Speeding straight into your TVs, DC’s latest Superhero movie ‘The Flash’ is expected to be available on PVOD on July 18th.
The film is set after the events ‘Justice League,’ where Barry Allen decides to travel back in time to save his mother – a storyline adapted from the ‘Flashpoint’ comic. Filled with action, cameos, easter eggs, and more.
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The official synopsis for ‘The Flash’ is below:
“Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?”
‘The Flash’ opened in theaters on June 16, 2023. Initially, the movie was slated to release in July of 2022, but due to the shifting of schedules at Warner Bros., the movie was moved to its 2023 release date. ‘The Flash’ opened to $55 million domestically and so far has grossed $102.9 since its release. Worldwide, the movie has earned $249.1 million.
Longtime comic book fans knew we would be getting the Flashpoint story in ‘The Flash’, which director Andy Muschietti does a great job of adapting. When it comes to the speedster, time travel and meeting one’s younger self is imminent. Ezra Miller plays two Barry Allens in the movie, one that we have met already through previous DC films like ‘Batman v. Superman’ and ‘Justice League.’ The other Barry is younger and has not become The Flash in their timeline, which makes a lot of the scenes and conversation interesting and funny.
The juxtaposition of the two Barrys really makes their interaction fun to watch, especially in scenes with Micheal Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. On top of the humorous scenes, the movie serves up many emotional moments as well when it comes to Barry and their mom.
DC has always dealt with the multiverse in shows like CW’s ‘The Flash’ and ‘Crisis on Infinite Earth,’ but in Muschietti’s film, we’re seeing the multiverse on a grander scale. We won’t spoil too much just in case you haven’t had the chance to see the movie, but multiverse and dimensional travel means jaw-dropping cameos aplenty.
For example, seeing Michael Keaton putting the cape on once again as Batman, with iconic one-liners like, “I’m Batman,” and “You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.” makes an extremely satisfying moment for the fans. Ben Affleck also appears as his version of the Batman.
Michael Keaton attends a double bill screening of Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ followed by ‘The Flash,’ in London, England. Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images for Warner Bros Discovery.
While the film was initially screened at CinemaCon, it was an unfinished version and ‘The Flash’ officially premiered on June 12th, 2023, at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Since the movie has only been out for 4 weeks, it is still playing in theaters, so be sure to check with Moviefone below for showtimes in your area. ‘The Flash’ has a total runtime of 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Watch the official trailers for ‘The Flash’ below:
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Can’t make it out to the theater? You will soon have the option to rent or purchase the movie on VOD. Services such as Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play will have the movie available digitally for $24.99 on July 18th, 2023. There has been no official word yet on when ‘The Flash’ will stream on Max.
For those who prefer physical copies, ‘The Flash’ should become available on DVD/Blu-Ray by September in formats such as 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD. Collectors can look forward to an exclusive steelbook edition from Best Buy and an Icon Edition digi-pack set from Walmart. Both are available for pre-order now.
In ‘The Flash,’ Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) travels back in time to prevent his mother’s death, which traps him in an alternate reality without metahumans. Barry enlists the help of his younger self (also Miller), an older Batman (Michael Keaton) and the Kryptonian castaway Supergirl (Sasha Calle) in order to save this world from the restored General Zod (Michael Shannon) and return to his universe.
Believe the hype! ‘The Flash’ is one of the best comic book adapted films ever made. Director Andy Muschietti reinvents the DC universe by brilliantly adapting the ‘Flashpoint‘ storyline from the comics, and fusing it with Michael Keaton’s ‘Batman’ and other nods to DC’s cinematic past. The movie is an exciting, action-packed, and humorous celebration of the DC Comics characters, with a brilliant dual performance from Ezra Miller, and of course, Keaton’s triumphant return.
‘The Flash’ director Andy Muschietti at a Canada-Fan Screening event. Photos by Sam Santos.
Story and Direction
For those not familiar, ‘Flashpoint’ was a 2011 DC Comics storyline that involved the Flash going back in time to save his mother’s life. When he returns, his world is not the same, he no longer has his powers, Thomas Wayne is Batman instead of Bruce, a weakened Superman is secretly being kept prisoner by the government, and Atlantis and Themyscira are at war. ‘The Flash’ follows a similar storyline with Barry losing his powers and needing to regain them, but instead of Thomas Wayne being Batman, its Michael Keaton from Tim Burton’s ‘Batman.’ It’s also a weakened Supergirl they break-out of captivity instead of Superman, and Earth is in danger from an attack by General Zod and the Kryptonians not a war between Atlantis and the Amazons.
