The Flash director defends film's unconventional CGI
The Flash director Andy Muschietti has come forward to defend the DC movie's visual effects choices, explaining their intentional appearance. The CGI in The Flash has been a topic of conversation since the release of its first trailer, with viewers playfully poking fun at its perceived lackluster quality. While many aspects of the film's extravagant budget fail to translate seamlessly onto the silver screen, Muschietti sheds light on the different kind of superhero film that The Flash aims to be – and the unusual visual effects that help define it.
'Waterworld' experience for viewers
The Flash has received contrasting views from critics, who specifically highlight the unfinished appearance of its CGI. Despite its electrifying CinemaCon debut, The Flash's CinemaCon presentation and interviews left many puzzled as to why the film's visuals didn't feel fully realized.
In an interview with io9, Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti defend the unconventional visuals, with Barbara joking about the use of real babies in the film's nursery scene. Andy reveals that the intention was to immerse viewers in Barry's perspective, distorting lights and textures to create a distinct “waterworld” experience.
“The use of watercolor textures and tons of color saturation to highlight the out of focus lights, for me, that was deliberate,” Muschietti says. “We wanted to give the audience the feeling that we were immersed in [Barry’s] perspective. Like distortion of the lights, the textures. It’s intentional. Any lighting effect in the movie was intentional if it was not a practical lightning.”
“I was at the premiere, and [CS] Dhaya [Jones], who is the most severe of the critics, as harsh of a critic as you could want, stood up and gave the movie a round of applause for that scene,” Barbara Muschietti adds.
A unique twist on the superhero genre
The Flash’s unique twist on the superhero genre presents a challenge in determining the visual portrayal of an altered reality from Barry’s perspective. Yet, from the perspective of outside viewers, it highlights recurring flaws that have plagued the DCEU for an extended period – flaws that may persist into the future under the guidance of James Gunn.
The Flash is now playing in theaters.
Check out even more info on The Flash in the following guide: Everything you need to know about The Flash.
