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One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, "The Flash" is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for its competence only to instantly face-plant into the nearest wall.

Then it hits the reset button and starts again—which, come to think of it, is what "The Flash" keeps doing over and over again narratively, with time, parallel universes, and the question of whether "canonical" events in the life of a person or a whole dimension can be altered. From start to finish, it suffers the double misfortune of being its own worst enemy, despite real thoughtfulness and an intriguingly unstable cocktail of genres (slapstick comedy, family drama, heavy metal action flick, philosophically driven science fiction adventure); and also arriving on screens right after the release of "Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse," a high watermark for both superhero movies and major studio animated features that explores most of the same concepts as "The Flash" in a more aesthetically innovative way.

Ezra Miller , whose offscreen brushes with the law make some of the film's raunchier comedy land poorly, stars as twentysomething forensic scientist and secret superhero Barry Allen, who feels like the "janitor" of the Justice League and is still grappling with the impact of his mother's murder and his father's wrongful imprisonment for the crime. Here, again, in this very review, we encounter a double bind characteristic of "The Flash": it's poor form to discuss the meatier parts of the movie because you can't do that without describing the plot in detail, and yet at the same time, a lot of it has already been "spoiled," not just on social media and online forums but in the film's own trailers and marketing material (Warner Bros. supplied the photo at the top of this review) and on Wikipedia. If you read all that, you know whether to keep going or put the rest of this piece aside for later.

For those still reading: Remember the ending of the original 1978 "Superman: The Movie," where Christopher Reeve's Superman has to choose between stopping a nuclear missile headed for Miss Tesmacher's home state and preventing his great love Lois Lane from getting killed by an earthquake, tries to do both, loses Lois, then turns back time to resurrect her? Well, that sequence has been expanded into an entire film and merged with the " Back to the Future " series, courtesy of Barry's decision to try to go back in time and change one detail on the day his family was destroyed. Mom ( Maribel Verdú ) sent Dad ( Ron Livingston ) to the local supermarket to fetch a can of tomatoes she needed for a recipe. When little Barry hears a commotion and comes downstairs, he finds Mom on the kitchen floor with a knife jammed into her bloody chest and Dad weeping over her corpse with one hand on the hilt. Barry surmises that he can use his Flash powers to return to that fateful day, add a can of tomatoes to Mom's supermarket basket, and save both parents. Anybody who's seen a time travel movie (or read Ray Bradbury's short story The Sound of Thunder ) knows it's not that simple.

Directed by Andy Muschietti (" Mama ," both " It " movies), from a script by ace genre screenwriter Christina Hodson ("Birds of Prey," " Bumblebee "), "The Flash" deserves credit for taking its ideas and the pain of its characters seriously without devolving into glum, colorless machismo. When Miller enters what he believes is "the past" (it's actually an alternate timeline), he not only encounters another version of himself with an intact, happy family but befriends and mentors the other Barry, discovering along the way how annoying he can be to others.

Muschietti over-directs the pre-time-travel version of Barry, emphasizing his anxiety, clumsiness, and facial tics to the point where he seems like one of those schlemiels that Jerry Lewis used to play. But once the original Barry teams up with the other Barry, Miller keeps the schlemiel energy high for the second Barry while dialing it down for the original. This lets the first Barry mature in increments, part of the traditional arc of a young hero. The film showcases its finest effects in these mirror-image duets. The result is the most convincing instance of a leading man playing opposite himself since Michael Fassbender in " Alien: Covenant ." The shots of both Barrys even have a smidge of handheld shakiness that's visual shorthand for "authenticity." Within a scene or two, you'll likely forget that it's one actor playing the same part and instead focus on what Miller does with both incarnations of the character.

The master narrative of the DCEU defines Superman's city-leveling battle with General Zod in " Man of Steel " as a character- and team-defining canonical event for every interlinked feature film in the series. The aftermath of that contest figured into the plots and dialogue of more than one film, most notably "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." When it's referenced again in the film's first act, you know Barry and Barry will have to deal with it again in another universe. Sure enough, here comes Zod with his villainous teammates, scarab starships, armored shock troopers, and terraforming World Engine.

The problem is, there's no Justice League to team up against him, and only one superhero: the Caped Crusader. Not Ben Affleck's grizzled, Frank Miller-y Batman, but the one played by Michael Keaton in the 1980s Tim Burton films. Only he's older, more haggard, and even more alienated from the society he monitors. As the time-ripened version of Burton's Batman, essentially Bruce Wayne fused with the long-haired hermit incarnation of Howard Hughes, Keaton gives the movie's subtlest performance. He underplays and reacts in a way that adds freshness to a story that's probably too dependent on recycled situations and makes Miller's jumpy, abrasive tendencies easier to take. He's the acting version of a shock absorber, smoothing the ride without slowing it down.

Barry, Barry, and Bruce become convinced that this universe's Superman is trapped in a Siberian prison run by Russian mercenaries and fly there to bust him out. Turns out he's a she: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El's cousin, aka Supergirl ( Sasha Calle , rocking a modified pixie cut and a killer stare). Superman, we're told, might still be out there somewhere, but his cousin (who was sent to protect him) is a powerful ally who can stand up to Zod. When the modified four-person Justice League substitute confronts Zod's invading army, the movie proves that its obsessive referencing of the "Back to the Future" films was not just a running gag.

The reimagining of Zod's attack is this movie's equivalent of the end of the second "BTTF" movie, where time-traveling adolescent Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox in our world, and in Barry's by Eric Stoltz , the actor Fox replaced!) had to attend the same prom that ended the original "BTTF" while avoiding a potentially time/space disruptive encounter with himself. (This movie's decisions about what to save and what to delete from real world history are weird; I'd love to hear the logic behind erasing a lot of the DCEU superheroes from the second Barry's universe while determining that "Back to the Future," "Footloose," and " Top Gun " and the first Chicago album were immutable occurrences.)

The film's big battle is its least convincing sequence (parts of it look like cutscenes from an early-aughts game). It's too bad, because it's the most thought-provoking: as Batman and the Flashes and Supergirl battle Zod, the two Barrys disagree on whether traveling back and forth along dimensional pathways will solve problems or add new ones. Like most science fiction with even the thinnest veneer of seriousness, "The Flash" connects back to the godmother of science fiction, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus . Shelley warned readers that using science to mimic God or defy nature has bad consequences, and it's better for the story's Prometheus figure to give up his illusions than continue traveling a ruinous path. Is this the sort of film that will heed Shelley's warning, or ignore it to give the hero what he wants and the audience the wish-fulfillment fantasies it craves and that superhero films nearly always endorse? Even the first two Reeve Superman films erred on the side of audience wish-fulfillment; the first film lets him turn back time, while the second has him erase Lois' knowledge of his secret identity with a super-kiss. "The Flash" deserves credit for threading the eye of that needle, giving audiences a somewhat hopeful ending without negating the philosophical and scientific issues it raises elsewhere.

Unfortunately, "The Flash" also has a countervailing tendency that undermines its best self. Even as it cleverly translates Shelley's worries into contemporary comic book terms, it serves up callback after fan-wanking callback to other versions of heroes and villains from film and TV, seemingly with no other purpose than to burnish Warner Bros' properties and make the audience point to the screen and whisper the names of actors, characters, films, TV shows, and comic books that they recognize. Batman, Batman, Batman, Batman, Superman, Superman, Superman, Superman, Flash, Flash, Flash, etc., keep popping up scenes set in the "Chrono-Bowl," a cosmic switching station with a design that alludes to clockwork gears, the concentric rings of chopped-down trees, theater-in-the-round, and a tribunal.

And rather than find an artful, modest way to repurpose library footage from earlier adaptations of DC comics—as, say, "In the Line of Fire" did with footage of a younger Clint Eastwood from " Dirty Harry "—the actors who originally played them, many of whom died long ago, have been scanned (or rebuilt) as vaguely three-dimensional but uncanny grotesques, like Madame Tussaud's wax figures laid over audio-animatronic puppets. Remember the process that "reanimated" Peter Cushing in "Star Wars: Rogue One," and later served up an even more unsettling "young Carrie Fisher " in the climax, paving the way for a nearly expressionless "young Mark Hamill " on "The Mandalorian," and de-aged '70s movie stars for various legacy sequels? It gets trotted out and multiplied ad nauseam here, even though the technology hasn't improved much.

The film's principal cast also gets the zombie CGI treatment in the Chrono-Bowl, to visualize alternate realities. Some of the versions of these real, living actors with SAG cards and regularly updated IMDb pages look faintly demonic. The torsos and hands aren't anatomically credible. One has eyes that point in opposite directions like a gecko. Were the deadlines rushed and the digital effects artists exploited until quality control disappeared— a problem throughout the entertainment industry —or is the technology just not there yet? And even if it ever does "get there," will it ever not seem one (digital) step removed from wrapping a mannequin in corpse-flesh? Doing this sort of thing in a purely animated format moots such concerns. Everything in an animated comics adaptation is a drawing inspired by other drawings, and therefore a representation of a thing that is not meant to seem "real." Not so in live-action. "Hey, that's Actor X!" gives way to, "He looks kinda creepy and unreal," and the spell is broken.

What a mess. And what a shame, because what's good about "The Flash" is very good. The movie puts a lot of thought into what it wants to say and not enough into how it says it. It avidly warns against a thing while at the same time doing a version of that same thing. Barry, driven by a desire to resurrect the dead, grapples with the ethics and advisability of actions that the film constantly performs, in small ways and large, without breaking a sweat.

Opens Friday, June 16th.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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The Flash (2023)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity.

144 minutes

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash

Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl

Michael Shannon as General Zod

Ron Livingston as Henry Allen

Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen

Kiersey Clemons as Iris West

Antje Traue as Faora-Ul

Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman

Ian Loh as Young Barry Allen

Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Patty Spivot

Rudy Mancuso as Albert Desmond

Andy Muschietti

Writer (story by)

Joby Harold
Christina Hodson

Cinematographer

Henry Braham
Jason Ballantine
Paul Machliss
Benjamin Wallfisch

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The Flash strikes a running pose in a still from the film The Flash

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The Flash is a eulogy for every DC movie that never was

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For a movie about a guy who can move incomprehensibly fast, The Flash sure did arrive late. Originally planned for a 2016 release, according to a 2013 DC movie plan that ultimately proved too ambitious, The Flash arrives a full decade later from a chastened DC that’s getting ready to restart its cinematic universe with James Gunn in charge . In 2023, The Flash now serves as one of the final films in the Snyderverse , a eulogy for the Zack Snyder era of DC — but also, surprisingly, for all DC’s page-to-screen adaptations. The result is messy and strange: It’s a bright, breezy film that is overwhelmed by corporate hagiography, a pat on the back for a bunch of movies that never really worked out.

Given all this, the worst thing a movie called The Flash could do is feel slow. To its credit, the movie’s two-and-a-half-hour run time moves at an impressive clip. This is even more astonishing given that it has one of the most convoluted plots in a recent stretch of superhero films that are absolutely lousy with multiversal exposition. While it lacks the clarity or resonance of, say, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , Christina Hodson’s script keeps the story squarely focused on its protagonist’s emotional journey and treats the finer points of its metaphysical world-building as flavor, an excuse to do some extremely comic book things.

The opening briefly reestablishes Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) as a part-time Justice League member and full-time forensics lab analyst on a personal journey to clear the name of his father, Henry (Ron Livingston), who’s been convicted of murdering Barry’s mother, Nora (Maribel Verdú). The plot kicks into gear when Barry learns that the last big potential break in his dad’s case will not exonerate him. In a moment of anguish, Barry discovers that if he runs fast enough, he can surpass the speed of light and travel through time, observing history in a ring of space-time he calls “the chronobowl.” Ignoring a warning from Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) about the perils of altering history, Barry decides to time travel to prevent his mother’s murder and his father’s imprisonment.

