A live-action movie based on The Flash is long overdue.
Back in the late 80s, discussions first started about a movie based on the scarlet speedster. Since then numerous scripts have come and gone and countless directors have been attached or in talks to helm the project.
Well, The Flash is finally out in cinemas now, and there's a lot to talk about.
The film is a loose adaptation of the Flashpoint comic storyline which was adapted into a critically acclaimed animated film in 2013.
Barry Allen aka The Flash travels back in time (by running really fast, just go with it) to save his mother from being killed when he was a child and in the process exonerate his father who has spent most of Barry's life in prison.
When he's spit back out from the timestream, rather than ending up where he started, he's in an alternate version of 2013, where the events of Man of Steel are just beginning except this universe doesn't have a Superman to defend it. They used to have a Batman, but he has since retired.
The Batman of this alternate 2013 may look familiar to some viewers, as he is played by Michael Keaton, who returns to the role for the first time since 1992. Technically he also returned for Batgirl but the film was canned for tax purposes and for Aquaman 2 but his scenes were reshot with Ben Affleck because test audiences found them confusing, so this might be the only one of the three we end up seeing.
In addition to a Batman unfamiliar to Barry, there's a Supergirl in captivity played by Sasha Calle, rather than the Henry Cavill Superman he knows and loves.
Teaming up with Batman, Supergirl and his 2013 self, Barry Allen attempts to save this universe from General Zod so that he can remain in a timeline where his mother survives.

There's been two big talking points leading up to this movie. One, what the heck has been going on with Ezra Miller? And two, how much was Stephen King paid to say he loves the movie.
Firstly, let's address the elephant in the room. To say Ezra Miller has had a tumultuous year is putting it lightly. They were arrested for assault in Hawaii last year and then for a time it seemed every week a new allegation was coming out about them. Accusations of grooming, burglary and harrassment came out in the following months.
For a time it seemed we may never get to see The Flash, with the PR nightmare that was Ezra Miller, until they released a statement in August 2022 stating they were seeking help for "complex mental health issues". Since then, with no new scandals on the horizon, the marketing for The Flash finally began a few months ago.
But how does a studio market a film without being able to use it's star?
Instead of a usual publicity tour with junket interviews and the like, Warner Brothers turned to trying to generate word of mouth buzz. Celebrities like Stephen King and Tom Cruise praised the film online, and TV spots for the film were filled with un-proofread quotes like "ust [sic] sit back and enjoy the flashes of greatness", attributed to just some guy on Twitter.
New DC chief James Gunn has also been singing the film's praises for almost a year now, stating it's one of the greatest superhero films of all time on multiple occasions, and what reason could he possibly have to lie about the quality?
Well the buzz worked on me, I went into The Flash expecting greatness and I received a heaping bowl of goodness.
With all the controversy surrounding them, it's easy to forget that Ezra Miller made a name for themselves with incredible performances in the likes of Perks of Being a Wallflower and We Need to Talk About Kevin. They pull double duty in The Flash, with two different versions of Barry and it's probably the best dual acting role I've ever seen. Not just how they differentiate between the two characters but how seamless it is from a filmmaking standpoint.
It would appear the bulk of the effects budget went towards making that work, since in a lot of other places the CGI fluctuates between a little ropey to downright goofy in some scenes.
This is clearly DC's attempt at replicating the success of event films from Marvel like Avengers: Endgame or Spider-Man: No Way Home. Bringing back Michael Keaton is sure to get a lot of eyes on the film and for those who grew up with those films, it's a lot of fun to see him back in the suit. Keaton appears to be phoning it in a bit, but with an actor of his calibre, even when he's phoning it in he's still fantastic.
Many superhero films struggle with the issue of stakes. While The Flash's stakes do involve the fate of a universe, we care about it because of much smaller personal stakes and Barry's quest to save his parents. There's real heart at the core of The Flash and it helps ground the film in some of its bigger moments.
If you've been on the internet and seen the discourse around the film you may have come across some information about other characters who make brief appearances in the film. I'm not going to spoil any of the film's surprises but there are some decisions in the third act you have to question the people behind the scenes making the call and wonder if their heart was in the right place. While they're designed to make you cheer with recognition, I just felt kind of icky.
The shared universe of DC films which began with Man of Steel is set to come to a close with either this film or Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, depending how you look at it and then be rebooted with either Blue Beetle or Superman: Legacy in 2025, depending on how you look at it.
The DC Extended Universe so far has been such a mixed bag and many heroes never really got the film they deserve. If The Flash is the last we see of the character for a while and the last we see of Ezra Miller in the role then it's a fun, satisfying conclusion and the best solo film in the DCEU since Wonder Woman.
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