The Flash
Barry Allen uses time travel to save his mother, creating multiverse chaos
The brief
The Flash throws everything at the wall in a messy multiverse adventure that feels both overstuffed and strangely hollow, despite Michael Keaton's genuinely fun return as Batman. Muschietti stages some solid action sequences, but the film drowns in CGI that looks unfinished and a tone that ping-pongs awkwardly between quippy humor and heavy emotional beats about family trauma. Ezra Miller does double duty playing multiple versions of Barry Allen, though the constant speed-force exposition gets exhausting by the third act. If you're curious about DC's multiverse experiments or just want to see Keaton back in the cape, it's worth a watch, but temper expectations for anything approaching the coherence of better superhero time-travel stories.
The verdict
If you're a DC fan who can overlook messy storytelling for the thrill of seeing Michael Keaton back as Batman and some solid multiverse spectacle, this is an entertaining enough superhero romp. If you demand tight plotting and polished visual effects from your blockbusters, skip this overstuffed time-travel adventure that drowns in unfinished CGI and tonal whiplash.
Watch with
- 👥 DC fans wanting multiverse chaos
- ⚠️ Those expecting Marvel-level polish
Heads up
- Intense superhero violence and destruction (moderate)
- Family trauma and parental death themes (moderate)
- Flashing lights during speed-force sequences (frequent)
Credits
- Director
- Andy Muschietti
- Cast
- Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons
Official synopsis
When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Both explore multiverse chaos with superhero time travel consequences.
Total runtime: 2h 24m + 2h 20m = 4h 44m
