The Flash (2023 Film)

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About

The Flash refers to the 2023 Warner Brothers film directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller playing Barry Allen, the DC Comics superhero The Flash. The film was first announced as part of the DC Comics Extended Universe in the mid-2010s but faced delayed production and release following controversial incidents and arrests involving its lead actor Ezra Miller. The film is set to release on June 17th, 2023, after receiving generally positive test screenings and a 6.5/10 critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

History

The Flash was first set for release in 2018 when it was announced as part of the DC Universe alongside Suicide Squad, Aquaman and the Wonder Woman movie in 2014.^[1] However, development for a film featuring The Flash has been in the works since the late 1980s. Various directors departed the project after it was announced in 2014 citing creative differences, with Andy Muschiett and Christina Hodson joining as director and screenwriter in 2019.^[2]

During the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, the film was announced to follow the storyline of the Flashpoint comics in which Barry Allen travels back in time to save his mother and sets off a series of events that lead to, amongst other things, Thomas Wayne (Bruce Wayne's father) being the Batman. ^[3] However, Michael Keaton was announced to be reprising his role as the Batman (1998) in 2021.^[4] Filming for The Flash wrapped in October 2021, and the movie was slated for release following COVID-related delays for June 2023.

On February 12th, 2023, the first official trailer^[5] for The Flash was released on Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube channel, where it gathered over 16 million views in four months (seen below, left). On April 25th, 2023, the second trailer^[6] for the movie dropped, gathering over 31 million views in a month (seen below, right).

Ezra Miller Controversies

Between 2020 and 2022, the lead actor in The Flash Ezra Miller found themselves embroiled in various arrests and controversial incidents. The incidents include Miller choking a woman in an Iceland bar in 2020^[7] and facing assault charges after harassing a couple and throwing a chair at another woman in Hawaii in March 2022.^[8]

In 2022, Miller moved to Stamford, Vermont and got themselves involved with another controversy, this time after housing a mother and child in questionable conditions and being charged with felony burglary.^[9]

Reception

The Flash is projected to gather around $70 million domestically and $90 million globally during its opening weekend.^[10] As of June 14th, 2023, the film gathered a Metacritic score of 60 out of 100,^[11] while being lauded for its humor but criticized for its CGI on Rotten Tomatoes.^[12]

Online Reactions

On June 13th, 2023, Twitter^[13] user @brandonjc_art posted a tweet that read, "The Flash movie is just this video, but in real life," gathering over 18,000 likes in a day (seen below).

On June 13th, Twitter^[14] user @ScoobertOnFilm posted a tweet that likened every cameo in the movie to the 3D Saul Goodman meme, accumulating over 54,100 likes and 2,500 retweets in less than 24 hours (seen below).