The DCEU has had a few bumps in the road since Man of Steel came out back in 2013. It’s been ten years since then and The Flash has had its share of starts and stops as well with numerous directors attached and then leaving the project. Eventually, Andy Mushietti, the director of the It films, came aboard and this movie finally got off of the ground with Ezra Miller from The Justice League back reprising his role as the Flash and his alter ego Barry Allen. Is the film worth the wait? We will see.

As we pick up Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) He is going through his life going to his favorite coffee shop in Central City getting a breakfast sandwich when he gets a call from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) to go help to save a hospital that is crumbling to the ground in Gotham City.  He reluctantly goes but as we’ve come to know this character he has a flair for the dramatic. He works with Batman (Ben Affleck) who he considered a mentor. In the back of his head, he is still worried about his father who has been imprisoned for killing his mother. As young people do he makes a mistake and goes bck in time to try to prevent his mother’s death and this causes a ripple in time and he ends up back in time with his eighteen-year-old self. This in and of itself is a problem but he has bigger issues because General Zod (Michael Shannon) has come to earth demanding the Son of Krypton, so they think, and young Barry hasn’t gotten his powers yet. A lot is going on in this story.

Andy Mushietti got the job of directing this film for a reason he has some amazing ideas on how to bring The Flash to the big screen in his first stand-alone film. With many superhero films out there already and some of them that deal with the multiverse such as Avengers Endgame and Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse audiences pretty much know how time travel works and what not to do by now. The butterfly Effect is in full swing here. This film handles those rules very nicely. Without breaking them we wouldn’t have a film so in a way it’s a good thing. This is a roundabout way of doing Flashpoint, the popular story from the comics but in a special way that fits it into the DCEU. And I think he did a great job with it. I’d say it’s one of the better DCEU films even though it is a little bittersweet. We all know the DCEU is going the way of the dodo bird, extinct. 

Ezra Miller has had a lot of issues off-set I don’t want to get into all of that here but there is no doubt he is a talented actor. His work in We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Perks of Being a Wallflower is first-rate. Zack Snyder knew what he was doing, casting him in this role. He knocked the dual role of Barry Allens and The Flash out of the park. He was funny when he needed to be, he was naive at times and he was serious at other moments when the script called for it. Mostly he was a complete badass as these characters. He completely owned this character from the beginning of the film to the end. I believed he was these two Barry Allens and The Flash. It’s a testament to his acting ability. He made me believe I was watching The Flash on screen doing all of these fantastical things. 

The film has had a few trailers so audiences know there are some other characters in the movie that team with The Flash and those are a multiversal Batman played brilliantly by Micheal Keaton. He brought everything back to the role he made famous back in 1989 including his popular catchphrases “I’m Batman” and “Wanna Get Nuts, Let’s Get Nuts”. I loved him coming back to play this iconic version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman. Also, there was a new character introduced to the viewers and that was Kara Zur-El otherwise known as Super Girl (Sasha Calle) an actress I wasn’t familiar with before this film. He was a different version of this character from what fans may have seen back in the 80s but equally a badass. I loved this new take on the character. Both Batman and Super Girl brought a gravitas to a movie that could get a little silly at times. They grounded it if you will.

That being said, there are a few amazing set pieces that had my jaw on the floor for multiple reasons. One of them was the aforementioned hospital sequence in Gotham City where The Flash does what he does best in his special way which was pretty funny. It’s a stop-motion sequence where he saves a bunch of babies, a nurse, and a dog. It was hilarious. Another sequence at a Russian prison was also pretty incredible where the Flash and Batman save Super Girl from the Russians was wild and crazy. The main action sequence was when all our heroes fought General Zod. That was quite an exercise in futility and patience for me watching it. I mean the fight scenes were amazing but it went on for so long. I was almost getting bored by the end, but I knew what Mushiati was going for. All the action was incredible though. I couldn’t have imagined much better action sequences than what I saw in this movie.

The technical aspects such as the visual effects had me worried going into this film, but after seeing the final cut I am happy to say the CGI and visual effects were terrific. Especially when The Flash is running. Those scenes looked so cool and very authentic to the character. Also, his suit looks awesome. I loved how the suit played into his speed so much. It made it a part of who he was as a character and a hero. And little bits of dialogue here and there helped get the info about his suit and powers out to the audience watching, which was good. The Flash jumped off the screen from the first moment I saw him suit up. I was very happy with the look and portrayal of this character from a technical aspect. I don’t think he could have looked better.

The Flash has been a long time coming but I’m here to say it’s worth the wait. It’s an action-packed extravaganza with amazing action sequences, tender moments, and some funny dialog, and it’s nostalgic for older viewers. Ezra Miller was perfectly cast once again as Barry Allen/The Flash. The other cast members Keaton, Calle, and Affleck were equally good as well. The visual effects were incredible and Mushietti brought a new take on the multiverse fans have seen before in many films. It’s a bit bittersweet but at least this film is finally here for audiences to enjoy. It’s worth the wait! Fans of these characters and the DCEU will be pleasantly surprised how good this movie is. It is one of the best in the DCEU and a superhero film the filmmakers can be proud of. I was pleasantly entertained throughout in long runtime, but time didn’t matter because it flew by.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen