The Flash
Possibly one of the moments comic book fans most desperately wanted to see in live-action, The Flash appears to Bruce Wayne in a dream, and delivers a warning. It is a ‘jump’ moment when it happens, and it raises more questions for much of the audience than it answers – but that is something that adds to the greatness of the moment, for me. This film is part of something larger, and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. In a wider sense, this appearance of The Flash is exciting simply because it looks great, and that bodes well for the standalone Flash film, when it finally arrives in 2018.
[zergpaid]Clark Kent Loosens His Tie
It is a tiny, fleeting moment that speaks thunderous volumes within the action of the movie. Clark Kent is watching the news on television with a large crowd, and is concerned to see an incident unfolding at a Day Of The Dead celebration. A building is on fire, there is a woman visibly trapped, but nobody on scene can get to her. The onlookers exclaim, “I can’t believe they’re just going to let that poor girl die!”
Clark Kent says nothing, but reaches up and begins to loosen his tie, in a call back to the Superman of decades past. It is a tiny gesture that stirs a feeling deep inside. We know that he is about to zoom off to save the day. We are suddenly reminded that ‘classic’ Superman is right there, and we’ve had a tantalizing glimpse of him – a glimpse of the hero he could eventually become.
It brings into sharp focus the fact that the Superman of Zack Snyder’s films thus far is, essentially, amateur Superman. He is Superman-in-training. This adds complexion to Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, because both The Dark Knight and The Big Blue Boy Scout have lessons to learn.
It also adds to the excitement for the forthcoming Justice League films – because what we have here is bona fide character development. Zack Snyder is taking characters that have been embraced on film, differently, by successive generations, and he is showing you how they evolve, right before your eyes. That’s new, and exciting.