Summary
The Flash's poor CGI cameos were a major controversy surrounding the movie, causing many fans to skip it.
Corridor Crew's VFX artists meticulously scrutinized the CGI employed in the movie and flawlessly pinpointed the shortcomings present in the Superman cameos as well as the utilization of 3D models.
The movie's visual effects lamentably bore the brunt of ill-advised decisions, exorbitant aspirations, setbacks during production, and various other influencing factors.
VFX artists analyze The Flash's contentious cameos, highlighting methods to rectify the movie's subpar CGI. After years of anticipation for Barry Allen's standalone film, Ezra Miller finally had the opportunity to portray him in The Flash. Unfortunately, the movie underperformed at the box office, largely due to the criticism surrounding The Flash's multiverse cameos that featured inferior CGI. As a result, numerous fans chose to skip The Flash altogether.
On YouTube, the VFX artists from Corridor Crew shared their reactions to The Flash's cameos and provided feedback on how the film's lackluster CGI—which, according to Corridor Crew, likely arose from the studio's tight deadlines rather than the VFX artists' own work—could have been enhanced.
The VFX artists had specific comments about Henry Cavill's Superman in the Chronobowl.
Jordan: This is where it crosses the line, man.
Sam: Polar Express Superman.
Jordan: We are familiar with Henry Cavill's appearance. His physical features are satisfactory, yet his eyes lack vitality.
Sam: In the presence of Henry Cavill, he would likely exhibit some form of facial expression. The term for this is human expression.
Sam: The cinematography kind of works against them in the Nicolas Cage and Christopher Reeve cameos. The initial shot of Nic Cage looks like him, but when the camera moves around, you realize it's actually a 3D model. If they had stopped at the first shot, it would have worked almost perfectly. The shot with Nic Cage's glowing eyes is really convincing. I was totally sold on it. But then, the uncanny eyes come in and it's a bit off. The same thing happens with the Christopher Reeve cameo. It looks great at first, but then it starts spinning around them...
Why The Flash's Special Effects Look So Bad
Instead of fulfilling fan requests for actors like Grant Gustin from the Arrowverse, who portrayed Barry Allen in The Flash for nine seasons, director Andy Muschietti took a different approach. The Flash utilized the multiverse concept, showcasing CGI renditions of DC actors who have either passed away or were poorly represented in their youth.
The CGI issues in The Flash were so significant that both audiences and critics were left unsure if the visual effects had been completed prior to the movie's release. Several factors contribute to the notable subpar quality of The Flash's visuals when compared to other superhero projects. Even before The Flash's release in 2021, the film's VFX supervisor, John "D.J." Des Jardin, admitted that some of the concepts in the movie were incredibly unconventional.
The unusual concepts could be attributed to The Flash director Muschietti himself. In an interview with Gizmodo, he mentioned that the "Baby Shower" scene at the beginning of the film, which had comically poor CGI, was intentionally designed to appear strange. The Flash faced additional challenges, including having two versions of Miller appearing onscreen simultaneously for extended periods and experiencing delays and increased costs. Ultimately, the visual effects of The Flash were negatively affected by a combination of poor decision-making, ambitious visual objectives, production delays, and other issues.