Supergirl stands in front of Barry Allen and his younger self, each in their own Flash costume, on a battlefield surrounded by Kryptonian soldiers in the film The Flash

In spite of this angst-fueled premise, director Andy Muschietti ( It and It: Chapter Two ) smartly infuses the film with a Looney Tunes sensibility, reintroducing Barry with one of the goofiest opening sequences in a superhero film to date, and using the time-travel premise to make The Flash a buddy comedy, pairing Barry with a younger, more obnoxious version of himself from the past.

Most of the film takes place in a new timeline Barry creates, where the decision to save his mother ripples outward to create a version of the DC movie universe with no metahumans, on the brink of its foundational disaster: General Zod (Michael Shannon) arriving as he did in 2013’s Man of Steel , but this time, with no one to stop him. Barry is forced to recreate his superhero origin with his younger self, and to team up with the only known superhero in this timeline: Batman, but the one played by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman and its sequel.

This is where The Flash stops being a movie and instead becomes several other things, some of them outright cynical. There is the blatant nostalgia play in making Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman the film’s biggest supporting character — a role Keaton, to his credit, does not phone in. Yet The Flash doesn’t stop there. Like Barry, the filmmakers run too far, too fast, and too wild, until their film nearly spirals out of their control in a confused tangle of meta-commentary and eulogy, contemplating the history of DC movie adaptations as well as the Snyderverse that began it, and that’s coming to a close shortly. (There’s still a second Aquaman movie and Blue Beetle on the way before Gunn’s universe, labeled the DCU, kicks off.)

In pivoting from time-travel caper into multiversal doomsday epic, Muschietti treats Barry’s emotional arc of acceptance less as the heart of The Flash , and more like its bookends, an experience Barry grows from in the hopes that the audience will also find it worthwhile. But so much of the substance of The Flash isn’t for Barry. It’s for the DC stalwarts who’ll get all the meta nods and in-jokes. The movie is a chronicle of corporate synergy, mashing together the old and new in an attempt to lure DC fans from across generations, with the assumption that meaning will emerge from mere recognition.

What’s so peculiar about The Flash ’s version of the multiverse shenanigans that have now taken place across three Spider-Man films, an entire Marvel animated TV series , and a Doctor Strange sequel is that so much of it leans on its audience knowing what might have been, and still craving it. It’s a film full of wistful what-ifs. What if Michael Keaton stayed on as the definitive movie Batman? How would he fit into the modern landscape? What if the Snyderverse wasn’t coming to an end as the James Gunn era of DC begins to lay its plans? What if The Flash could be free of having to address the controversy surrounding star Ezra Miller , and a bankable franchise could be built on their frankly bighearted and earnest performance?

The Flash is a bright, colorful, imaginative film with enough verve to pop off the screen, even though it’s often nonsensical in its wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. But as fun as its imagery can be, it also signals the same priorities Muschietti showed in the It movies. So much of The Flash gives way to computer-generated effects, not just for the depiction of super-people fighting to save the world — Sasha Calle puts in a rage-fueled performance as Supergirl, even though the film leaves her with frustratingly little to do — but for its longing glances at alternate possible pasts, as Barry travels through time and space to see what might have been.

In these glances, the audience is shown a computerized guernica of faces and characters they know, or might have known. Yet disconcertingly, almost none of those familiar faces and familiar properties are played by real people. They’re just likenesses. Brands. A reward to the faithful who have actively followed not just the DC stories that came out in theaters, but the ones that almost did. In this, The Flash is the biggest, the ultimate DC comics movie. And it feels so much smaller for it.

The Flash opens in theaters on June 16.

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‘the flash’ review: ezra miller brings kinetic energy to a movie caught up in nostalgic dc fan service.

Andy Muschietti’s stand-alone superhero action-adventure features Michaels Keaton and Shannon reprising canonical roles, with newcomer Sasha Calle as Supergirl.

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EZRA MILLER as Barry Allen The Flash in the action adventure THE FLASH.

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The Flash Review

Flashback to the future..

The Flash premieres in theaters on June 16, 2023.

Fresh, funny, and fast – The Flash is a good time at the movies. Director Andy Muschietti’s clear love of the character anchors the many refreshingly unique action scenes and twisty time-travel plot, never losing sight of Barry Allen’s powerful emotional journey. Though the story doesn’t necessarily justify its excessive fan service and the third act is a bit unwieldy, that doesn’t stop The Flash from being an earnest and entertaining superhero film – and one of the better efforts from DC in recent memory.

In a loose adaptation of the Flashpoint comic event that feels like a more focused version and worthy update to the 2011 source material, Barry rushes to use his newfound time-travel ability to undo the most traumatic event of his life: the murder of his mother when he was a child. Using Back to the Future-esque time travel rules, The Flash becomes a tale of two Barry Allens, two Batmans, and two versions of DC movie continuities colliding. What follows is a sincere and surprisingly humorous morality play where Barry must reconcile what his selfish, grief-stricken actions have wrought. It’s especially effective in telling a story that includes the Flash’s full origin without actually being a typical origin story movie.

It’s impressive that it still manages to get all of that across, because for a film called The Flash, there sure is a lot of Batman in it. Even though it indulges in unnecessarily long Batman action sequences and numerous overt references to the Tim Burton Batman films, they never overshadow Barry’s story. The two Batmans are contrasted to excellent effect to accent Barry’s plight, with Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight lamenting that scars shouldn’t be undone because they make us who we are, and Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader admitting there is an allure to the idea of being able to undo all that pain. As men orphaned by violence as children they have a lot in common and thus provide Barry with juicy philosophical food for thought. For his part, Affleck seems more at home as Batman and Bruce Wayne than ever with a ( very likely final ) performance that’s all business and sadness with a perfectly measured dash of dry humor.

Keaton, on the other hand, portrays an aged Bruce with an understated performance – too understated, at some points, almost as if he’s reluctant to rattle off his character’s most memorable lines (and some not-so-memorable ones seemingly just for the heck of it) for the nostalgia-hungry crowd. Keaton’s action scenes are the exact opposite, as we watch his Batman fight like never before thanks to modern special effects. On one hand, it’s cool to see him fling Batarangs and glide around like a bat out of Hell, but it’s also overly cartoonish when we all know that Keaton is in his 70s. It's enough to make you question why we'd ever need Batman Beyond when Senior Citizen Batman can kick that much ass. It feels like a missed opportunity to not acknowledge and explore how an older Bruce can still be Batman despite his age, especially because there's precious little substance to his character or motivation to begin with.

The Flash Trailer Images

Unfortunately, the Supergirl we meet in this mashed-up world feels more like a plot device than a fully fleshed-out character, and it’s sad to watch as her part in the story veers into cringey cliche territory. That said, actor Sasha Calle shines as much as she can given the thin nature of the role, and manages to make an impression with her disillusioned Kara Zor-El, who holds an understandable grudge against humanity.

All of those characters play major roles, but this is the first time we’ve seen Barry in a movie centered around him, and Muschietti takes care to showcase the hero’s signature powers in true blockbuster fashion. Whereas Zack Snyder rendered super speed in slow motion, Muschietti makes you feel the Gs from the the first time Flash strikes his admittedly dorky sprinting pose and takes off.

At times, there’s an uncomfortable (yet silly) intimacy in how the Flash’s powers are depicted. We quickly see that having that kind of speed isn’t as easy as it looks, and learning how Barry navigates things like friction heat and what happens to your clothes when you phase through solid matter gives you an appreciation for how clever and resourceful he is. The Quicksilver sequence in X-Men: Days of Future Past remains the king of slow-motion speedster sequences, but The Flash offers up a new one that certainly gets credit for its inventiveness. It’s a frankly ridiculous situation, but that doesn’t stop it from having genuine moments of horror among the humorous ones.

While a majority of the visual effects are superb, one in particular is not. Time travel is portrayed using a concept unlike anything we’ve seen before – and credit where it’s due for that originality – but when this “chrono bowl” (yes, that’s what they call it) depicts people, they look like eerie wax dolls with plastic hair, as if the CGI render was shut off halfway through. Given that a handful of important scenes take place there, and they ask for a lot of emotional investment from us, the distracting look ends up robbing certain big moments of their intended impact. Let's just say it didn’t bowl me over.

It’s obvious going in that The Flash deals with time travel, but nothing can quite prepare you for the blast from the past that is returning to the era of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel from 2013. It feels strange revisiting these events 10 years later, yet that ends up working to The Flash’s advantage as Barry begins to notice how things have changed in this timeline. In ways big and small, this story feels like a parting love letter to the Snyderverse, as it plays with the many toys the DCEU has introduced over the years and adds a new layer to that foundational film, and in doing so expands on Barry’s superhero journey in a profound way. Only James Gunn and Peter Safran know what’s in store for the future of the DC Universe, but if this is truly the last in-universe chapter of the Snyderverse as we know it then it’s a fitting swan song because it brings things full circle. (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is technically part of the Snyderverse but comes after what Gunn described as a “reset” of the DC Universe in The Flash .)

Who is your favorite speedster?

All of this leads up to one of the most ambitious and unwieldy third acts we’ve seen in a superhero movie in quite some time. The amount of chaos – both in action and storytelling – that unfolds threatens to overwhelm and confuse, and at times it does, but it ultimately succeeds because it manages to keep Barry’s arc at the heart of it all.

That’s owed to the fact that Barry Allen is the most impressive part of The Flash, and why it all works so well. By having Barry meet his younger self, a version of him who was never traumatized the way he was, it helps us better understand what makes him tick and where his peculiar personality comes from. Barry doesn’t start off as the most likable character, but by the end it’s hard not to root for him. We see the ways in which grief affected his life, from his non-existent social life to the way he defies the system at his forensics job to ensure proper justice is carried out.

Actor Ezra Miller excels in this double role, offering two dramatically different looks at the same character. One of the most affecting scenes of the film is just Barry having a passionate argument with his younger self. Muschietti brings in a delightful, off-beat sense of humor and Miller proves they have the comedic chops to deliver it, taking all-too-familiar superhero story ideas and upending them into laugh-out-loud moments or creative action scenes. Yet the superhero theatrics are all in service of an intimate story about the pain of grief and the strength it takes to find acceptance, and in those moments of vulnerability Miller shines just as bright.

The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief. Though the visual effects aren’t always the best and the third act is a bit overwhelming, strong performances and a refreshing earnestness keep The Flash on track and running circles around many of the recent DC Universe movies. If this is the truly last stop on the Snyderverse express, then it’s a respectable way to go out.

More Reviews by Joshua Yehl

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The Flash Reviews

For a film about a very fast man, the narrative is slow at times. The tacky CGI and video game artistry make the experience less immersive too.

Full Review | Jun 24, 2024

Michael Keaton is the main reason to see “The Flash” (2023), the 13th film in the DC Extended Universe. Feel free to arrive at the theater under one hour late to see a decent Batman sequel otherwise you will be peeking at your watch

Full Review | May 25, 2024

For 2/3 of The Flash -- and it's too long -- it's kind of fun... in the last sections it becomes slightly video game-ish.

Full Review | Jan 9, 2024

Despite having fun throughout, The Flashisn't flawless, especially in its final act. But Miller as the eponymous superhero is clearly having fun, and so are the other key characters that wouldn't think twice.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 28, 2023

Simply put, this movie is way fun and worth a watch in the theaters, put it on your list of to-do's this weekend.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 13, 2023

Given that seemingly every piece of media is unleashing its perception of whatever the multiverse may be, it’s refreshing that The Flash treats it as more of an existential test.

Full Review | Nov 10, 2023

... fun, generous, and entertaining. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 3, 2023

The Flash may be the most underrated, most underappreciated movie of the year.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 27, 2023

Are multiverses just an excuse for not picking a tone or choosing a story? Our cinema’s flavor of the last few years may just be the child of channel-surfing... The Flash makes you feel simultaneously overserved and underserved.

