The Flash
Reactions to the highly anticipated Justice League were decidedly mixed – with large swathes of the audience leaving the theatre with a sense of disappointment. Few could argue, however, that the comic book character of The Flash was not only a highlight of the film itself, but also of the year.
The Flash, as portrayed by Ezra Miller, first appeared in the DC Extended Universe in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice – along with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg. We saw only snippets of him then – in security camera footage, in an apparent dream sequence, and in a scene that saw Bruce Wayne approach him. What we saw then though, even in those brief moments, was a complex and satisfying new characterization of an individual already familiar to a notable percentage of the audience, thanks to The Flash TV series – which is unconnected.
In a film that seemed to lose its momentum and its way at times, The Flash really provided the glue that held it together. He’s one of the only characters in the movie that benefits from an actual arc, which sees him transform from inexperienced fledgling hero, to a young man who faces his fears and finds that he’s a capable superhero in his own right.
We see this Barry Allen power through his sense of being overwhelmed at his inclusion in this group of extraordinary individuals, to reach a point where he’s able to embrace his unique ability to the extent where he can see how to employ it effectively as part of this super-powered team.
The fact that he also delivers the better parts of the humour included in Justice League is testament to the skill of Ezra Miller, who has crafted a performance in which those elements seem entirely organic, rather than artificially applied.