The Flash director defends DC movie's CGI: "That was intended"

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in The Flash
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Ever since The Flash trailers were released, people have been criticizing the DC movie online, claiming it to have some of the worst visual effects they've ever seen. Now the film is in theaters, director Andy Muschietti has defended the flick's CGI, arguing that it's "intended" to look a little off.

In a new interview with Gizmodo's io9, Muschietti and his producer sister Barbara were specifically asked about one of The Flash's early scenes, which sees the titular hero rescue a bunch of babies that have fallen from the window of a multistory hospital. When the publication suggested that the sequence looked a little off, and whether that was on purpose, Barbara joked: "No, we used all real babies."

"The idea, of course, is... we are in the perspective of the Flash," Muschietti chimed in. "Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this 'waterworld' which is basically being in Barry's POV. It was part of the design so if it looks a little weird to you that was intended."

Starring Ben Affleck, Michael Shannon, Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton, and Ezra Miller, The Flash sees Barry Allen run back in time to save his mother Nora (Maribel Verdú). Turns out, though, that tweaking the timeline has disastrous consequences, and Barry inadvertently finds himself stuck in the past, in a reality where Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the like don't exist. 

When General Zod rocks up to turn Earth into a new Krypton, Barry must team up with his younger self and a version of Bruce Wayne he doesn't know to save the planet.

The Flash is in UK and US cinemas now. For more, check out our spoiler-heavy deep dives on...

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
The Flash
The Flash director explains why the DC movie flopped, suggesting that "a lot of people just don't care" about the character – despite one obvious counter-point
Superman
James Gunn responds after new Superman flying clip goes viral for the wrong reasons: "There is absolutely zero CG"
Superman
Superman fans are divided over a "goofy" new flying scene that's getting attention for all the wrong reasons
Guy Gardner Green Lantern in Superman
Superman skipped a Super Bowl TV spot in favor of a Green Lantern joke, and DC fans are divided
Batgirl movie
Unearthed Daredevil-like fight scene from DC's canceled Batgirl movie gives us a taste of what we could have had
Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ben Affleck reflects on the "excruciating experience" playing Batman in the Zack Snyder movies: "A lot of it was misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations"
Latest in DC Movies
The cast of Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer admits James Gunn has good reason not to release his cut of Suicide Squad, but he remains hopeful it'll happen
Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ben Affleck reflects on the "excruciating experience" playing Batman in the Zack Snyder movies: "A lot of it was misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations"
James Gunn
James Gunn reacts to Jason Momoa almost spoiling his Lobo costume in an interview: "I just want to profoundly thank Jason’s publicist"
Jason Momoa next to Lobo
Jason Momoa has gone method taking on the role of Lobo: "I asked everybody to call me by my character's name"
Batgirl movie
Unearthed Daredevil-like fight scene from DC's canceled Batgirl movie gives us a taste of what we could have had
Jason Momoa in A Minecraft Movie
Jason Momoa says the DCU's Lobo is "exactly like" the comic book character in upcoming Supergirl movie
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"