Full Review | Sep 29, 2023

The Flash creates not just an origin story but lays the foundation for an emotional and layered performance few expect from superhero movies. He can see how things could have been, allowing him to question how he became the man and hero he believes he is.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 23, 2023

The result of literally decades of unsuccessful development, culminating in something that – if not borderline unwatchable – is certainly the most pronounced death throe of Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe to date.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Sep 18, 2023

Color me shocked.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 8, 2023

Overall, The Flash is one of the better DCEU entries, but that’s not saying much for a universe of films often found thin or clunky. Muschietti focuses on the human side of meta-human Barry and that leads to a solid emotional journey.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 7, 2023

Perhaps the main problem with The Flash is there is too much of everything packed into its not short runtime. By the time we get to the final crisis of universes colliding it seems so inevitable that it’s tiring.

Full Review | Sep 6, 2023

With eighty percent of The Flash devoted to other DC heroes and underwhelming visual effects, the result seems like a foregone conclusion.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Aug 30, 2023

The Flash has about two-thirds of a decent storyline, utilizing a much better characterization of the beloved superhero than we saw previously in the DC cinematic universe, but sadly the film is let down by a final act that unravels into a muddled mess.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 28, 2023

Ezra Miller’s superhero outing has an affecting storyline, fan service aplenty, and an easy-way-out anticlimax; maybe this is a befitting conclusion to the DCEU storyline.

Full Review | Aug 25, 2023

Ultimately, what you want to know, dear reader, is whether or not the film is worth your time? The best answer I can offer is: sorta.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 25, 2023

The characters are so driven that the film’s most earth-shattering moments don’t come during an epic battle, but in quiet moments of reflection and recognition of one’s responsibility. If you can get beyond multiverse overkill, this one is worth watching.

Full Review | Aug 23, 2023

It's an irregular superhero film that, with a handful of cameos and visual pyrotechnics, gets off to a fast-paced start by showing the origin of a solid Barry Allen played by Miller, but whose flashes fade at considerable speed. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Aug 12, 2023

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The Flash First Reactions: A Winning Mix of Humor, Heart, Nostalgia, and Great Performances

Critics who saw an early screening of the near-completed film at cinemacon say it plays like back to the future meets spider-man: no way home , and it might be one of the best superhero movies ever..

TAGGED AS: DC Universe , First Reactions , movies

Here’s what critics on social media are saying about The Flash :

How does it compare to the other DC movies?

It’s one of DC’s best, and fits nicely as a bridge story between the old and new DCEU franchises. It’s also the funniest DC movie. – Rob Keyes, Screen Rant

By far the funniest DC movie. – Brian Truitt, USA Today

Top 3. – Dan Casey, Nerdist

It’s a real love letter to DC! – Nicola Austin, We Have a Hulk

The Flash is hands down one of the best superhero films of all time. No joke. – Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment

Is The Flash one of the best superhero movies ever? I dunno, need to think on that… There are a lot of strong ones at this point! But it’s a major standout for DC and feels like a really fitting/poignant way to close out the insane peaks and valleys that has been the DCEU to date. – Eric Goldman, Fandom

The Flash is definitely not the best superhero movie ever made, so let’s get that out of the way, but it’s an impressive DC movie with lots of emotion and loads of surprises. – Jason Guerrasio, Insider

(Photo by ©Warner Bros. Pictures)

So the hype is real?

Yeah, The Flash is legit great! – Eric Goldman, Fandom

The Flash is as good as rumored. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

Damn, The Flash is good!…Well done. – Brandon Davis, ComicBook.com

The Flash is fantastic… Andy Muschietti has crafted something special. Thumbs way up. – Steve Weintraub, Collider

Yet another winner for Andy Muschietti. – Perri Nemiroff, Collider

I honestly can’t believe The Flash actually exists. It’s magical. It presses every button. I’ll see it 1,000 times. – Sean O’Connell, Cinema Blend

The Flash is very good, especially given how oversaturated we are with multiverse stories. – Dan Casey, Nerdist

This is a film that audiences will be watching over and over again… There are some really incredible surprises that will truly blow you away. I cannot wait to see this again! – Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment

It has some stuff in it you will not believe. – Rob Keyes, Screen Rant

How would you describe it?

Nostalgic. HILARIOUS… tons of heart. – Sean O’Connell, Cinema Blend

Incredibly satisfying, heartwarming, and fun. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

Super inventive both visually and in concept. – Brandon Davis, ComicBook.com

Does this movie really have it all?

It has a little bit of everything! Action, emotion, heart, humor, and plenty of nostalgia. – Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment

It’s a successful mix of heartfelt coming-of-age components, stellar action (really loved the style of Flash’s powers & the creativity in those scenes), and a whole bunch of BIG laughs. – Perri Nemiroff, Collider

The Flash is a compelling, character-driven flick with a real emotional core amd game-changing stakes. With heart and humor aplenty – along with some shocks and surprises – there’s so much to be excited for. – Nicola Austin, We Have a Hulk

It’s got a big heart and is by far the funniest DC movie. Gets a little complicated but Sasha Calle’s a fantastic Supergirl and, hoo boy, Michael Keaton reminds us why he’s the best Batman of them all. – Brian Truitt, USA Today

It delivers some notably thrilling, fun, and creative moments I felt I hadn’t seen in a million other superhero movies. – Eric Goldman, Fandom

Some genuinely delightful set pieces too! – Dan Casey, Nerdist

What else can we compare it to?

Justice League gone Back to the Future . – Brian Truitt, USA Today

It’s Back to the Future meets Spider-Man: No Way Home with all the humor and heart of the former and action and surprises of the latter. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

It’s Spider-Man: No Way Home for DC/Batman fans. – Sean O’Connell, Cinema Blend

Obvious comparison is Spider-Man: No Way Home , but I think this does a better job with similar beats. – Dan Casey, Nerdist

Any word on the actors?

Two outstanding performances by Ezra Miller. – Sean O’Connell, Cinema Blend

I know Ezra Miller has made a lot of mistakes, but they are soooooo good in this movie. Loved Keaton. – Steve Weintraub, Collider

Performance-wise, [Miller is] excellent, and I loved Keaton. Sasha Calle is a very cool, intense presence that feels very much her own Supergirl. – Eric Goldman, Fandom

Sasha Calle is a fantastic Supergirl and, hoo boy, Michael Keaton reminds us why he’s the best Batman of them all. – Brian Truitt, USA Today

If that’s the last we see of Keaton and Affleck’s Batmans they went out on a high. Miller is great. – Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Keaton steals the show with a terrific performance. – Nicola Austin, We Have a Hulk

Are there any complaints?

If anything, it might be a tad too ambitious. – Germain Lussier, io9.com

Gets a little complicated. – Brian Truitt, USA Today

It’s a lot of movie, and there were moments when I could somewhat feel it caving under the pressure of the mechanics of the concept and the themes it’s exploring. – Perri Nemiroff, Collider

It’s also bloated at times and jam-packed with Easter eggs. – Therese Lacson, Collider

I do have criticisms at times of it… Some stuff along the way didn’t work super well but overall, it gave me a lot to enjoy. – Brandon Davis, ComicBook.com

Sasha Calle is fantastic as Supergirl but unfortunately quite underused (so far!) And yes, I’m aware of – and conflicted by – the very problematic nature of certain stars & elements. – Nicola Austin, We Have a Hulk

Final thoughts?

The Flash is the ultimate movie-going experience. – Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment

The Flash opens in theaters everywhere on June 16, 2023.

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‘The Flash’ Review: DC Makes a Solid Multiverse Film but a Poor Time Travel Story

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'In Our Blood' Review: An Audacious Horror Debut That’ll Rip Your Throat Out | Fantasia 2024

10 horror movies that are almost perfect, the 10 best war movies with great acting, ranked.

Over the last few years, movie-going audiences have been inundated with multiverses. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is currently making a dent at the box office, following up on the also-excellent Into the Spider-Verse , Marvel has been playing with the possibilities of multiple timelines for years now, and Everything Everywhere All at Once won the Best Picture Oscar earlier this year. Not only is the multiverse as a storytelling tool a way for characters that seemingly could never meet to finally come together, but it’s also a way to indulge in extreme fan service—which can be a good or a bad thing.

What Is 'The Flash' About?

The Flash , which has been in some form of development since the 1980s, is DC’s first major dip into the multiverse, and with the company’s long history of superhero projects, there are plenty of opportunities to dive into the past decades of beloved characters, heroes, and the stories that could’ve been. But The Flash isn’t just a multiverse story, it’s also a time-travel story. Based on the Flashpoint comic book storyline, The Flash ’s story has Barry Allen/The Flash ( Ezra Miller ) not only experiencing another timeline, but going back in time to do so. While The Flash is quite enjoyable as a multiverse story, the film’s biggest issues come from this time travel aspect, which sets up its own rules and then disregards them when it’s convenient.

The Flash finds Barry Allen as the self-proclaimed “janitor of the Justice League,” cleaning up the smaller messes while the other heroes handle the bad guys. In the opening scene, Allen’s The Flash has to rescue a maternity ward full of babies from falling out of a building, while Batman ( Ben Affleck ) chases after the true villains, in a scene that can’t help but remind of Christopher Nolan ’s Batman films—with Affleck riding a motorcycle reminiscent of that trilogy. But more important to him than his superhero duties is Barry’s desire to get his dad Henry ( Ron Livingston ) out of prison for the murder of Barry’s mother Nora ( Maribel Verdú ) when Barry was a child. Despite the help of Bruce Wayne with some security footage, it looks as though Henry is still going to remain behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.

Ezra Miller suited up to save the world in The Flash

RELATED: How Many Multiverses Are Too Many Multiverses?

But one night, Barry realizes he can run fast enough to actually go back in time, and if he can’t help his dad in the present, maybe he can go back and stop his mom’s death altogether? Despite Bruce saying that any changes in the past could have massive implications on the future, Barry wants his family back together and goes back to save his mom. While he is able to reunite his family, his choice has a huge impact on this reality, as he meets that timeline’s Barry, has to ensure that this alt-version also goes through the same incident that turned him into The Flash, and deal with the threat of General Zod ( Michael Shannon ) on this world.

For DC, who has had a shaky reputation in recent years with the DCU, the multiverse is kind of a perfect idea for this company that has been putting out live-action superhero stories since the 1950s. There’s a rich history of beloved characters and even more comic iterations to explore, which is what The Flash does so well. In the multiverse that Barry finds himself in, Bruce Wayne is not played by Affleck, but instead, heralds the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. In this world, Batman has cleaned up Gotham, and now, Bruce is bearded and living in a messy mansion without the assistance of Alfred. It’s great to see Keaton return in this role, and he seems to be having a ton of fun revisiting the cape and cowl, and director Andy Muschietti —like with the opening’s homage to Nolan—does his best to make this version of Wayne Manor feel like it’s straight out of Tim Burton ’s films. Keaton works as a mentor to both Barrys, and caps off his time as The Caped Crusader in a way that is a satisfying, welcome return for the character.

The Flash also has quite a bit of fun playing with these alternate-universe possibilities. In addition to Keaton, Miller is also quite excellent as the dual Barrys, bringing a sense of humor to this role while never undercutting the emotional stakes at hand in terms of trying to save his family. The Flash also introduces us to Supergirl, played by Sasha Calle , who has been trapped in a prison for years and shows her fury at the human race in a way that makes sense for this character. It was understandable for people to be mad about the DCU’s handling of Superman’s anger in the past, but with Supergirl, this rage is a practical reaction to this character’s experiences. Calle plays Supergirl as her own thing, not tied to the mannerisms or behavior of Superman, which makes her a character that feels both familiar and unique.

'The Flash' Is Best in the Smaller Moments

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne in 'The Flash

The Flash also does a nice job of exploring the mentorship within this universe. Affleck and Keaton both handle Barry(s) in their own ways, and with their shared loss of family, this connection is inherently touching in how it's handled. Similarly, it’s a joy to watch the original Barry teaching the new Barry how to use his newfound powers, and coming to some realizations about himself and his own annoyance. It’s because of these bonds and these characters that The Flash is most interesting when it's a character drama and not a superhero film.

