New Flash Trailer is All About Batman
Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping the Dark Knight will reverse DC’s cinematic downward spiral. Today, the beleaguered studio (although that could be almost any studio lately) released a new – and, presumably, final – trailer for Batman… I mean, The Flash, their next big superhero blockbuster hopeful. An adaptation of the popular comic book story “Flashpoint,” The Flash finds the titular superhero traveling back in time to prevent a personal tragedy, only to learn he may have doomed everyone’s future. Ezra Miller returns as The Flash, with Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Ron Livingston and Henry Allen, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Michael Keaton as BATMAN. Directed by Andy Muschietti (and certified as the best thing to ever happen to cinema by people who need it to make money), The Flash hits theaters on June 16, 2024, though if there are any surprise cameos, I’m sure Warner Bros. will let us know well before then. You can see the trailer below:
If you’ve been following my musings on this film – and Ezra Miller’s reign of terror – you may recall I’ve been saying they were going to put Michael Keaton at the forefront of the marketing. It doesn’t happen often, but in this case, it looks like I was right. Batman is front and center in this trailer, no longer the big reveal but the centerpiece, giving the opening narration and getting all the coolest moments. And I’m fine with that; even before the psycho stuff came out, I didn’t like Ezra Miller as The Flash, and seeing a whole movie about him wasn’t all that enticing. But I’ll be there for Michael Keaton.
However, I have to admit that they’re laying it on a bit thick with the nostalgia. Keaton’s got that built in; you don’t need to repeat every line he ever said as Batman. I’m referring to the “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts” moment. I love the original line, but it doesn’t work for me here. In Batman, it served a purpose; he was trying to goad The Joker into shooting him so he’d leave, and Vicki Vale would be safe. (And it worked, because he’s Batman.) Here – and, admittedly, this is just the trailer, but from the looks of it – he’s saying it for no reason other than that he said it in Batman and it was awesome. If they want to call back to it, at least have it happen a little more naturally, like when he’s up against Zod or another Kryptonian and is seemingly outmatched in every way (except the only way that counts: being Batman). Under those circumstances, it might work.
But it doesn’t bother me much, and I loved everything else about Batman in the trailer. The bulletproof cape works so much better here than his completely invincible junk-bin costume in The Batman, where point-blank machine gun blasts simply bounced off of him. Batman is able to use the cape to protect himself and others, but there’s still an impact, and it pushes him back. It’s not true to life, of course, but it’s easier to accept. I also adore the Batman imagery, especially the Batwing slowly descending from above in the Batcave, perched just like a bat. The ending with the parachutes is great; as much as Miller annoys me, I do enjoy that Barry is in awe of Batman, and that Batman lives up to his legend at every turn. I also appreciate how Batman fits thematically with the main story, how he’s always been haunted by the death of his parents, and now here’s this kid who’s able to save the parents he lost. I can see both of them working through some demons in this movie. I’m not sure how Supergirl will fit into it, aside from the obvious plot point about changing the future, but they can wrap her into that theme, too, if they want. It’s entirely possible this will be a trainwreck, but I’m looking forward to finding out for myself.
They also released a pretty lousy new poster:
Comments (2)
Yeah, it’s hard to even look at his face anymore, and it’s sickening seeing Hollywood and the media defend him, especially when they’re throwing guys like Jonathan Majors and Justin Roiland to the wolves.
I don’t put any stock in the praise either. Even aside from the stuff coming from people who work for Warner Bros., early first impressions are always heavily positive. People were raving about Quantumania.
I loved Flashpoint Paradox. I haven’t read Flashpoint the comic yet; I actually have a copy of it, and I’m waiting till closer to the movie’s release to read it, partly because I want to catch up on some book reading in the meantime. I also want to read Batman ’89 before the movie.
Honeslty, if it wasn’t for that criminal, I would be very excited for this movie. And whole “best superhero since Dark Knight”… I am not taking that seriously; they’ve been saying it about EVERY half-decent (or sometimes outright bad) comic book movie! I love the story of Flashpoint Paradox though; and I would want Professor Zoom as main villain; not Zod (as much as I love Zod).