how best to wield it.

Meanwhile, the visuals and animation in Across the Spider-Verse go far beyond the overused photo realism while retaining detailed characterizations, and the result is something refreshing and new. Each beat is seen as an opportunity to highlight how much of a story animation can tell beyond characters and action. Gwen Stacy’s world and the apartment she shares with her father, in particular, utilize a watercolor effect in the foundation of the setting.

The walls bleed pastels and shift and move as she and her father argue or reconcile. Even the color of Gwen’s hair changes in drastic shifts due to where she’s standing in her apartment and what emotion she’s processing. Contrast this to the character “Spider-Punk,” who emulates his anarchic mythos in a design ripped out of the Xerox black and white of an underground zine, influenced by London’s 70s punk scene, with a color scheme that pays homage to bands such as The Sex Pistols and My Chemical Romance.

Pavitr Prabhakar’s — Spider-Man India — world thrums with its gravity-defying landscape, which complements the character’s freedom in embodying the hero role. Meanwhile, over on Earth 928, the landscapes become brutalist, with the structural design adopting something that resembles a prison despite being the home of so many heroes. The industrial-heavy design creates the authoritarian lines and rigidity that echo Miguel O’Hara’s personality. The animators and directors also drew influences from Latin American artists, drawing from the works of Austin Niemeyer.

All of this is to say that the accomplishment of marrying 2D and 3D animation isn’t just impressive for the sheer quality of it but also demonstrates the result of what happens when there’s intent behind the direction. It’s why when a new director is announced as having been snatched up by Kevin Feige, the reaction is one of disappointment. Chloe Zhao’s name might be attached to The Eternals, but there isn’t an ounce of the filmmaking prowess that made The Rider or Nomadland such lush masterpieces.

“Across the Spider-Verse” thrives both because of the story, the emotional turmoil the lead characters face, and, most notably, the sheer level of creation taking place on a visual level. This element and its effect are instantaneous as we’re transported into these boundless worlds.

And again, if it’s the “multiverse” aspect that’s drawing you to The Flash, Across the Spider-Verse is still the better choice as it presents the multiverse in a well-executed manner, allowing the world to actually expand. The bold, explosive colors and backdrops, and the different art styles allow the filmmakers to play with form and format in a way that gives each character their own individualized, distinguished world. There are greater distinctive qualities between Gwen, Miles, Spider-Punk, and Pavitr Prabhakar than there are between Doctor Strange and America Chavez in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, despite the former all sharing similar backstories, losses, and ambitions. It’s the key difference between a great, well-written story (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and a bad one (Doctor Strange 2), especially as both films deal with similar story structures.

Across the Spider-Verse works so well on top of the artistic flourishes because it understands that a multiverse works best when the framing’s greatest purpose is to provide a better understanding of our lead character. As the universe expands and multiplies, Miles’s conflicts increase, and the stakes and tension accelerate because of how much we know he has to lose. It’s not just the potential loss of his father — though it’s an enormous motivator — but also the threat of losing himself at the hands of those who believe they understand him better than he does, stripping him of his agency, or losing who he is to the potential of who he might’ve become in a different universe, as evidenced by the end of the film.

Maybe The Flash really is great storytelling. But there is no touching Across the Spider-Verse in terms of sheer scale and ambition. It’s not just the best superhero movie to see this week or this summer, but the best superhero film of at least the past year because it remembers that these types of heightened stories don’t simply exist for the sake of moving our favorite characters around until they group up with other favorite characters. The best superhero films — think the first Iron Man, Spider-Man 2, X-2, Logan, Batman Returns, Infinity War, 1978’s Superman, etc. — are such because they manage to create genuine tension for their heroes while simultaneously delivering a grand and bombastic landscape on which the heroes play.

Across the Spider-Verse remembers this, and Hollywood would fare well to either take this into account if they insist on making the genre its continued main IP or, better yet, allow the film to keep its title of “best of” and focus on other stories just as worthy of their time and attention rather than blowing smoke for something as numbers-driven as The Flash.