bowmanblue

I never saw 'The Flash' at the cinema. It was - originally - part of the 'DC Universe,' but, by the time it came out, the film project had effectively been cancelled and most of the audience this was aimed at knew that, no matter what happened in this movie's story, nothing really mattered as it was due to be rebooted by James Gunn. Add to this the amount of internet chatter about what (leading man, Ezri Miller) was getting up to in his private life and the amount of reshoots that were going on with this project and I really didn't rush to make watching this a high priority. So, by the time I found this on a streaming service it's fair to say my hopes weren't high. And maybe that's the key to getting something out of it - severely lower your expectations.

It starts out strong. Not dwelling on the actor and concentrating on the character of 'The Flash' i.e. Barry Allen, he's actually quite funny and interacts well with other superheroes in the opening action scene. Plus the set-piece is fun and reasonably novel. A decent enough start.

Then the opening credits roll and I realise what the film reviewers were talking about when they said the special effects seem 'unfinished.' Whoa - they are not good in the credits. And, throughout the film, they are hit and miss in equal amounts.

Now, when this incarnation of The Flash was first introduced in 'The Justice League' he was effectively the 'comic relief' among the more serious heroes. And, he played that part as best he could. However, now effectively we have the comic relief as the lead role and - what's more - he travels back in time in order to save his parents, but inadvertently encounters another version of himself - one that's actually more annoying that the original.

What follows are long scenes of exposition. Never have a seen a film that has so many instances of two (sometimes three) people sitting around talking about things that have happened, things that are happening, things that are going to happen and a mixture of the three versions - played out in alternate universes.

Now, you can't talk about 'The Flash' without mentioning Michael Keaton, as he reprises his - arguably most famous - role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. And, yes, he's as good as you might expect doing this. For those of us who geeked out in the late eighties when 'Batman' was first brought to the big screen and given a Tim Burton-esque darker edge, it's a joy to see him back again.

Then you have further action scenes with both Flashes, Batman and even a Supergirl (who, although should have been Superman, is actually a decent addition). And these too are pretty good. I guess the main drawback is that, if you've already seen the preceding films in the franchise (i.e. 'Man of Steel' and 'Justice League') then you kind of know where all this goes, as you're really just seeing what you've already seen, only played out slightly differently in an alternate plain of existance.

Overall, I found definite enjoyment in parts of this film. I just wish that I could trim down some of the talking scenes, delete at least one of the Barry Allens and polish up some of the special effects. Shame Michael Keaton's return to the role was wasted on a project that wasn't up to his talents.

I don't know why modern films are just sooooo long. Maybe it's because they see how well dramas do on streaming services and think that more means better? Either way, a movie like 'The Accountant 2' should really be no more than an hour and a half (a hundred minutes, tops). Back in the eighties, an action film (let's say 'Commando') could easily fit everything it had to say in ninety minutes and was simple great fun. 'The Accountant 2' has all the elements in it to make it great fun, but it's just so full of 'bloat' that it makes it a real slog to get through.

But, there is good contained within - namely the two leads: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. They play a pair of brothers who, as well as having the usual grating relationship siblings tend to have on each other anyway, also happen to be trained assassins. The back and forth between them is great to watch and you get a real sense of the love-hate relationship between them.

Then there's the rest of the cast. Um, I can't remember much about them - mainly because all their characters are so wafer thin that you won't remember anything about them either once the credits (finally!) roll.

There are also a couple of good punch-ups and action scenes, but - again - these feel too sparse, due to all the sub-plots with the duller characters who take up way too much of this film's runtime.

If there was some way of releasing a 'director's cut' of 'The Accountant 2' which just keeps the two leads and any action scenes they're involved in, it would be pretty good. I guess that's why there's always a 'skip' function on DVDs and streaming services - you can just not bother with any scenes that don't include Affleck or Bernthal - you'll enjoy the film much more (and save yourself an hour or so of time).

I was never a massive Hugh Grant fan back in his heyday - he always popped up as the annoying British fop in a predictable rom-com. However, I'm pleased to say he's moved on from all that (or rather his looks have left him, so he's been forced to move on - meow!) and his more recent (darker?) roles have really showed that he's more than just a lovable, floppy-haired book store owner.

Here we meet two young, female Mormons who call at the door of an elderly (sorry, Hugh, but you're officially 'elderly' now!) man's remote cabin, in order spread the 'good word.' What follows is a kind of spiritual cat and mouse, or at least that's the main set-up - and it's really good fun.

The two female leads hold their own and are really strong at what they do, but it's Hugh every time who has the better lines and the more charismatic delivery. There's some real moments of dark levity and even a few moments that will genuinely make you think how religion in general is thought of (don't get me started on how the script managed to get both Radiohead and Jar Jar Binks into a theological debate!).

However, the movie does tend to lose its way a bit and, despite a very strong start, does go in some unexpected directions which may sadly disappoint some of its audience, ending with a bit of an anticlimax which feels a little too 'traditional' and 'safe' after what's come before.

Personally, I was already having too much fun with the film and was happy to let those aspects slide. I'd recommend you just enjoy Hugh's transformation and not think too deeply into the hows and whys of what eventually follows.