Embracing Regrets, Bidding an Emotional Farewell

Without a doubt, this will be a "turnaround" for DC, as netizens are mentioning one term in abundance: exceeding expectations. I still remember watching Jay Oliva's 2013 animated "Flashpoint Paradox" ten years ago, and my comment at the time was, "I hope a live-action film can capture this story; I'll be completely satisfied."

A decade has passed, and after the actual creation and release of "The Flash," the quality of the movie itself has indeed been well executed. The outstanding action scenes, the visual and auditory montage of bullet time, the clear multi-threaded narrative, and the touching emotional clues all make for a highly enjoyable watch.

The greater surprise, and at the same time, the source of a sense of wonder brought to me by "The Flash," lies in the burst of Easter eggs that span a whole half-century of DC history. Generations of feelings are brought to life on this massive silver screen.

DC's Everything Everywhere All At Once

"The Flash" continues from "Justice League," with Flash Barry's "Speed Force" initiating the "DC's Everything Everywhere All At Once." Barry is now a well-established hero among the ranks of the Justice League. On one hand, he must be on standby 24 hours, providing support and handling unexpected events. He is gradually adapting to his role. On the other hand, he still seeks to find the meaning and value of his existence as Barry Allen, while trying to make up for the greatest regret in his life.

It all starts with Barry's unfortunate background. When he was a child, he witnessed his mother being wrongfully killed, and his father was sentenced to prison for the crime. Barry never gave up on investigating the case to find the real culprit. It was because of a lightning strike during a crime lab internship in 2013 that he gained superpowers and became The Flash.

The Batman of the mainstream universe tries to persuade Barry not to go down a dangerous path, stating that past scars have shaped who he is now. However, Barry still wishes to save his mother. Using his Speed Force, he travels back in time to the day his mother was killed in 2001, and saves her life. But this seemingly simple act leads to even greater dangers for the entire multiverse.

Because Barry has broken the time barrier, it causes a "time explosion." The distortion effect spreads from the "flashpoint" where his mother is still alive, causing every event in the world to deviate. As a result, the present world has become completely different, even on the brink of destruction.

The story of "The Flash"'s "Flashpoint" officially begins here. Barry must face the dilemma of saving his family or the world and make the difficult choice to correct his mistake. He learns to accept regrets and say goodbye forever to his loved ones.

Due to the time travel setting and the cause-and-effect relationship between the past and the future, "The Flash" ignites the above-mentioned nostalgic points. It breaks free from the homogenization and formulaic nature of "superhero movies" in recent years. Instead of being a predictable, cliched story, it serves as a summary and reflection on the genre itself.

Not only do the current DCEU heroes assemble in the end, but the Keaton, Clooney, and Affleck "three-generations-of-Batman" also make appearances, as well as Reeves' 1978 Superman, Nicolas Cage's Superman, and the original Flash, among many other veteran characters making their cameos in CGI or on-screen form... This film spans half a century of DC superhero history and reinterprets it.

As a result, the overall grand unfolding of "The Flash" is seen through Barry's perspective, connecting the many heroes of the DC Universe, the most important of which is Keaton's Batman.

Presenting such a variety of retro characters at once is a risky choice. But "The Flash" manages to unite them under one cohesive direction, provoking a series of questions for the audience:

If superheroes no longer resemble what you know but take on a more ancient and unique form, would you still be interested?

If the worldview of superheroes were completely overturned, would you accept their stories?

If it were you, would you sacrifice your loved ones for the stability of the world?

Every viewer can feel these three questions and find their own answers during the movie.

When these iconic superhero figures appear on the screen, dimensional walls are shattered, and time tunnels are penetrated. The development and sentiment of the "superhero movie" genre spanning half a century are displayed before the audience, reminding us of the initial reasons we fell in love with cinematic visual wonders and these superheroes in the first place.

The emotional excitement brought forth by nostalgia surpasses the essence of "The Flash" movie itself. What rushes across the screen is the rediscovery of a treasured beauty hidden beneath the dust of time. This is the nostalgia trigger point that "The Flash" hits for each viewer. For die-hard DC fans, it naturally becomes a film in which they can excitedly hunt for Easter eggs.

Aside from this, "The Flash" also serves as a re-creation and reshuffling of the previously chaotic DCEU. Following this, each DC fan, like Barry, must embrace regrets and learn to say goodbye. As old characters bid adieu one by one, new characters take up the mantle, and a new DCEU is on its way.

Letting go of pain, bearing life's regrets

Beyond nostalgia, "The Flash" is not merely a fan-service movie relying on Easter eggs for success. What's even more touching is the emotional expression of the story itself.

Initially, Barry only thought about using the Speed Force to save his mother. But as the situation changed, so did his purpose. After traveling through time and saving his mother, he encounters another version of himself in a different world. This becomes the film's main storyline: the relationship and dual growth between the "double Flashes."

The "young Flash" grows up in a healthy family without a care in the world, becoming a carefree college student. They form a pair of mirror-image characters. What if another version of you had a wonderful family upbringing and didn't grow a hardened shell because of pain, living life freely?

Barry and the "young Flash" act like brothers, mentors, and friends, but at their core, they are "Alter-Egos," two sides of the same fate. Their interactions raise a question for the audience to ponder: If there really is an "Alter-Ego," would their life be happier than my own?

As a result of his family's misfortune, Barry has an introverted personality and exhibits social anxiety. Even after acquiring superpowers and starting his superhero career, he is unable to change, still unable to escape his mother's shadow. Although he has a playful side, it is mostly a guise. Deep inside, Barry is weighed down by immense regret. His life seems forever etched on the day he lost his mother.

The "young Flash," on the other hand, is different. His playfulness and looseness are genuine, his life void of any grays, with a bright future waiting for him to unlock.

After meeting the "young Flash" and embarking on a journey to rectify his mistake, both characters experience a progressive growth and change. They become more like each other. How to protect others and the world and restore the timeline to its proper course becomes Barry's new objective.

The poignant emotions that stem from the mother-son duo's fateful farewell form the deepest emotional core of "The Flash." As Barry's mother says, one must learn to accept things that cannot be changed, as some problems are without solutions.

Initially, Barry viewed his mother's death as something that could be changed, but in actuality, this event was a fixed point. No matter how fast he runs, he cannot save the person he loves the most. Furthermore, he must suppress his longing for his mother and stop another version of himself in the multiverse from saving her. This is undoubtedly painful, as in the balance of "having" and "losing," he can only choose "losing" time and time again.

Underneath that costume, Barry is an ordinary person with painful memories. He works hard to overcome the psychological and personality issues that have arisen from his past, making himself worthy of wearing the suit.

This is why we like Barry – we see a reflection of ourselves in him and experience a universal resonance. Every ordinary person inevitably experiences those "fall from grace" moments when one moment is just as you wish, and the next moment is completely off track. To get back on course, we must pay a price, choose to let go, and even endure the experience of defeat and irreversible regrets. But if we dwell on past regrets, we will create new ones continuously.

Life is like a journey against the current – the past is unattainable, and no one is excluded. "The Flash" ultimately concludes with a simple expression. With the increasing AI-centric and formulaic nature of "superhero movies" nowadays, it is a rarity that in this film, we feel an earnest and heartfelt emotion.