The Flash works best when it’s centered on Allen’s desire to reunite his family, and it’s the character moments that really stand out here. Having two Barrys discuss the possibilities of the multiverse with a dirty Michael Keaton Bruce Wayne is far more interesting than the big, superhero action scenes that have become expected in the third act of DC films. The screenplay by Christina Hodson , with story by John Francis Daley , Jonathan Goldstein , and Joby Harold , is great in the smaller moments and muddled when it becomes a “superhero film.” Because of that, The Flash often feels too stuffed with ideas that not all of them are given justice. Throughout the film, Zod is almost an afterthought, and the final fight—like many DC films—often feels like a kid slamming overly-CGI’ed action figures at each other. This packed story also hurts the smaller moments, as the film also attempts to give Allen a love interest with Kiersey Clemons ’ Iris West, a journalist and former classmate of Barry, but there’s just not enough time to make her anything more than just a tool for Barry’s realizations.

Speaking of the film’s CGI and special effects, it’s almost distracting in its quality throughout The Flash . Muschietti attempts to make Barry’s running at high speeds look as cool as it can, but there’s never any weight to it, and it never feels like anything more than an actor running through a world that simply doesn’t exist. And while it’s great to see Keaton back as Batman, the overreliance on special effects in any big fights makes it clear that he was never even close to the set for these moments. But it’s not just when the fights are huge that this becomes apparent as, even in smaller scenes, the falseness of a character being added to a scene they clearly weren’t in is distracting. This is at its most awkward when Barry goes back in time and sees the multiple possibilities, which turns all the opportunities into realities that look like PlayStation 3 characters—not to mention some fairly questionable usage of likenesses.

'The Flash's Exploration of Time Travel Just Doesn't Work

Ezra Miller as two versions of The Flash and Sasha Calle as Supergirl

But the biggest flaw in The Flash is how the film explores its time travel. The Flash takes its time to set up the rules, using Back to the Future as a constant and easy reference point (in this alternate timeline, Eric Stoltz played Marty McFly, while Michael J. Fox starred in Footloose ), and even utilizing some of that film’s imagery for its own story. Without spoiling The Flash ’s ending, the film both wants to have its emotional realizations, while also still giving this character a happy ending in a way that undermines the lesson Barry is supposed to be learning in the first place. In the end, he’s still making the same mistakes, without seemingly realizing that he hasn’t grown in any way. It’s an awkward choice that in many ways damns the story overall—a false hero’s journey that never learns its lesson.

The Flash clearly wants its audience to get caught up in the excitement of multiverse adventures, returning superhero favorites, and fun antics of Barry Allen, to the point that they never consider that the time travel aspects make absolutely no sense, and only hurts the larger story in the way that it’s handled here. Thankfully, those antics are enjoyable and hard not to get excited about, but unfortunately, this isn’t a story that holds together on a narrative level. Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it’s not quite there with The Flash .

The Flash comes to theaters on June 16.

Movie Reviews
The Flash (2023)
Ezra Miller

Batman aside, 'The Flash' is far from one of the best superhero movies ever made

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead for "The Flash."
The Andy Muschietti-directed superhero movie has been overhyped by early critics.
Michael Keaton's long-awaited return as Batman/Bruce Wayne is the film's best asset.

Early critics heralded "The Flash" as one of the best superhero movies ever made . That couldn't be further from the truth.

There's a scene early in Warner Bros.' latest DC outing where the titular hero (Ezra Miller) saves a group of babies and a nurse from falling to their deaths.

The dragged out, slowed-down scene involves a baby getting closed inside an unplugged microwave to save its life. Then, Miller's Barry Allen/The Flash offers mental health advice to a screaming nurse who's in shock.

It's supposed to elicit laughter. Yet the fact that these scenes made the film's final cut given Miller's legal troubles , " complex mental health issues ," and accusations of grooming children make it difficult to separate the actor from his superhero facade.

It gets better from there, but "The Flash" isn't the spectacle some critics and celebrities promised months ago.

The Andy Muschietti-directed movie, which has been in development as far back as the '80s, loosely follows the popular DC story "Flashpoint," in which the speedster travels back in time to prevent the death of his mother (Maribel Verdú) during his childhood. Unfortunately, changing the past alters the present.

The Flash finds himself trapped in an alternate timeline where the Justice League doesn't exist and Superman villain Zod (Michael Shannon from 2013's "Man of Steel") threatens to once again take over Earth and transform it into a new home for his nearly extinct Kryptonian race.

Barry runs into his past self, a doe-eyed dingbat sans superpowers, and together they need to stop Zod and send the hero home. Help comes in the form of Supergirl (Sasha Calle) and a blast from the past — Michael Keaton's Batman, a cameo that's strategically been used in marketing, likely to take some of the attention off the film's troubled star.

Stuffed with unnecessary cameos seemingly for the sake of it, "The Flash" contains glimpses of fun, but is tonally uneven. It's often in conflict with itself over whether it wants to be a Batman nostalgia fest or about the fastest man alive.

Michael Keaton's Batman is the best thing about 'The Flash'

Let's be real. Despite being called "The Flash," audiences are likely venturing to theaters to see Keaton's reprisal as the Dark Knight. And Keaton doesn't disappoint.

"The Flash" meanders and relies on cringey and juvenile jokes for much of its first hour. (The film lingers on an unfunny gag that will go over young viewers' heads about Eric Stoltz playing Marty McFly in "Back to the Future" in a different timeline for far too long.)

It's not until Keaton shows up to fight two versions of the Flash with a broom on a table in nothing but sweats and one flip flop that the movie livens up.

Every moment with Keaton on screen makes this movie worth watching. The actor gets the film's best fight sequence while effortlessly taking down Russians to Danny Elfman's familiar theme.

Keaton reminds us his Batman can do anything efficiently, including delivering the most straightforward explanation of the multiverse in any comic-book movie to date using nothing more than a bowl of spaghetti.

Every other hero outshines The Flash in this movie.

Miller gets overshadowed in their own film any time a version of Batman shows up (I won't spoil them all here). Affleck's latest and likely last outing as the Caped Crusader delivers an exciting chase scene through Gotham, while Keaton and one other Batman received the majority of the cheers in my early June screening filled with fans and journalists.

At times, it feels like you're watching a follow-up to Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" instead of a standalone about the speedster. Throughout the film, Flash relies on Bats to formulate plans to get them out of trouble, help him restore his powers, and take down Zod.

The result is that The Flash feels more like a sidekick in his own film — even the movie poster has an identity crisis over which hero should be featured more prominently in a film titled "The Flash."

It's not just the Batmen who steal scenes.

Sasha Calle's Supergirl is another bright spot, featured in an adaptation of the popular "Red Son" Superman comic that explores what would've happened if Supes crash landed in Russia instead of a farm in Kansas. Though the film barely scratches the surface of the Eisner-winning Mark Millar story , Calle taps into a darker, more vengeful version of the hero than we've previously seen.

Unfortunately, without giving away spoilers, the way the film wraps up Keaton and Calle's storylines makes it seem likely this will be the last time we see them in live-action.

The film is riddled with awful CGI

Noticeably wonky CGI makes "The Flash" tough to fully enjoy.

The babies Flash saves near the film's start look nightmarish . Any time the hero enters the Speed Force to try and turn back time, viewers see humans who look strangely animated, as if editors didn't have time to complete the film's effects.

Apparently, it was intended to look " a little weird. " Muschietti and his sister, Barbara, who serves as a film's producer, told io9's Germain Lussier the CGI isn't a mistake . The visuals look the way they do on purpose to showcase those moments from Barry's point of view.

Such an explanation would be fine; however, viewers have seen scenes from Barry's POV in previous DC films where his surroundings look well-defined. This jarring new take doesn't match with what's been introduced in the past.

There's a better adaptation of 'Flashpoint' you can watch on Max.

"The Flash" is very good when it's a Batman movie and mediocre when it's about Barry Allen.

The film fails to answer its biggest question: Who killed Barry's mom? Any fan familiar with The CW's nine-season "Flash" series — a show that debuted after WB's 2014 movie announcement and concluded weeks before its release — knows the culprit as Reverse Flash. Here, the question is ignored despite being at the heart of the film.

A Flash baddie could've naturally tied into the film's main story.

Instead, "The Flash" bizarrely reintroduces Zod, a stale but familiar villain from one of DC's most divisive films, 2013's "Man of Steel," with a cliché goal of overtaking the planet.

In doing so, the studio oddly revisits the Snyderverse era of DC that WB refused to continue . (As a reminder, Henry Cavill reprised his role as Superman in October's "Black Adam" only to be kicked to the curb two months later .)

By the film's end, Barry doesn't learn his lesson about fiddling with the past as his selfish actions result in another (less life-threatening) shift to the multiverse. It feels like a rushed sunset and solution to cleanly reset the DC universe moving forward, likely without Miller.

WB already made a more enjoyable Flashpoint adaptation in 2013 called " Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox ," currently streaming on Max . After you get your Keaton fix, watch that.

"The Flash," also starring Kiersey Clemons and Ron Livingston, is now in theaters.

Watch: How superhero costumes have evolved over 80 years in TV and movies

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'The Flash' Review Thread

Rotten Tomatoes : 71% (91 reviews) with 6.40 in average rating

Critics consensus: While it plays too much like a sizzle reel of DC's greatest hits to fully stand on its own two feet, The Flash has enough heart and zip to maintain a confident stride.

Metacritic : 61/100 (29 critics)

As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie. It's structured like this: quote first, source second. Beware, some contain spoilers.

The early word on The Flash calling it one of the greatest superhero movies ever made was pure hyperbole. But in the bumpy recent history of the DC Extended Universe, it’s certainly an above-average entry.

- David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Miller's the Flash goes back in time to change the future and connects with Michael Keaton's Batman. But the movie, after a smart and playful first half, gives itself over to comic-book bombast.

- Owen Gleiberman, Variety

In its best moments, “The Flash” touches on something new and exciting, but too often, its the past that tugs on, keeping it from speeding ahead.

- Kate Erbland, IndieWire : B–

The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one – perhaps too strong at times – but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen’s genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief. Though the visual effects aren’t always the best and the third act is a bit overwhelming, strong performances and a refreshing earnestness keep The Flash on track and running circles around many of the recent DC Universe movies. If this is the truly last stop on the Snyderverse express, then it’s a respectable way to go out.

- Joshua Yehl, IGN : 7.0 "good"

What it amounts to is a movie that spends all its time racing from one poorly-thought out story element to another, from one only modestly satisfying nostalgia shout-out to another, and with only questionable results. How fitting, yet how disappointing: “The Flash” has the runs.

- William Bibbiani, The Wrap

This is not a movie with any new ideas or dramatic rethinking, and – at the risk of re-opening the DC/Marvel sectarian wound – nothing to compare with the much-lauded animation experiment in the recent Spider-Man films. The intellect in this intellectual property is draining away.

- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian : 2/5

The movie’s stronger underlying themes, like the importance of living in the present and learning to let things go, are overshadowed by the multiversal gymnastics. And as much good stuff as the "The Flash" features, including a nifty scene where Barry slo-mo saves a slew of falling babies in entertaining fashion, the film can't help but get tripped up by the same old hurdles.

- Brian Truitt, USA Today : 3/4

Maybe nerd culture was a mistake. The first and last 10 minutes demonstrate the winning superhero saga this might have been, but the middle two hours are devoted to sloppy, shameless fan service.

- Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

The hype is real. DC’s The Flash may not be the greatest comic book movie ever made, but it comes damn close. Easily the best in the genre since Spider-Man: No Way Home, this fresh, invigorating, and hugely entertaining summer treat is as good as it gets when it comes to cinematic takes on superheroes.

