Key Highlights :
The Flash is the latest movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and it is racing towards becoming one of the best-reviewed films of the year. Despite a slew of development issues, pandemic delays, and star Ezra Miller's legal troubles, The Flash is getting mostly positive reviews. Critics are praising Miller's performance and the movie is expected to have a huge box office opening when it arrives in theaters on June 16th.
The Flash is being hailed as the best DCEU movie yet, with Rolling Stone’s David Fear writing, “We’re grading on a curve. The Flash is, by far, the best movie to come out of this modern, post-Nolan Warners/DC collaboration, and builds on the promise that Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman first put forth.” Empire’s Chris Hewitt also declared, “Set to be one of the final entries in what we know as the DCEU, this is also one of the best, a witty and warm buddy comedy that deserves to be more than just a Flash in the pan.”
Indiewire’s Kate Erbland praised the movie for its ambition and humor, saying, “In its best moments, the film is funny, ambitious, and heartfelt, but it’s also frequently buried under iffy effects, convoluted storytelling, and a been-there-done-that familiarity that’s hard to shake.” AV Club’s Matthew Jackson enjoyed the nostalgic cameo by Michael Keaton as Batman, writing, “Keaton is undeniably good in his return as Bruce Wayne, even if he does have to shoehorn a couple of his famous lines from 1989 into this film.”
USA Today’s Brian Truitt also highlighted the rest of the cast besides Miller, writing, “Michael Keaton back in a Batman cape and cowl, the debut of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and a top-flight sense of humor make “Flash” worth the hype, though trying to do so much also leads to a head-scratching kitchen-sink climax.”
Though most critics brought up Miller's recent controversies (the actor has apologized and said they are seeking treatment), most of the negative feedback was about the movie's storytelling and not about their performance. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw complained that Miller's presence “gets lost in the inevitable third-act CGI battle apocalypse, which is weightlessly free of jeopardy and, like the rest of the film, does not exactly go by in a flash.” Entertainment Weekly’s Christian Holub pointed out that The Flash is going over well-trodden ground with its plot about the multiverse, writing, “This doesn't exactly reek of originality.”
RogerEbert.com’s Matt Zoller Seitz encapsulated the vibe of many reviewers, saying, “One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, 'The Flash' is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Like its sincere but often hapless hero, it keeps exceeding every expectation we might have for its competence only to instantly face-plant into the nearest wall.”
It is clear that The Flash is a fun and nostalgic superhero movie that is receiving mostly positive reviews. The movie is tracking to make at least $75 million domestically in its opening weekend, which is better than the last two DC movies (Shazam! Fury of the Gods with $30.1 million and Black Adam with $67 million). It will be interesting to see how The Flash fares at the box office when it opens in theaters June 16th.