WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There was a time not so long ago when the DC comic book fans believed that their beloved franchise was about to offer them a spectacle that will change the course of the future of the comic book universe. Unfortunately, after the release of ‘The Flash,’ many now believe it was all a false promise by DC and James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios to fill their pockets with any other mediocre fan-pleasing superhero flick. Apart from Ezra Miller’s mumbling performance, ‘The Flash’ is also being thrashed for its poor CGI and its inability to keep anyone hooked to their seats,
But the biggest drawback for the film which could have been its biggest strength and would have set him way ahead of other DC films, are the cameos that are evenly distributed but have little to no effect on the film. The director, Andy Muschietti, wanted to pander to the colloquial notion of nostalgia and rake out an emotional response from the audience but his plan misfired. Bringing too many characters under the same roof, even for a brief moment with poor CGI, made it look like a desperate attempt to say more than the material that you have. Apart from Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batman, TV’s Batman Adam West is depicted in archival footage. George Clooney has a cameo as Batman from his role in ‘Batman & Robin,’ Christopher Reeves’ Superman makes a comeback, and even Nicolas Cage has been given a spot as the Superman who could have been. These were noble attempts by the franchise who are looking to start a new universe with ‘The Flash’ but it looked more like a farewell to all these characters rather than a homage. And the fans saw right through it.
‘They stink’
The news of all the cameos in ‘The Flash’ spread like wildfire. Jason Momoa was added to the mix in a post-credit scene to remind everyone that there is another 'Aquaman' film rolling out in December 2023, so don’t forget to revisit the theatres. But the fans had seen enough of the poor cameos to care for Aquaman. One fan expressed his anger on the incessant cameos with, “They stink” meme and another said, “The Flash movie RUINED Flashpoint. It wasn’t good. Ezra Miller was incredibly annoying, and I found myself cringing when he was on screen. The cameos were a desperate attempt to bring people to the theater to see this bastardized version of the Flashpoint Paradox.” There was also a fan who used Henry Cavill’s poor acting skills to make his point while a fan was not happy with DC destroying Christopher Reeves’ legacy. “So your wish was a CGI Christopher Reeves? Come on man. Please god just reboot this entire universe. Keep Blue Beetle and reboot everything else.
'CGI zombie cameos in ‘The Flash’’
A fan was horrified at the poor use of CGI to depict the cameos from the past. “I knew the flash cameos were CGI but Jesus christ.” There was one who was satisfied with DC not bringing Christian Bale’s Batman into this mess. “I heard a rumor a long time ago that Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway were going to appear as cameos in THE FLASH. I'm so glad that didn't happen. If there's one superhero that should remain unaffected by legacy continuations, it is Christopher Nolan's Batman.” Another praised DC’s biggest rival, Marvel’s Spider Verse for using the cameos in a better way. "You gotta love how Spider-Verse uses its cameos to actually enhance the story's themes and what it tries to say and it's never once distracting from the actual premise, meanwhile The Flash is like "Here's a CGI version of a dead actor! Have fun, m****f****r!” But the fan who summed everything up brilliantly wrote in one line, “'CGI zombie cameos in ‘The Flash’”. No one could have expressed the plight of the angry fans better than that.