- Pete Hammond, Deadline

The Flash ends on a purposefully open note (and a pretty good joke), so that if the film succeeds at the box office, Miller's Barry can run again another day. If it doesn't, the precedent is set for a full continuity reset. Whatever DC movies await us in the future, let's hope they avoid multiverses. It's well-trod territory at this point, even for a speedster.

- Christian Holub, Entertainment Weekly : C+

Merging Looper and Looney Tunes makes for some jarring transitions between time-travel melodrama and power-mishap shenanigans. That’s never more clear than in the movie’s tail end, wherein Muschietti, who seems like a slick Spielberg-acolyte crowdpleaser in the J.J. Abrams mode, struggles with whether The Flash is an emotional cautionary tale, a universe-resetting franchise play, or just a zany sci-fi farce, subject to channel-flipping multiverse gags. You can feel The Flash wishing it could steal a glimpse into the audience and revise itself on the fly accordingly; no wonder early screenings apparently hedged on an ending until the last possible minute. Fandom has created a culture where a fun, zippy movie can’t stop looking back over its shoulder.

- Jesse Hassenger, Paste : 7.0

While I have a few complaints and there are a couple of head-scratching loose ends, "The Flash" is still a funny, emotional, action-heavy crowd-pleaser that ranks among the best DC movies ever made.

- Ben Pearson, /FILM : 7.5

Oddly, The Flash being so brilliant actually gives DC a bit of a headache. The studio’s new head honcho, James Gunn, is currently planning a much-publicised reboot of its comic book movie universe that may not include the Scarlet Speedster. Throw in Miller’s even more publicised personal problems and a poorly received film could have provided the perfect opportunity to have him (and the bad press) jog off into the sunset. Given the critical buzz and potential box office bump, that looks unlikely now. The Flash’s future is starting to look a lot sparkier than his past.

- Alex Flood, NME : 4/5

This feels like the definitive Flash movie.

- Mike Ryan, Uproxx

This much-beleagured cinematic universe has finally hit upon a winning film, and one that will be forever tainted. It’s not the most tragic thing regarding the person whirling at the center of it all — not by a long shot. But it is a reminder that you can make a superhero movie that seeks to unite all worlds but can’t quite reckon with the one outside the theater. And it’s proof that you can always run as fast as your superhuman intellectual property can manage, but there are things that you simply aren’t able to hide.

- David Fear, Rolling Stone

The Flash clearly wants its audience to get caught up in the excitement of multiverse adventures, returning superhero favorites, and fun antics of Barry Allen, to the point that they never consider that the time travel aspects make absolutely no sense, and only hurts the larger story in the way that it’s handled here. Thankfully, those antics are enjoyable and hard not to get excited about, but unfortunately, this isn’t a story that holds together on a narrative level. Cameos and fan service are fine to have, but the story has to be there to back them up, and it’s not quite there with The Flash.

- Ross Bonaime, Collider : C+

One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, "The Flash" is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for its competence only to instantly face-plant into the nearest wall.

- Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com : 2.5/4

Even despite being saddled with the baggage of the DCU’s failures, that the story that works in The Flash manages to shine through the noise is no small feat. The bitter irony, of course, is that even its artistic victories are tempered by the film being released in the shadow of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which hits nearly every story beat and big swing for nostalgia attempted here, but with exponentially more finesse, grace, and emotional power. Nothing Batman or Supergirl do in The Flash to save the world is more effective than what Barry does to save it with a hug and a can of tomatoes.

- Justin Clark, Slant : 2.5/4

Considering how “The Flash” makes many of its characters face death and inevitability throughout, “The Flash” should not feel as hollow as it does. But you can’t blame Barry for it. He’s just a high-energy tour guide here, as everything around him becomes a blur leading us to the next reference. It has taken so long for a feature-length “The Flash” to finally hit theaters, and he’s too late. Barry is barely the lead character of his own movie.

- Nick Allen, The Playlist : C

It’s clear that DC doesn’t really know what it’s paying tribute to, other than the knowledge that other comic book movies exist. The Flash, much like Barry himself, has been stranded with no real sense of history, and no real sense of the future, either. It does the best it can.

- Clarisse Loughrey, The Independent : 3/5

Barry Allen / The Flash travels back in time to prevent his mother's death, which traps him in an alternate reality without metahumans. Barry enlists the help of his younger self, an older Batman and the Kryptonian castaway Supergirl in order to save this world from the restored General Zod and return to his universe.

Andy Muschietti

Christina Hodson

John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein & Joby Harold

Benjamin Wallfisch

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Henry Braham

Jason Ballantine & Paul Machliss

RELEASE DATE

June 16, 2023

144 minutes

$220 million

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash

Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman

Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl

Michael Shannon as General Zod

Ron Livingston as Henry Allen

Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen

Kiersey Clemons as Iris West

Antje Traue as Faora-Ul

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman

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Movie review: Ezra Miller speeds back to the future in ‘The Flash,’ fueled by calories and cameos

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller, from left, Michael Keaton and Ezra Miller in a scene from “The Flash.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller, from left, Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle in a scene from “The Flash.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller, from left, Sasha Calle and Ezra Miller in a scene from “The Flash.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller, left, and Sasha Calle in a scene from “The Flash.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ezra Miller in a scene from “The Flash.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

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“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature,” went a famous ’70s commercial catchphrase. But we learn in “The Flash” — the much awaited, long gestated new DC Studios offering — that it’s Father Time one musn’t cross. Because trying to change the past can really mess you up when you get back to the future and realize you’ve inadvertently changed that, too.

But of course, we already knew that. We learned it from Marty McFly, immortalized by Eric Stoltz in “Back to the Future.”

Relax! Of course it was Michael J. Fox, though Stoltz was initially cast in the role. But in “The Flash,” Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) realizes just how badly he’s messed up the space-time continuum when he arrives back from changing the past — just one teensy little thing, really — and learns that in his current world, Fox never replaced Stoltz. “I’ve destroyed the universe,” he frets in a laugh-out-loud moment.

If only the whole film, directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Christina Hodson, felt this breezily clever and entertaining. Alas, the final act bogs down in what feels like an endless, generic CGI battle and a kitchen-sink resolution that leaves one feeling just a little exhausted and somewhat confused.

We first meet Barry — Miller, whose naturally jittery energy is an excellent fit here — on the way to his job at a forensics lab, stopping to order breakfast. But then he gets a call from Alfred — yes, you know the one — needing his help in an imminent disaster. Barry turns into his red-suited alter-ego but desperately needs calories for fuel, begging a bystander for her candy bar.

Soon, in a rescue scene that’s audacious but also a little absurd, Barry is saving falling newborn babies from a collapsing hospital while desperately eating snacks. He also saves a maternity nurse — then suggests she seek the help of a mental health professional to cope with the trauma, noting “the Justice League is not very good at that yet.”

And now we must take a moment to consider the elephant in the room. Because it sure seems the movie wants us to.

If you’ve been reading about Miller lately, you know about the talented actor’s offscreen troubles. They’ve apologized for past behavior and said they’re undergoing mental health treatment.

So it hardly seems the line to the nurse is a coincidence, even if much of the trouble emerged during lengthy post-production. Could this be a subtle plea for empathy, so we can then appreciate what is, certainly, a compelling performance from Miller as not one, but two lead characters (why two? We’re getting to that.)

In any case, that line also sets a tone for many self-referential quips and sequences in a film that seems to thrive on, well, referring to itself and its roots. In this, the first standalone “Flash” film, the lineage of past Batmans, Supermans and associated characters is evoked early and often through surprise cameos. At one moment it feels like we’re watching an Oscar memorial reel; it garnered reverential applause at the screening I attended.

But back to the plot: Barry needs food, but what really powers him is the tragic murder of his mother (Maribel Verdu) in their home when he was a boy. Even worse, his father (Ron Livingston) is imprisoned — unjustly — for the crime.

Barry, desperate to prove his father innocent, suddenly discovers a way to go back in time (technical details are sparse, but it partly involves running REALLY fast) and comes up with a grander idea still. What if he could go back and prevent the whole sequence of events that led to his mother’s death? His friend and current Batman (the Ben Affleck version) tells him what a bad idea this is.

But Barry goes back anyway and makes a change, and what do you know — oops! – a younger Barry shows up (you may have seen them both in the trailer.) And now, for reasons too tough to explain within our word limit, Barry senior is potentially stuck in the wrong universe, with Barry junior.

What’s more, villainous General Zod (Michael Shannon) has returned, threatening total destruction. The Barrys need help. That’s how we find them with Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, analyzing a pack of spaghetti.

It’s Keaton, having a fine time in his return as a graying, reluctant superhero, who explains the whole multiverse thing, showing with a deft manipulation of pasta strands how the past can’t change without the future changing. It all ends up with a gaggle of crazy spaghetti drowning under a shower of tomato sauce: a hot mess.

And we haven’t had time to mention Supergirl — newcomer Sasha Calle, who doesn’t get much to do before the battling starts, but at least provides some minimal female presence. Kiersey Clemons as a vague love interest has even less to do.

At one point in this 184-minute drama, I started wondering if I was seeing a bunch of disco balls trying to destroy each other. But maybe this was a moment of sensory overload.

Is a sequel in the offing, if the stars align offscreen as well? They’d have to come up with even more cameos, more surprises. Speaking of surprise: it’s probably never a good idea to leave while the credits are still rolling.

But again, we already knew that.

“The Flash,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America “for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity.” Running time: 184 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

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‘The Flash’ Review: DC’s Trip Into the Movie Multiverse Is Wild, Weird, and Ultimately Wearying

Kate erbland, editorial director.

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The release of DC’s “ The Flash ” comes at a particularly complicated time for the superhero outfit — there’s the myriad documented concerns, both potentially criminal and definitely personal , that have plagued star Ezra Miller , plus the issues that have pushed DC Studios into a moment of change and upheaval — but perhaps the most immediate worry is that the film arrives on the heels of another superhero blockbuster that covers similar ground, and does it better by nearly every metric.

Yet, taken on its own merits, Andy Muschietti’s film has lots to offer, and frequently shows flashes (apologies) of brilliance that set it a cut above most of its existing DC Universe brethren . In its best moments, the film is funny, ambitious, and heartfelt, but it’s also frequently buried under iffy effects, convoluted storytelling, and a been-there-done-that familiarity that’s hard to shake. Just days after so many superhero fans were reminded of the possibility of the genre , “The Flash” mostly feels like a great example of a dying breed of blockbuster joint. It’s, somehow, already dated.

A high-energy opening sequence steeps us in Barry’s everyday life, from the necessity of a high-caloric breakfast (and a natty smartwatch that tells him when his energy is running low) to the high levels of popularity he enjoys when he’s in his super suit (he’s basically a nobody when he’s out of it), as the speedster is dispatched to help Batman (Ben Affleck) and Alfred (Jeremy Irons) during a Gotham-set hospital disaster. It’s a wonderful kick-off, showing off The Flash’s prodigious powers and his wily sense of humor, as he cracks wise about being the Justice League’s janitor while also saving a pack of babies in increasingly ingenious ways.

“The Flash” opts for an ambitious — and, we’re guessing, potentially divisive — way of showing off Barry’s time-turning powers: when he runs fast enough, he lands in a massive amphitheater (eventually referred to as the “Chronobowl”) in which every iteration of Barry’s life, every possible universe, flows up and out. All he has to do is run fast enough and far enough, and he can pick which moment to pop back into. Like, oh, perhaps the moment his mother forgot to buy a can of tomatoes, which ultimately led to her death in the Allen family home all those years ago? Barry, for all of his smarts, can’t deny what his heart wants: to save his mother, to save his father, to save himself.

Other things have changed, too, flourishes that run the gamut and are often quite funny and clever — this timeline includes everything from a fast casual joint named “Bananabee’s” to a “Back to the Future” franchise that really did star the originally-cast Eric Stoltz (Michael J. Fox? Isn’t he the guy in “Footloose”? Kevin Bacon? No, no, he’s the star of “Top Gun”!) — original enough choices that add real pop to an otherwise heady storyline. But Barry (and, yes, Other Barry) have too many problems to really enjoy them, including yet another major roadblock: Other Barry doesn’t have powers, and when he finally gets them, our original Barry is left without them. Sounds like a fun fight for General Zod.

