DCEU movie“The Flash” releases in theaters June 16. Illustration courtesy of senior Dylan Shaouat.
From comic books to the big screen, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is often viewed as inferior compared to the refined Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that most San Luis Obispo High School students know and love.
The 2023 readaptation of “The Flash” has the potential of changing everything and bringing DC back in the game.
The new flash movie is roughly based on a comic storyline by the name of “Flashpoint” which basically rebooted the DC comics universe. The current state of the DCEU is a messy jumble of movies, ranging from mediocre to flat out bad, with a few films shining through the rest. This movie gives the DCEU another chance to win over the box office against the MCU, who have spent the last fifteen years perfecting their cinematic universe.
The last DCEU movie that made an impact on audiences was a director’s cut of the original “Justice League” from 2017 named “Zach Snyder’s Justice League,” which turned out to not even be in the official “DCEU timeline”.
“By introducing one character at a time over ten years, they built up a fan base, they built up the excitement, and then they delivered with the payoff at the end. I think DC saw that success and tried to replicate it by giving us all the characters upfront, but nobody had any emotional investment in them,” said digital media teacher Zachary Roper.
DC did take a temporary step away from their cinematic universe to release “The Batman” in early 2022, which was a giant hit with audiences. However, since this movie was in its own universe, it isn’t a competitor in this rivalry.
“I genuinely hope for the best for this movie because DC needs a win for once in the movie industry. Not to say that they haven’t with ‘The Batman’ from last year. This film’s purpose is to ‘reset’ the whole DCEU which I think is the best choice after the dumpster fire that the ‘Snyder-Verse’ has been” said senior Aidan Rodriguez.
The positive attention is being undersold, following controversial actor Ezra Miller’s actions over the past few years.
Miller filled headlines for the majority of summer 2022, following numerous incidents in which they endangered the lives of several children, including a 12 year old, and promoted child protective services to remove three children from a mothers custody. Miller was also temporarily charged with felony burglary, though the charge was later dropped and Miller was only charged with trespassing.
Miller’s actions over the summer follow years of controversy. They have multiple allegations of psychological abuse, obstruction, and disorderly conduct.
Many people have strong opinions on whether or not it is okay to separate the art from the artist. As the lead role in this film, it begs the question of if the fans should separate the film from the actor. There is no right or wrong answer, but it is up to the fans to decide whether or not they want to support this movie.
“If the art has helped influence someone for the better, then it definitely can be separated from the person that created it. There is a difference between idolizing the art and idolizing the artist. In this instance however, it’s kind of hard to separate an actor from a character in a movie or show. So personally, I can’t really appreciate an awful person like that being the face of the Scarlet Speedster,” said Rodriguez.
Despite the complications with the film, “The Flash” still has a chance to redeem DC from their disappointing past.
Source: forbes.com
