DISCLAIMER: We watched The Flash however, this does not mean that we condone star Ezra Miller’s past actions. We understand how their actions may have affected our readers, but we have made the decision to see the film. Some fans have called for a boycott of the film, and we encourage you to make your own decision. This review will focus on The Flash as a film and as a narrative work.

The Flash might be one of the most hyped-up comic book movies of all time. Michael Keaton’s return, the promise of a multiverse story, and numerous, and we mean NUMEROUS, reports of overwhelmingly positive test screenings, paired with the fact that the DC Studios boss has called the film “f*cking fantastic” on numerous occasions makes people wonder, will The Flash live up to the hype?

In short: 100% it does.

The Flash is a movie that needs to be seen to be believed. Michael Keaton’s return is as glorious as you hoped it would be, Ezra Miller gives not one, but TWO great performances and the steller action sequences are some of the best in recent memory. Pair that with inventive storytelling and you get one hell of a thrill ride.

Ezra Miller’s performance is absolutely phenomenal and one of the best I’ve seen in a comic book movie in ages. In the film, they play two different versions of Barry Allen, the one we’ve already known about since 2016 and this new, alternate, and VERY stupid Barry Allen. Miller does a fantastic job at playing the different versions of these characters and their comedic timing is just perfect. However, it’s their emotions that really bring this performance together. In the scenes with Nora Allen specifically, Barry Allen is shown in a whole new light and Miller’s performance is so genuine. There is truly nobody else suited to play the DCU’s Flash and I hope this isn’t the last time we see Barry Allen.

Not to overshadow Ezra Miller, but Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle are fantastic in this film. First of all, Michael Keaton steps into the iconic role as if he never left it and steals the show every time he’s on screen. In the same way Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returned, Keaton comes back to support the Flash in his journey. However, unlike those two, he plays a very integral part to the story and I’m extremely happy with how his action scenes were handled. Calle on the other hand, is one of the DCU’s best additions and albeit underused, she was extremely badass and has left her mark. Her scenes as Kara Zor-El were a wonderful introduction to the DCU’s Supergirl and her scenes with General Zod harken back to the Snyder-verse days. I hope that James Gunn brings her back for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow because Calle was too good in the role to be in only one film.

Something that I really appreciated about this film was its inventive storytelling. It’s very much Back to the Future meets DC Comics and it oozes Zemeckis. Adapting the beloved Flashpoint story was no easy feat but director Andy Muschietti pulled it off. Given the number of writers and directors this film went through, Muschietti and writer Christina Hodson were successful in delivering a first-class film.

Before I get into my first criticism, I should say that we saw an unfinished version of The Flash. My biggest issue was with the very bad visual effects. Some of the effects are very good and you can tell they’re complete, but the rest, specifically some character renders, were terrible. I think the same can be said for some of the Speed Force scenes. It’s obvious they are unfinished, but the rendering looks like a video game. I really do hope this gets fixed in the final cut because it took away from my viewing experience.

The film’s pacing was also a problem for me, albeit somewhat temporary. The first 45 minutes are great and go smoothly, but for a short time in the second act, the movie goes off the rails and comes to a halting screech as it struggles its way through that first half of act 2. Thankfully, it picks up speed again by the end of the second act and gets back on track.

The Flash is undoubtedly a top-tier DC movie and one of the best the genre has to offer. It checks off almost every single box for me. It’s like when you play with action figures as a kid, but then throw money at someone to bring it to life and make it real and stunning.