( Small spoiler alert for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” here. ) In “Across the Spider-Verse” the breaking of “canon” — changing the core events that are duplicated in the life of every Spidey, from being bitten by a radioactive spider to losing a close compatriot who happens to be a police captain — is so dangerous that it has the power to rip the very fabric of the multiverse itself. Changing these key plot points is so horrifying that it’s basically forbidden, but it is possible . In “The Flash,” the concept of canon events is flipped on its head: Bruce calls them “inevitable intersections,” essential moments that occur in every timeline, no matter how many tweaks Barry (or whoever) tries to throw at them.

Part of the problem: the way this all looks and moves. This particular story doesn’t work without two Barry Allens and Miller, for all their off-screen troubles, does turn in wonderful, funny, soulful performances in both iterations, but this ambitious idea isn’t entirely supported by the technology at hand. Once you start seeing the seams, the moments when Miller’s face is obviously stitched on another body, when these two superheroes are clearly not in the same room (of course such a thing is not possible, but what of the possibility of movie magic in tricking us to think it?), when the artifice of this entire outing is lost to fuzzy effects, it’s all too easy to fall out of the feature.

And then? You can’t help but see more seams, more problems, more cracks. And, as is the case with most time travel stories, the less time you spend trying to understand and untangle how it all works, the better. Once that veil is lifted, it’s hard to fall back into the film (to say nothing of the itchy feeling inspired by its ending, probably once very fun and tongue-in-cheek, but that now feels utterly played out and exhausting).

Warner Bros. will release “The Flash” in theaters on Friday, June 16.

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THE FLASH Spoilers : Plot Breakdown Reveals Biggest Surprises, Cameos, And Changes Made By DC Studios

Following Tuesday's screening of The Flash at CinemaCon, we have a breakdown of the film's biggest moments and surprises, including the cameos and how much DC Studios has changed the story since being formed.

This week, Warner Bros. held screenings of The Flash for both CinemaCon attendees and fanboy bloggers in the UK. Inevitably, Twitter, Reddit, and countless other social media platforms are now packed full of spoilers for the film.

The cut shown on Tuesday isn't final and more changes are expected to be made in the weeks ahead. Scenes are likely to be cut, and others may be added, but after combing through several plot leaks, we've been able to put together a breakdown that covers everything from The Flash 's cameos to the new ending.

That's right, Warner Bros. and DC Studios have given the Scarlet Speedster's first solo outing a totally different ending which means it no longer sets the stage for Crisis on Infinite Earths or anything DCEU-related.

To find out more about that and what else happens in The Flash , you just need to tap the NEXT button.

The Flash's Secret Origin

Shortly after an action-packed opening which sees The Flash team up with both Batman and Wonder Woman, we learn the Scarlet Speedster first gained his powers in 2013 and donned a makeshift costume to help protect Metropolis during General Zod's attack on the city.

Later, following another failed attempt to clear his father's name after his mother was murdered, Barry contemplates travelling back in time save her.

Despite Batman's protests, he does so, and removes a can of tomato soup from a grocery store, ensuring his mom will have to go elsewhere to find it and thereby won't be home at the time of her murder. Mission achieved, he races back to the present, only to be attacked by Dark Flash and left stranded in 2013 where he meets his younger, powerless self.

Batman Returns

Realising his younger counterpart won't get powers now his mother is still alive, Barry attempts to replicate the moment he was struck by lightning...and it works.

Unfortunately, it means he loses his speed when he's also struck by lightning and, when General Zod arrives on Earth, there's no Superman to stop him. The two heroes travel to Wayne Manor in Gotham City to seek out his help, but find a new Bruce Wayne (yes, you guessed it, it's the version played by Michael Keaton).

He initially has little to no interest in helping them, but after deducing that The Flash's actions have caused different timelines to become tangled - the Multiverse is infinite and rather than transforming the DCEU, it appears the hero has created a new timeline - Batman agrees to help them find the Man of Steel.

Meet Superman Meet Supergirl

Batman tracks Superman down to a military base in Siberia, but they don't find Kal-El there; instead, it's Kara Zor-El, his cousin. She was captured as a child and has spent her entire life locked up.

She initially flees and powers up after being exposed to sunlight, returning to save the two Barry Allens and Batman from the attacking guards.

Back at Wayne Manor, the problem with Zod is getting worse - he's looking to terraform the planet and begins in the desert rather than the city with no Superman to oppose him - and the present day Barry needs his speed. Batman's attempt to electrocute the hero fails, but when Kara flies him into a storm, his powers return.

The Final Battle

A huge fight ensues when The Flashes, Batman, and Supergirl arrive to confront Zod, but it's a fight that can only end one way: with the deaths of Bruce and Kara. The older Barry figures out that they've reached a fixed point in the timeline, but his younger self (who has developed a crush on Supergirl) refuses to believe it.

He races back in time to fix things and keeps trying until he eventually vanishes into the Speed Force. Dark Flash returns and we learn the villain is actually that past Barry; after spending years travelling through time without success, he's come to hate his older self for ever changing the timeline and wants to kill him.

From what we can gather, the present day Barry then races back to undo the moment he saved his mother (that's the only way to fix everything) and is pursued by Dark Flash who is stopped when an earlier version of past self reappears and makes the ultimate sacrifice. In the Speed Force, it's cameo time...

The Flash's Cameos

There's been a lot of talk about The Flash 's cameo appearances, but tempering expectations might be best. We've been told that this sequence is very VFX-heavy and may be more akin to seeing the "shape" of these characters rather than the actors themselves.

With this being an unfinished cut, it's tough to say, but we can share some names with you. There's Christopher Reeve (Superman), Helen Slater (Supergirl), Adam West (Batman), Nicholas Cage as Superman fighting a giant robot spider, George Clooney (Batman), and Teddy Sears (Jay Garrick).

There may be more, but it sounds like repeat viewings are going to be necessary to catch 'em all. Henry Cavill and Jason Momoa are also used, though we've heard that it's only through footage recycled from Justice League .

A Cliffhanger...Or Farewell

Barry does the right thing and puts the can back, ensuring his mother is killed and the timelines are restored. Batman and Supergirl's sacrifices aren't changed, though that timeline may no longer exist. And, even if it does, the Multiverse means there are countless versions of them out there.

On his way home, The Flash makes one last tweak in order to ensure his father's freedom and the present appears to have been restored.

However, when he encounters Batman, it's not Affleck's Dark Knight. We only see this Caped Crusader's feet, but it sounds like Warner Bros. either plans to add a huge cameo here as a surprise that won't be spoiled in advance of June 16 or as a way of making it so that Barry could be in the DCU with that Batman.

Or left in yet another timeline in the Multiverse separate from the DCU! DC Studios has certainly made some major changes...

The Flash's Original Ending

For the most part, the film itself played out in very much the same way in the pre-DC Studios cut.

In that version, however, Dark Flash was more of a spectre haunting Barry in the Speed Force and he learns he'd have eventually become that monster had he not fixed time. It's Batman's death that prompts him to fix things in this cut and there's just hope back in the present Henry Allen could one day be freed from prison.

Bruce's car pulls up, but it's Keaton who steps out. Supergirl joins them and the movie ends with them asking Barry how they're still there. With that, Cavill's Superman would have been written out of reality alongside Affleck's Batman, hence why we'd have seen Keaton in Batgirl and beyond.

Crisis On Infinite Earths

The Flash now has a far more definitive conclusion, with the door open to either leaving this Barry in a new timeline we never visit again or bringing him into the DCU.

CinemaCon attendees didn't get any post-credits scenes, but this previous cut saw Barry helping Momoa's Aquaman get home after a drunken night out. Returning to his apartment, the Fastest Man Alive received a video message from Affleck's Caped Crusader in which he pleads for help from the timeline he's been left stranded in.

With that, the stage would have been set for a Crisis on Infinite Earths event, a film no longer happening with DC Studios in charge. Cavill and Gal Gadot's new scenes, shot last year before DC Studios was formed, are also gone. So too are any direct references to the SnyderVerse.

THE FLASH: Hot Toys Has Canceled Its Upcoming Young Barry Allen Figure (But Not For The Reason You'd Expect)

Christopher Reeve's Children Confirm They Had No Involvement With His CGI SUPERMAN Cameo In THE FLASH

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10 Reddit Theories About The Flash Movie We Hope Come True

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With The Flash movie set to release in June 2023, it's no surprise that many fans have shared their theories and speculations. Thus far, it has been confirmed that Ezra Miller will be returning as the Flash, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will both star as their iterations of Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Sasha Calle will make an appearance as Supergirl.

RELATED: 10 DC Movies The Flash Needs To Reference

It has also been confirmed that The Flash movie will revolve around the Flash traveling back in time to prevent his mother's murder. However, his actions lead to the creation of an alternate timeline, hence the appearance of Michael Keaton's Batman. There are plenty of fan theories surrounding this film, particularly on Reddit, where potential viewers are speculating about the likely cameos and villains in this film.

10 Reverse-Flash Will Make An Appearance

Reverse Flash runs with red lightning from DC Comics.

Fans began speculating that Eobard Thawne, aka Reverse-Flash , will be the villain of The Flash when the teaser trailer dropped late last year. Thawne is Barry Allen's nemesis in the comics, having dedicated his life to studying the exploits of the Flash before deciding he wanted to kill and replace Barry. A popular villain, it would make perfect sense for Thawne to be the movie's main antagonist.

However, many fans have speculated that the second mystery Barry in the trailer is the Reverse-Flash. Fans also theorize that some plot twist in the multiverse will lead to Reverse-Flash's creation and perhaps, the mysterious 'other' Barry will turn out to be Eobard Thawne.

9 Many Are Hoping Henry Cavill Will Return As Superman

Henry Cavill's Superman fights in Smallville in Man of Steel

Henry Cavill is an absolute fan favorite in the DCEU, with many fans claiming that he is the best Superman yet. With that in mind, fans are desperate for him to make an appearance in The Flash , especially since Supergirl is set to star in the movie.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Multiverses Are Bad For Comics

However, this Supergirl might hail from a different universe than Superman, which could lead to an interesting twist in the story. Unfortunately, there have been no hints of Cavill's return as the Man of Steel, but theories point to Cavill making a cameo in Peacemaker or other DC projects.

8 Fans Wonder How Far The Flash Will Take Flashpoint

The Flash's costume shredding in Flashpoint

It has been confirmed that Flashpoint will happen in some capacity, but how far will The Flash 's film take it? Reddit user u/ItsPizzaTime theorizes that Barry Allen will go back in time, save his mother, and create the Flashpoint. However, the user also theorized that Flashpoint will inadvertently erase the events of Man of Steel , Batman V Superman , and Zack Snyder's Justice League , effectively rebooting the franchise.

Moreover, u/ItsPizzaTime theorized that Barry will encounter the Arrowverse's Barry. If this happened, as well as Flashpoint, it will place the DCEU's Barry in another universe. U/ItsPizzaTime then added that Barry's new universe could be the same universe as Michael Keaton's Batman; a Gotham where Thomas Wayne lived or where Bruce is teaching a new generation of heroes.

7 Some Theories Suggest That Alternate Versions Of Characters Will Star

Catwoman (Michelle Pfieffer) and Batman (George Clooney)

Given that it has been confirmed that Michael Keaton will appear as an alternate universe Batman, Reddit users have suggested that it's possible there will be other alternate universe cameos. Fans have speculated that audiences might see George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer reprising their roles, if only for brief moments while Barry is speeding back in time.

Theories suggest that, as Barry is accidentally creating the Flashpoint, viewers will catch glimpses of alternate Batmans and DC villains. One of the alternate characters could even acknowledge Barry.

