After what feels like an eternity, we finally have a solo feature film for The Flash. Per Esquire, talks of such a movie date back to the 80s, with a script finally being proposed in 2004, well before Zack Snyder would launch the so-called DCEU with Man of Steel. Considering the questionable year Ezra Miller has had and the fact that James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the DC Universe, one has to wonder; should you even go and see this movie? Well, let’s find out!

I’m going to keep the synopsis super vague here. It’s been a few years since Justice League and Barry continues to operate as a crime fighter at the expense of his personal life. With his father’s appeal looming, Barry begins to dwell on the loss of his mother and starts toying with the concept of time travel. We saw a hint of time manipulation in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but this would be on a grander scale. Of course, tinkering with time has its consequences (just ask Marty McFly), and before you can say “DeLorean” Barry has screwed up the timeline, resulting in a reality where no metahumans exist.

But per time-traveling paradoxes, Barry does come into contact with this timeline’s version of himself, allowing Ezra Miller to act off, well, himself. “Prime” Barry, the one we know has matured since we saw him last and has found some semblance of maturity and even confidence. This contrasts heavily with the younger version in this new timeline, who is a non-stop chatterbox and overwhelming by design. It’s interesting to see Barry be a friend and even mentor to himself and the duality works great for the internal struggle and growth of the character within this story. As such, credit where credit is due, Miller does a really good job with the dual role, so much so that it’s one of the highlights of their career.

Of course, things can’t be easy for Barry and he just so happens to arrive at the same time General Zod arrives on Earth, as seen in Man of Steel. So he needs as much help as he can get, which in this universe, comes in the form of Michael Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. It’s great to see Keaton back in the suit, but I could honestly have used more of him! He effortlessly stepped back into the role after more than thirty years. The movie also scores some great laughs and audience-pleasing moments. Not everything landed, but I definitely had some laugh-out-loud moments.

The tone of the movie feels more optimistic and sincere, rather than dark and brooding, something that has come to define the DC films, particularly those in the Snyderverse. Likewise, there are more than a few moments that’ll get fans cheering in their seats, a lot of it courtesy of the multiverse that’s depicted in this movie.

The score from Benjamin Wallfisch was also really good, pulling from classic Danny Elfman themes while putting his own spin on Batman’s theme. His original work is great, particularly the quiet moments with Barry and Flash’s theme oozes inspiration. Likewise, the selection of original music peppered throughout featured some great picks.

The action overall is really fun too, with bright colours filling the screen and clear shots allowing us to see the action. One scene with Batman is particularly fun, as it’s neat to see that 80s Batman move so fluidly and precisely thanks to modern technology. This Batman’s fighting is nothing like Robert Pattinson’s or Ben Affleck’s, making that sense feel pretty fresh and exciting.

The Flash does stumble with regard to CGI. This production has been heavily delayed and yet despite that, the CGI is really rough, often looking “rubbery” and unpolished at times. Specifically, the opening action sequence and the film’s interpretation of time travel were rough, with actors being replaced with CGI versions that brought back memories of “rubber Neo” in Matrix Reloaded. But how The Flash interprets speed and the speed force is really great, it’s definitely the best realization of how fast Barry can go seen on the big screen to date.

The third act also kind of just springs up on you and it’s a strange balance of important character moments and CGI action nonsense. While the moments with the two Barrys work well, a lot of it hinges on Zod and Kara, but since she’s introduced mid-way and has very few scenes, it makes it hard to root for her beyond what she represents. As such, those moments around the character don’t have the emotional weight the movie thinks it has because we didn’t learn anything about Kara from a character level. She ended up feeling more like a plot device than a character. I can’t help but think that if the movie put Clark Kent in the role, whether it be Brandon Routh, Tom Welling or Henry Cavill, we could’ve been more emotionally attached to the stakes.

That kind of sums up the movie’s problem as a whole. Some parts of it feel really genuine and heartfelt and I 100% bought into the emotional core of the movie. But other aspects feel uninspired or half-baked. The movie clocks in at around two and a half hours as well with credits and I can’t help but feel it was fifteen minutes too long. Trim some of the weight and this movie could’ve been a much more focused offering.

Now, no matter what I say about the movie can change your mind if you’ve elected not to see it already. But if you’re so inclined, The Flash is overall a fun time, light and breezy with some great character moments that can’t quite reach the lofty heights it’s trying to reach. Oh and if you’re wondering if there’s an after-credit scene, there’s one at the very end but if you’re expecting some sort of setup or tease for future events in James Gunn’s forthcoming DCU, you may be disappointed.

Final score 7.5/10