An American superhero film based on the DC Comics character, Bartholomew Henry “Barry” Allen. Barry is the second character known as the Flash, following Jay Garrick (created by Gardner Fox & Harry Lampert) whom first appeared in Flash Comics #1 in January 1940. Barry “The Flash” was created by Robert Kanigher & Carmine Infantino, first appears in Showcase #4 in October 1956.

Barry (Ezra Miller) works as a forensic scientist who believes his job would help the authority catch criminals or provide new evidence to shed some lights for the accused. Barry’s father, Henry (Ron Livingston) has been in prison for the murder of his wife Nora (Maribel Verdú), but it’s the crime he didn’t commit.

Even the latest technology from Wayne Enterprises in unable to produce the evidence to prove Henry’s innocence. Drowning in sorrow, Barry accidentally discovers that he can use the Speed Force to travel back in time. Bruce (Ben Affleck) warns against him going back in time to change the past that it can cause unpredictable effects to the present and future.

Barry decides to travel back to the day that his mother died, and changes something to save his mother’s life. But on his way back to the present, he is attacked by a mysterious figure who pushes him out of the Speed Force where he meets with his mother and 18-year-old version of himself.

Barry soon realizes that he is in an alternate past on the day he’s supposed to obtain his powers. So Barry must bring younger self to the lab and recreate the accident. However, things don’t go as planned, Both Barrys get struck by lightning. Young Barry gains power, but the original Barry loses his powers.

Original Barry has no other option but to teach young Barry how to use Speed Force, hoping that it can somehow help him travel back to the future. Then General Zod (Michael Shannon) arrives and threatens to invade Earth. Barry discovers that he isn’t just in the past, he is in the past on an alternate timeline where there’s no Superman, Aquaman, nor Wonder Woman. And in this universe, Back to Future’s Marty McFly is portrayed by Eric Stoltz.

The FLASH directed by Argentine filmmaker Andy Muschietti features some of the most spectacular visual effects, and some of the worst CGI in history. I don’t know if that’s intentional, but some of them look like cutscenes from video games made in 2000s. I like the script, the plot is very good, I think it’s better than Mavel’s DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.

These scars we have, make us who we are. We’re not meant to go back and fix them.

Ezra Miller alone is able to carry the entire film, he can be irresistibly funny and weirdly obnoxious. In this film he portrays both adult and 18-year-old version of himself, and his performance with himself is hilariously brilliant in every scene. The FLASH is definitely worth watching in cinema.

The FLASH premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on 12 June 2023, despite multiple delays caused by director changes. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 16 June.