The Flash (2023)
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A speedster must navigate the complexities of the multiverse after a desperate attempt to change the past leads to unforeseen consequences.
The story
After helping Batman and Wonder Woman stop a robbery in Gotham City, Barry Allen, known as The Flash, returns to his childhood home. Overcome by the memory of his mother's death, Barry uses the Speed Force to travel back in time to the day she was killed. While he intends to prevent her death, his actions cause him to become stranded in an alternate past. Upon returning to the present, he is warned of the dangers of time travel, but his actions have already triggered a collapse of realities, forcing him to navigate a fractured timeline to rectify the consequences of his journey.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Barry Allen travels back in time to save his mother, he finds himself in an alternate 2013. He meets his past self and a retired version of Bruce Wayne. To combat an impending invasion by General Zod, the two Barrys must work together, eventually seeking help from an alternate Supergirl (Kara Zor-El). As they fight Zod's forces, the timeline begins to fracture. A mysterious, older version of Barry—the Dark Flash—appears, having become obsessed with reversing time. Ultimately, Barry must decide how to fix the timeline. He chooses to let his mother die in the past to stabilize reality, while his younger self sacrifices himself to stop the Dark Flash. Barry returns to the present where his father is exonerated, and the world is restored, though the timeline remains subtly altered.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 144
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andy Muschietti
- Writers
- Christina Hodson · screenplay; John Francis Daley · story; Jonathan Goldstein · story; Joby Harold · story
- Cast and characters
- Ezra Miller · Barry Allen / The Flash; Sasha Calle · Kara Zor-El / Supergirl; Michael Shannon · General Zod; Ron Livingston · Henry Allen; Maribel Verdú · Nora Allen; Kiersey Clemens · Iris West; Antje Traue · Faora-Ul; Michael Keaton · Bruce Wayne / Batman
- Genres
- superhero
- Themes
- consequences of time travel; multiverse; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- action; heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; multiverse; superhero
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Franchise connections
- DC Extended Universe (DCEU)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its humor, action sequences, and performances, but criticized the visual effects and third act. It was also a box-office bomb.
- Awards and nominations
- Best Teaser · Golden Trailer Awards · 2022 · nomination; Best Superhero Film · Saturn Awards · 51st · nomination; Best Supporting Actor in a Film · Saturn Awards · 51st · nomination; Emerging Technology Award · Visual Effects Society Awards · 22nd · win; Best Female Performance in an International Production · Actors and Actresses Union Awards · 32nd · win
- Production trivia
- The film's development began in the late 1980s.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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