As praise for the new film “The Flash” poured out of CinemaCon, subsequent critics saw sentiment toward the film slip into an ultimately very mixed bag.
In recent days, however, a new issue with the film has surfaced, unrelated to controversies over the film’s star or the various cameos and other spoiler elements.
The discussion instead focused on the visual effects of the $200 million film, with many critics saying they looked unfinished. In a new interview with io9, director Andy Muschietti defended the look of the film.
Discussing a scene early on, where Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) rescues babies from a falling manger, Muschietti says the eerie visuals are intentional. Namely, this is the movie’s depiction of the Speed Force – how the world changes around Barry as he runs:
“The idea, of course, is that…we’re in the Flash’s perspective. Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this “aquatic world” which is essentially in Barry’s POV. It was part of the design, so if that sounds a little weird to you, it was intended.
Criticism of the effects would come during scenes set either in the Speed Force or in what are known as “Chrono Bowl” scenes. We’ve seen this before in the movie “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” so a point of comparison is there.
Nonetheless, the quality of these visual effects has emerged as a talking point in many reviews so far, going so far as to compare it to Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut from “Justice League” with his mocked-up digital upper lip for Superman. .
You can judge for yourself when “The Flash” hits theaters tomorrow.