The Flash (2023)★ 7.0/10

ps3 cgi

A jaw-dropping movie, every scene has an Easter egg, and every second can’t be missed. Surprises come one after another, and various familiar characters appear in unexpected forms. From sticking true to the comic, to echoing previous DC films, and then to Barry Allen’s conflicts and growth as a human and a superhero, this combination results in the most complete, entertaining, and impactful superhero film in recent years. Ezra Miller is simply a natural actor; he can straddle two roles easily with different charismas. This film will surely become his masterpiece.

Many films that use the butterfly effect to illustrate the immutability of the past will at least briefly illustrate the events leading to the said effect, underscoring the relevance, the sense of destiny and the inevitable helplessness. But the concept of time and space in this movie emphasizes "randomness". On this basis, the entire movie is built on the huge sense of manipulation from beyond the scenes and a strong purpose, making it impossible for audiences to get emotionally involved.

It’s a superbly finished commercial movie, and every foreshadowing is answered. Traveling through time and space for you a thousand times over, yet all that effort is only for that bottle of ketchup on the top shelf.

The multiverse is pretty hilarious, they change actors as frequently as Barbie changes clothes. The movie is like a plate of spaghetti - filling, but boring; the characters are puppets on strings; and stories have become algorithmic formulas. The era of superheroes seems to be drifting away.

The best superhero movie in recent years. The plot, intention and acting are all top notch.

Probably one of the best quality stories in DC and Marvel in recent years. Even if we can't say it's impressive, we can undoubtedly feel the effort and sincerity of the production team in every detail. The consequences of the trouble Flash created and his subsequent reflections are clearly the most in-depth and poignant of any of superheros' in the past few years, and the lighthearted atmosphere that usually characterizes superhero screenplays is completely absent from this one, which gives plenty of respect to the worldview. As for the time-traveling scene, I personally feel it's probably one of the best handled in a superhero movie. There's no unrealistic sense of simply going back and changing history, nor is there the clichéd writing style that's easily and casually abandoned because of the so-called butterfly effect. After many attempts at backtracking, the story subtly focuses on the Flash himself. It's he himself who ultimately has to be defeated, and the insurmountable crossroads are also himself; all the consequences can't be pinned on an enemy to deflect the conflict; all the pain and sorrow must be borne by himself, and saying goodbye to his greedy self is more relatable than saving the world.

Coming in with the most anticipated movie of the year in mind, I was not only not let down by my expectations, I was pleasantly surprised beyond belief, and it was the kind of surprise that ran from beginning to end. The Flash is arguably one of the best movies to play with the multiverse in recent years, especially towards the end!

There's a saying that all movies are the same movie, but the difference lies in whether or not they are able to tell a moving story within an inherent formula. In the case of multiverse crossover stories, they tend to be heavily colored by tragedy; what makes a tragedy a tragedy is that what is meant to be can't be changed, but what makes a hero a hero is that he or she stands up for himself or herself in the wake of tragedy. The Flash interprets the meaning of these two phrases in a different form than other similar movies, and this is precisely the spirit at the heart of the crossover story.

The whole movie is fast and paced. The time-reversal setting is not new, but the story is gradually and skillfully told from the middle. The high level of narrative is a pleasure to watch.