6 Barry's Time Travel Could Prevent The Wayne Building's Collapse

As u/ItsPizzaTime observed, Flashpoint will inevitably make alterations to the DCEU, whether that means erasing the characters of this universe or changing their storylines. Fans on Reddit have speculated that rather than being wiped from existence, Flashpoint will change Batman's motivations for battling Superman and forming the Justice League.

RELATED: The 10 Strongest Justice League Rosters, Ranked

One of the most interesting theories is that Flashpoint will somehow prevent the Wayne Building from collapsing in Man of Steel , thus preventing Batman from seeking revenge on Superman in Batman V Superman and avoiding Superman's death. As a result, Bruce Wayne will retire earlier from his vigilantism, perhaps handing his responsibilities over to one of his proteges or being comfortable with the idea of other heroes protecting Gotham.

5 Some Fans Believe The Crime Syndicate Will Be The Movie's Antagonists

Reddit user u/coie1985 theorized that Flashpoint might reveal a place where an evil version of the Justice League resides and suggests that the evil Justice League will be the antagonist of The Flash movie. This version of the Justice League is known as the Crime Syndicate of America, consisting of Atomica, Deathstorm, Grid, Johnny Quick, The Martian, The Outsider, Owlman, Power Ring, Sea King, Superwoman, and Ultraman.

The Syndicate made their first appearance in Justice League of America #29 in 1964 and have yet to make an appearance in the DCEU, meaning many fans are itching to see them appear on the silver screen. While the Syndicate might not be the primary antagonists of The Flash , they could make an appearance and set up a plot for future movies or television shows.

4 An Alternate Barry And Batfleck Could Become Red Death

Red electricity crackles around Red Death as he speeds past a pile of skulls.

Red Death is an evil version of Batman from Earth-52 and a relatively new addition to the DC canon, having first made his appearance in Dark Days: The Casting #1 . Red Death is a member of the Dark Knights, a group of vigilantes from the Dark Multiverse whose goal is to help Barbatos plunge the main DC Multiverse into darkness.

Reddit user u/ProfessorSaltine theorized that, in The Flash , an alternate universe Barry will merge with Ben Affleck's Batman and will become Red Death. If this happens, Ben Affleck's Batman would die and it would open the door for Michael Keaton to reprise his role as Batman.

3 The Flash's Supergirl Should Be Kara Zor-El

Supergirl standing in midair and smiling

Another Reddit user speculated that the Supergirl who has been announced to star in The Flash will be Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin. Kara Zor-El first appeared in Action Comics #252 . If u/MunroMcLaren's theory is true, it certainly would be interesting to see the dynamic between Supergirl and Superman if he also makes an appearance in The Flash .

RELATED: 10 Reasons the '90s Flash Show Is Better Than the CW's (And 10 Why It's Worse)

If this theory comes true, Superman and Supergirl may not know they're related. According to current fandom understanding, Kara is older than Superman and the two grew up separately. It would be exciting to see Supergirl and Superman interact.

2 Many Fans Are Hoping For Grant Gustin To Make A Cameo

Grant Gustin currently plays the Flash in the Arrowverse TV show, The Flash , and has also starred in Arrow alongside Steven Amell. Given that the show is still running and The Flash movie will tackle some aspect of Flashpoint, fans have speculated that Gustin's Flash will cameo as another timeline's Barry Allen.

Similar to what took place Spider-Man: Far From Home with the three Peter Parkers, Grant Gustin could even help Ezra Miller's Flash take down the Reverse-Flash or mend the damage that was caused by Flashpoint.

1 Black Adam Could Feature As A Villain Or An Ally

Considering that Black Adam 's trailer just dropped, fans are hyped for Dwayne Johnson's first venture into superhero cinema and for Black Adam to get his own standalone movie. Given that hype, many DC fans are wondering whether the release of Black Adam will set up hints for The Flash and if Black Adam will make an appearance in the next Flash movie.

Black Adam has appeared as both a hero and villain in the comics as he has lived for thousands of years. Since Zack Snyder's Justice League already introduced the likes of Martian Manhunter, perhaps Black Adam appearing in The Flash isn't totally unreasonable.

NEXT: 10 DC Comics That Would Make Perfect DCEU Movies

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‘The Flash’ Review – A Comic Book Epic That Mostly Succeeds

Just last month, The Flash series on The CW came to an end after being on air for nine seasons since October 2014. Around that same time, Warner Bros. cast Ezra Miller in their feature film version of The Flash and confirmed that this would not be connected to Grant Gustin’s TV adventures as the Scarlet Speedster. Since that announcement, The Flash has seen arguably one of if not the bumpiest public development path for any comic book movie, going from Phil Lord and Chris Miller ( The Lego Movie , 21 Jump Street ) to Seth Grahame-Smith ( Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter , The Lego Batman Movie ) to director Rick Famuyiwa ( Dope , The Mandalorian ) to Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley ( Game Night , Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ) and then finally to Andy Muschietti ( Mama , It ) who then had to delay production of the film due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, after a slew of release date changes, The Flash (2023) is here at last. With Ezra Miller’s reprisal of Barry Allen in the lead role, the film also features the long-awaited returns of both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton as their respective versions of Batman, Additionally, The Flash features Sasha Calle donning the cape of Supergirl as well as an exciting appearance from Michael Shannon as the infamous General Zod from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel . All of this, of course, connects through a script written by Christina Hodson ( Bumblebee , Birds of Prey ) that is inspired by the famous Flashpoint comic by Geoff Johns.

We follow Barry Allen as he travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, which subsequently traps him in an alternate reality without metahumans. He enlists the help of his younger self from that universe, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in order to save this universe from the returning General Zod and return to his timeline. The Flash has already been touted by many within Hollywood as an unmissable experience, from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav calling it the best superhero movie he’s ever seen to James Gunn declaring it as one of his new favorites of the genre. While some of these reactions have been criticized for being hyperbolic, it’s hard to disagree that The Flash is honestly a sensational blockbuster, tying elements from various franchises and weaving them into an enjoyable narrative that has high-action stakes with excellent payoff.

Ezra Miller as two versions of Barry Allen, one younger with long hair and the other older with short hair, in two different colored Flash costumes stand next to Sasha Calle as Supergirl in the Batcave in THE FLASH.

Across the board, the performances in The Flash are generally great. Ezra Miller does a top-tier job of not only bringing new dimensions to their own interpretation of Barry Allen after their first appearances in the franchise but also when playing their younger doppelganger. They successfully capture a unique, fully-fleshed take on Barry within the multiverse, creating two separate characters that surprisingly bounce off each other really well. Whereas the original Barry acts more experienced and prudent when trying to solve the mess of time travel at hand, the younger Barry is more reminiscent of the hero’s appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League as more fresh-faced and excited about being a superhero for the first time ever.

Michael Keaton perfectly slips back into the role of Batman, bringing a great performance that will find no trouble delighting audiences and giving them what they came for. Once Keaton finally appears in costume and Danny Elfman’s iconic theme plays, you’re left wanting more in the best ways possible. Unfortunately, where Keaton’s Batman does suffer is in his dialogue. The classic caped crusader is given not enough emotional weight within the story and is often reduced to recognizable one-liners from his previous films. This often makes Keaton’s Batman look reductive and feel like an action figure rather than an actual three-dimensional character with a legitimate purposeful reason for coming back after three decades aside from the current trend of multiverse stories and legacy reprisals.

Sasha Calle as Supergirl dominates The Flash whenever she’s on screen. For this being one of Calle’s first major performances, she ensures to make an impact on the viewer by delivering a fantastic performance full of love and anger. The only complaint comes with her noticeable lack of screen time. However, key moments like her standoff with General Zod showcase that Supergirl is arguably the most memorable character in The Flash . All that can be said is that if Sasha Calle isn’t allowed to reprise Kara Zor-El in the planned Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie for the DCU, then this would be a major mistake by DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn.

Michael Keaton returns as Batman in his classic costume from the 90s in THE FLASH.

The Flash has a shining roster of smaller supporting characters as well. This includes Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, who shares a handful of entertaining interactions with Ezra Miller‘s Barry Allen, and Michael Shannon’s return as General Zod. Shannon is an intimidating antagonist as always, albeit this is more to the credit of Man of Steel as the threat of Zod only works for those who have at least seen that film. Ben Affleck delivers the same superb performance as his Batman per usual. What’s even better are his scenes as Bruce Wayne, sharing heartfelt words with Barry that really make you appreciate all that Affleck has brought to the role over his tenure. A special shout-out is warranted for Maribel Verdú as Barry’s mother Nora Allen, who brings perhaps the best performance of The Flash in the limited scenes she appears in.

Where The Flash falters is in pacing. Like the titular hero himself, the film often speeds through the development of its characters and plot points, leaving us with little time to digest. Certain emotional beats are impacted by this, where we’re expected to react with emotional uproar or sadness but everything has so quickly ran to this point that there’s not a satisfying connection with the characters in question for you to feel anything to what’s going on. Furthermore, the pacing often shoves Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle to the side with their character development happening off-screen. While Barry Allen should always be the main focus, the supporting roles still act as pillars in maintaining the narrative. By not properly developing Batman or Supergirl’s arcs, a lot of the emotional payoff does not land as successfully.

Visually, The Flash is ambitious in the best ways and the worst ways. Andy Muschietti creates the first true comic book epic on the big screen since perhaps Avengers: Endgame . Many set pieces are a feast for the eyes, especially the Batcave which looks like the best live-action design we’ve ever seen for the location. Other visual concepts like the Flash’s superspeed from one location to another are innovative and exciting, forming something that is unlike anything audiences will have seen before. On the other hand, the VFX and CGI, especially within the film’s back half, lack proper polishing. This problem never gets to the point of it being distracting, though some sequences towards the end look visually bland when compared to the rest of the awe-inspiring images that came before. This makes the third act of The Flash feel rather derivative of other superhero titles.

A younger version of Barry Allen played by Ezra Miller takes a photo of Supergirl played by Sasha Calle flying outisde the window of the Batwing on his phone in THE FLASH.

Where the film truly shines is within the biggest emotional beats with Barry. Christina Hodson and Andy Muschietti combine forces in such a splendid way for these sequences that are written with such heart and directed with a loving passion. As mentioned earlier, there are some scenes that are intended to be emotional to the audience but fall flat due to the nature of the pacing upending any sense of stakes, however, the scenes that do work as some of the best from recent comic book adaptations. Pivotal moments between Ezra Miller and Maribel Verdú, as well as Ron Livingston as Barry’s father Henry Allen, are core examples of this effectiveness. Even if The Flash fails in building up the supporting cast around Barry Allen, Miller’s shared chemistry with Verdu and Livingston sell the entire viewing experience.

It’s no surprise why big Hollywood names across the board have been hyping up The Flash . It’s a true comic book epic with palpable stakes and a heavy cinematic weight that comes with (most of) its visuals. When the problems of pacing and establishing the supporting cast arise, these issues are often squashed by the pure power of the emotional core of this film. The Flash may not get everything right, but it does succeed in flourishing a superhero tale filled with heart… more than plenty of other comic book movies that’s for sure. And, sometimes, all you need is a good story that tugs on the heartstrings.

The Flash hits theaters June 16!

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A beloved and long-running TV series based on DC Comics is The Flash, and, over 8 years, the show has managed to bring in iconic Flash characters like Zoom, Reverse-Flash, Godspeed, and Killer Frost to appease their comic-loving audience. With the promise of a ninth season coming soon, there are questions as to what direction the show will take next.

The Flash CW series is home to a plethora of mind-boggling universes and storylines. From the very first episode to the latest season finales, Redditors have taken time to share which storylines they believe are the best.

The Flash Family vs. Godspeed

The-Flash-Family-In-The-Flash-Season-7-Finale

As a result of later seasons of The Flash, fans have seen one of the best Flash villains in the comics on-screen. The white-suited speedster, Godspeed, has powers nearly unrivaled, so Barry has to recruit more runners like him, thus introducing the camaraderie of the Flash Family.

