What to watch: ‘The Flash’ is good, if you can get past the baggage

This weekend sees two different studios fighting for box-office shots of redemption.

Warner Bros. hopes to point its DC Universe world-building toward a brighter, more profitable tomorrow. Meanwhile, Emeryville-based Pixar seeks to bounce back after the commercial failure of its last film, the undeservedly maligned “Lightyear.”

We also review a bloody good time with the horror-comedy “The Blackening” and point you in the direction of an amazing LGBTQ-themed British drama set in the Thatcher era.

Here’s our roundup.

“The Flash”: Breathe a sigh of relief, DC Universe fans. “The Flash” turns out to be a step in the positive direction even if that’s not really saying much, given the bad bit of goods the Warner Bros.-DC partnership’s been unloading on fans of late (we’re looking at you, “Black Adam”).

While director Andy Muschietti’s time-travel crowd pleaser doesn’t blaze any new narrative trails, it does result in a fun superhero nostalgic dive, for the most part. Unfortunately it, too, gets stuck in the same old trap of drowning us in a routine, effects-driven brouhaha near the end that feels rote and tired.

Trouble-plagued star Ezra Miller (some will no doubt skip this film because of his offscreen behavior) doubles down well to play twitchy Barry Allen (aka The Flash), a forensic chemist frantically trying to turn back time to prevent his mother from being murdered. All it takes to adjust mom’s fate is traveling back in time to surreptitiously drop a can of tomatoes into her grocery cart. That twisting of time — performed with the right amount of emotion by Miller especially near the finale — comes from the heart, but it also triggers a domino effect, a time-fabric tear that produces two Barry Allens, one an obnoxious teen, the other the uptight, older Barry. It also flings the door open for the return of a more seasoned Batman (Michael Keaton, stealing every second of screen time possible), along with Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) — whose Supergirl backstory could have been developed even more — and that ultimate DC universe party crasher/destroyer General Zod (Michael Shannon, given nothing to do).

“The Flash” opens with a crazy action sequence involving babies (you’ve gotta see it), and nothing afterwards can match that scene’s sheer bonkers attitude, except when Keaton appears. A big question is whether it moves the needle, plot-wise, for the DC Universe? Uh, not entirely. But it does give the MC Universe a run for its money and is so much more fun than its dreary, overly serious  predecessors. (Note: There is an end credit scene and it’s rather meh). Details: 2½ stars out of 4; in theaters June 16.

“Elemental”: In Pixar’s latest winner, two young elements — Fire and Water — discover that they can coexist even though they’re viewed with wariness from those around them. The setup serves as a well-deployed metaphor for the immigrant experience, the union of two different cultures. Director Peter Sohn’s romantic dramedy creates an intoxicating but very busy (perhaps too busy), world that allows Pixar animators free range to to fire up their own creative juices, creating a multi-pronged, bustling Element City, a cluttered existence that includes a stadium where the elements — Fire, Water, Earth and Air — exist, with Fire setting up its own neighborhood on the outskirts. The love story finds hot-tempered but resourceful Ember (voice of Leah Lewis, of Netflix’s “The Half of It”) wrestling with whether to carry on tradition and take over her father’s family-run store that has just been slapped with numerous violations by a very emotional city inspector (Mamoudou Athie), a water element. “Elemental” tells a tender story but doesn’t ignore the specter of racism. It’s a vibrant bit of worldbuilding that begs for us to return and hear the stories from other elements. The opening short — “Carl’s Date” — is certain to mist you up as Carl from “Up!” touchingly prepares for his first date after his wife’s death. His loyal dog Dug helps too. Details: 3 stars; opens June 16 in theaters.

“The Blackening”: As any horror buff well knows, the final girl — usually white — survives the carnage of a maniac’s acts of terror while anyone who’s Black lives for only about 30 minutes of screen time, often less. Director Tim Story (“Barbershop”) and screenwriters Tracey Oliver and DeWayne Perkins (an actor, writer and rising star) poke fun at the genre cliches in a silly but gory way. But what might seem like empty-calorie lunacy actually delivers a surprising narrative right hook, a blow you might see coming but not realize what it implies until further reflection. The cast is filled with fresh talent, but it’s Perkins who earns the most laughs as the oh-no-you-don’t Dewayne, the gay bestie to Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), a lawyer in way too-much lust with her former college lover, the extra-hot Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls, a University of San Francisco grad). The trio gets joined by five others at a cabin in the woods (get it?) for a Juneteenth reunion/celebration. But it’s not all fun, hookups, taking Molly and playing games, even though there is a “killer” and highly offensive board game they must play in order to survive the night. While hardly scary, “The Blackening ” does make you wince, laugh, and later realize how much smarter it is than you initially thought. It originated as a comedy sketch and that might be why it has such a loose, carefree feel about it. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 16.

“Blue Jean”: Margaret Thatcher’s political influence in Great Britain (1975 to 1990) didn’t exactly encourage throwing out a welcome mat for LGBTQ+ residents. Many concealed who they really were due to her actions, and that’s especially true of director/screenwriter Georgia Oakley’s fictional Newcastle P.E. teacher Jean (Rosy McEwen), a closeted lesbian. As Thatcher’s overtures to toss “out” teachers forces more queer people into hiding and self-hatred, Jean, too, struggles with her identity and her relationship with her proudly out girlfriend Viv (Kerrie Hayes). Meanwhile, she encounters one of her new students, the bullied and athletic Lois (Lucy Halliday), at a lesbian bar. As tensions flare. finger-pointing intensifies and Lois runs into trouble, Jean’s code-switching leads to a day of reckoning. Oakley’s debut astonishes in every way, a silent scream that should be heard and felt today. The performances are understated in the best way possible. Details: 3½ stars; opens in theaters June 15.

“Persian Lessons”: Understandably, director Vadim Perelman’s absorbing thriller has been a popular one on the festival circuit, including at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Benefiting from strong performances and evocative cinematography, it tells an extraordinary Holocaust-set story about quick-witted Giles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a Belgian Jew whose life gets spared when he convinces German soldiers he’s Persian. They assume he understands Farsi, but that’s far from the truth. To remain in the good graces with an officer (Lars Eidinger) who oversees the kitchen staff, he gives him language lessons. It’s a compelling plot and even though there are some questionable personality changes with key characters, “Persian Lessons” is an intense drama with a great ending. Details: 3 stars; in theaters June 15.

Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].