Related: 10 Filler Episodes In The Flash That Are Still Great

Redditor BrownMambaOfficial notes that while most people didn't like the Season 7 finale, they enjoyed seeing the Flash Family together. "It was a pretty cool scene and we got to see some new abilities," they write. They continue to note that the Flash Family and Godspeed's fight choreography was well better done than many of the other climactic fights from the show.

Bloodwork's Character Arc

The Flash: Ramsey Rosso becomes Bloodwork

Dr. Ramsey Rosso once contributed greatly to research and medical development for Central City, even working alongside Caitlyn Snow. But his obsession with blood and finding a cure for HLH through the use of dark matter turned him into a much more harrowing doctor—one able to control blood.

Reddit user UntilTmrw thinks this is one of the best character arcs, writing that they are "glad he's getting the respect he deserves." They argue that Bloodwork, as a villain, is one of the best, but correctly note that he doesn't get as much attention as he should in other Flash media.

Cisco's Back-and-forth With His Powers

From the beginning of the series, one character with the most appearances in The Flash has been Cisco. In the second season, Cisco is more than just a scientist that loves pop culture and coining new supervillain names; he becomes Vibe.

Redditor RoseCentaur1916 writes, "Cisco is my favorite character...If you ask me, Cisco is the heart and soul of the show." Perhaps his appeal comes from learning to live with powers he didn't ask for or his well-balanced comedic relief moments throughout the show. Nevertheless, Cisco is not just another side character for everyone.

Harrison Sherloque Wells Comes To Earth-One

Hailing from Earth-221, Harrison Sherloque Wells is a renowned detective—a sort of Hercule Poirot of another universe—who has solved massive mysteries in his time. As a result of Flashpoint, Sherloque Wells lands on Earth-One and starts helping Barry as he faces even more imminent threats to Central City.

Redditor sanddragon939 comments on Sherloque's appearance in Season 5, saying, "Season 5 is a pretty solid and entertaining season...Sherloque is one of my favorite Wells." A part of Flashpoint and the Speedforce that is always entertaining is the possibility of seeing new versions of familiar characters that the multiverse has to offer, and Sherloque was a successful contribution to that.

Captain Cold As A Reasonable Villain

Between Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash, Captain Cold has received a considerable amount of screen time for a side villain. The character is played by Wentworth Miller, who portrays a villain not as cold as his name and weaponry may suggest.

Related: 10 Arrowverse Side Characters With Main Character Energy

Reddit user Calonsus writes that "he was a great villain in Central City who could be reasoned with when necessary." Captain Cold played a somewhat significant role in the trajectory of the Mirror Master arc in The Flash and even more so in Legends of Tomorrow. Many fans appreciate that he's not evil beyond reproach but instead has specific goals and is willing to be talked into other courses of action that may not be so detrimental to others.

Reverse-Flash

Easily ranking as the best villain from Season 1 —and arguably of the entire series so far—is Eobard Thawne's Reverse-Flash. A season-long setup for a dramatic plot twist leads to one of Barry's most trusted and close friends being the one that killed his mother and wants to do the same to him.

Redditor RedactedGamertag argues that Thawne/Reverse-Flash "is and always will be Flash's greatest villain, and Tom Cavanagh just does such an amazing job as playing the petty, sadistic villain who is obsessed with ruining the Flash's life." Some fans may feel "speedster fatigue" from the number of villains with powers similar to The Flash, but Reverse-Flash was compelling enough as a character that his power set was merely a secondary draw.

The Musical Episode

Flash Supergirl Crossover Duet Kara Barry Music Meister

Undoubtedly one of the most unexpected episodes of the entire series was the musical episode, titled "Duet." Albeit an odd and nostalgic homage to Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist's previous work on Glee , the musical episode actually had some catchy lyrics .

Redditor ReapCreep65 argues that the musical episode has to be "my favorite Arrowverse episode with that proposal being my favorite scene." While seemingly-random musical episodes aren't unheard of in television shows, the off-beat feel of the episodes seems to either inspire love or hate from the fandom.

Killer Frost In Season 3

Danielle Panabaker as Frost on The Flash

Throughout Season 3, Caitlyn Snow's Killer Frost may have been at her peak. Though she would remain a reoccurring character throughout the following seasons, some fans had issues with the way she was written for the TV series as it progressed.

Related: 8 Unpopular Opinions About Killer Frost, According To Reddit

Redditor Ad_Total writes: "I think S3 was the best version of the character." Ultimately, Killer Frost's uncertainty about herself and her grappling with good, evil, and her darker side in Season 3 made for an enjoyable character arc with long-lasting implications that some fans feel other characters never got the chance to go through.

Zoom's Power Differential

The black clothed Zoom holds Barry Allen in his red Flash suit by his neck

The second season of The Flash may have started with a one-time appearance from Atom Smasher, but the real showstopper was the rise of Zoom. A mystery for much of the season, Zoom brought an ominous tension to the show as fans tried to figure out the character's identity and true goal.

Redditor isyhgia1993 also notes that season 2 had "the best power scaling [of] the entire series. Zoom was 4 times faster than Barry." They also remind fans that "Zoom was terrifying before the reveal." Zoom was an eerie, darker threat that utilized the unknown to convey its terror and had brute force that contrasted with Reverse-Flash's more cerebral attacks.

Next: 10 Longest-Running Drama Shows Still Airing in 2022

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'The Flash'
IGN - 7/10. The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one - perhaps too strong at times - but it never fully overshadows Barry Allen's genuinely tragic and heartfelt story of grief. The Wrap.
The Flash
The Flash - CinemaCon First Reactions Thread. NEWS. The Flash is hands down one of the best superhero films of all time. No joke, The Flash is the ultimate movie going experience as it has a little bit of everything! Action, emotion, heart, humor and plenty of nostalgia. Ezra Miller is phenomenal as dual Barry Allens.
My Full The Flash Review: Cleverly Gets Us Up to Speed on ...
My review: 7 out of 10 or 3.5 stars out of 5 or B+. The Flash arrives in cinemas not with the urgency of a speeding bullet, but as one of the most long-awaited superhero origin movies in history. The character's comic book debut dates back to 1939, making him one of the founding fathers of the superhero genre.
The Flash movie review & film summary (2023)
One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, "The Flash" is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for ...
The Flash review: a eulogy for DC's Snyderverse, and beyond
In 2023, The Flash now serves as one of the final films in the Snyderverse, a eulogy for the Zack Snyder era of DC — but also, surprisingly, for all DC's page-to-screen adaptations. The result ...
'The Flash' Review: Ezra Miller Brings Kinetic Energy to a Movie Caught
Cast: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Jeremy Irons, Antje Traue. Director: Andy Muschietti. Screenwriter: Christina ...
The Flash Review
The Flash is an ambitious superhero movie that largely pulls off its tale of two worlds, two Flashes, and two Batmans. The superhero fan service is strong with this one - perhaps too strong at ...
The Flash (2023)
Michael Keaton is the main reason to see "The Flash" (2023), the 13th film in the DC Extended Universe. Feel free to arrive at the theater under one hour late to see a decent Batman sequel ...
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Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 8, 2023. Jeffrey Peterson Naija Nerds. Overall, The Flash is one of the better DCEU entries, but that's not saying much for a universe of films often ...
The Flash First Reactions: A Winning Mix of Humor, Heart, Nostalgia
Yeah, The Flash is legit great! - Eric Goldman, Fandom. The Flash is as good as rumored. - Germain Lussier, io9.com. Damn, The Flash is good!…Well done. - Brandon Davis, ComicBook.com. The Flash is fantastic… Andy Muschietti has crafted something special. Thumbs way up. - Steve Weintraub, Collider
'The Flash' Review: A Solid Multiverse Film but a Poor ...
The Flash finally brings the lightning-fast superhero to the big screen in his own adventure, with mixed results. ... Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Copy link Email. Link copied to clipboard ...
The Flash (IMAX) Movie Review
The Flash Movie Review from the AVForums Movies Podcast 19-June-2023 The Flash is in UK cinemas and IMAX from 14th June. The full IMAX presentation of The Flash was certainly bigger, allowing the key time-twisting setpieces to be revelled in, in far greater expanded detail, whilst seemingly minor moments - returning to the cave, for example ...
'the Flash' Review: Michael Keaton Is Superb, but It's Better As a
Warning: Mild spoilers ahead for "The Flash." The Andy Muschietti-directed superhero movie has been overhyped by early critics. Michael Keaton's long-awaited return as Batman/Bruce Wayne is the ...
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The Flash
Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out ...
The Flash Movie: 9 Things Fans Want To See, According To Reddit
One of the biggest selling points for The Flash is that the film will feature Ben Affleck's Batman, newcomer Sasha Calle as Supergirl, and Michael Keaton reprising his iconic Batman role from Tim Burton's Batman films. However, some fans feel that The Flash might be overshadowed by his superhero co-stars. As Reddit user OmegaCenturion1 says "It ...
Movie review: Ezra Miller speeds back to the future in 'The Flash
The long-awaited standalone "Flash" movie has arrived. Especially in the early going it has some humor and heart, plus a compelling performance from its embattled star, Ezra Miller, who deftly inhabits two versions of their character.
'The Flash' Review: DC's Trip Into the Movie Multiverse Is Wild, Weird
Yet, taken on its own merits, Andy Muschietti's film has lots to offer, and frequently shows flashes (apologies) of brilliance that set it a cut above most of its existing DC Universe brethren ...
'The Flash' Review: Electric Company
I liked "The Flash" well enough while watching it. But thinking and writing about it and everything that has gone down has been dispiriting — real life has a way of insinuating itself into ...
THE FLASH
Batman tracks Superman down to a military base in Siberia, but they don't find Kal-El there; instead, it's Kara Zor-El, his cousin. She was captured as a child and has spent her entire life locked ...
10 Reddit Theories About The Flash Movie We Hope Come True
Reddit user u/coie1985 theorized that Flashpoint might reveal a place where an evil version of the Justice League resides and suggests that the evil Justice League will be the antagonist of The Flash movie. This version of the Justice League is known as the Crime Syndicate of America, consisting of Atomica, Deathstorm, Grid, Johnny Quick, The ...
'The Flash' Review
Visually, The Flash is ambitious in the best ways and the worst ways. Andy Muschietti creates the first true comic book epic on the big screen since perhaps Avengers: Endgame. Many set pieces are a feast for the eyes, especially the Batcave which looks like the best live-action design we've ever seen for the location.
The Flash: 10 Best Storylines, According To Reddit
The Flash: 10 Best Storylines, According To Reddit. By Justin Bower. Published Jun 12, 2022. A beloved and long-running TV series based on DC Comics is The Flash, and, over 8 years, the show has managed to bring in iconic Flash characters like Zoom, Reverse-Flash, Godspeed, and Killer Frost to appease their comic-loving audience.

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Movie review: Ezra Miller speeds back to the future in ‘The Flash,’ fueled by calories and cameos

‘The Flash’ Review: DC’s Trip Into the Movie Multiverse Is Wild, Weird, and Ultimately Wearying

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THE FLASH Spoilers : Plot Breakdown Reveals Biggest Surprises, Cameos, And Changes Made By DC Studios

Following Tuesday's screening of The Flash at CinemaCon, we have a breakdown of the film's biggest moments and surprises, including the cameos and how much DC Studios has changed the story since being formed.

The Flash's Secret Origin

Batman Returns

Meet Superman Meet Supergirl

The Final Battle

The Flash's Cameos

A Cliffhanger...Or Farewell

The Flash's Original Ending

Crisis On Infinite Earths

THE FLASH: Hot Toys Has Canceled Its Upcoming Young Barry Allen Figure (But Not For The Reason You'd Expect)

Christopher Reeve's Children Confirm They Had No Involvement With His CGI SUPERMAN Cameo In THE FLASH