None of these changes affect the power of the story, and the lesson Barry learns about excepting your past and living in the present. But they do allow general audiences to understand the story a little easier, as they are likely more familiar with Michael Keaton’s Batman than the sudden appearance of Thomas Wayne. In the comics, the ‘Flashpoint’ storyline was used to usher in a new continuity, and in that sense, ‘The Flash’ comes at the perfect time for DC Studios, as the film officially marks the end of the DCEU and the beginning of the new DCU. The movie honors the DCEU, as well as other cinematic DC projects from the past, while setting up an exciting future for these characters.
Director Andy Muschietti clearly loves these characters and retells the ‘Flashpoint’ story well, streamlining it into a tight, fast-paced, and dramatic movie. He also injects the film with a good amount of humor, but it never feels cheesy or forced and aligns with the characters. The filmmaker also handles the time-traveling aspects of the movie very well and in a coherent way, something Marvel struggled to do in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Muschietti does a great job with the effects, especially Barry’s powers and the Speed Force. Super-speed has never looked like this before, and Muschietti and his VFX team take a completely new approach to it, which is much different than the slow-motion effects Zack Snyder used.
A lot has been written about Ezra Miller over the last few years concerning their brushes with the law and whether this movie should be released at all given their illegal activities. I’m not going to get into any of that, and just judge them on their performance in this film, which was nothing short of extraordinary. Miller plays two roles, the Barry Allen we all know and have seen mature through appearances in ‘Batman v. Superman’ and ‘Justice League.’ But Miller also plays a younger Barry Allen, who has not yet become the Flash and lives in this new alternate reality. Most of Miller’s scenes are with themself, and you truly believe they are two different people.
Our Barry is a bit older and wiser, and not as impulsive as when we first met them, but the new Barry is young and immature, and it’s fun watching the two of them interact. As both characters, Miller has great chemistry with Keaton and Sasha Calle, as well as a few strong scenes with Kiersey Clemons’ Iris West. In some ways, Miller plays a third role in the movie as well, but to say too much would be a spoiler, so I’ll just say that they are equally impressive and believable in that role too. Whether Miller will ever return to play Barry Allen again is yet to be seen, but if they do not return, it certainly won’t be because their performance in this film was lacking.
I was just a kid when ‘Batman’ was released, so for me … Michael Keaton will always be Batman, and his return in this movie is a very welcomed one. While I really liked Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the actor does a great job in this movie in his limited role, the film really kicks into high gear when Keaton is on screen. He reprises his particular version of Bruce Wayne and Batman effortlessly, and while he has some funny moments, brings a lot of emotion and heart to the role. Keaton is also great in the action scenes, including an early fight scene between him and Miller. Muschietti perfectly matches Wayne Maynor, the Batmobile, the Batwing, and the costumes to the look and aesthetic Tim Burton originally created.
Sasha Calle breathes fresh air into the role of Supergirl, which is a much different and darker depiction than we’ve seen before. The actress is strong and believable in the part, and also plays the role in a mysterious way as to never really know her true intentions and keep the audience guessing. Calle has a few fun scenes opposite Miller and Keaton, but most of her work is in the action sequences and that’s where she really excels in the role. It’s also fun to see Michael Shannon return as General Zod, and he’s just as menacing now as he was in ‘Man of Steel,’ but other than the big fight sequence, he doesn’t have a whole lot to do. The Kryptonians are a real threat to our heroes, and that certainly adds to the drama and suspense.
DC fans have seen the multiverse approached on both the Arrowverse’s ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover event, and more recently on ‘Titans,’ but visually, Muschietti depicts it in a way that is much more cinematic than we’ve seen on TV. The multiverse also makes sense in this movie and you can actually follow along with what’s happening, which wasn’t always the case with Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ Because of the multiverse angle, Muschietti was able to sprinkle in a lot of cameos, most of which I won’t discuss here. I’ll just say that archival DC footage was used well, and those cameos are nice nods to what has come before.
There are a few cameos that I will mention since it is already public knowledge they are in the film. As previously mentioned, Ben Affleck returns as Batman, and as seen in the recent trailer, Jeremy Irons is also back as Alfred. Affleck recently let it slip on a podcast that a certain cast member from ‘Justice League’ would be returning for the film as well. I won’t say who incase you don’t know yet, but it is awesome seeing them interact with Affleck and Miller as members of the Justice League early in the film.
The other cameo I will mention, and only because director Andy Muschietti spoiled it a few weeks ago, is that an actor long rumored to play Superman finally gets the opportunity with a cameo in ‘The Flash’ as an alternate universe version of the Man of Steel. Beyond it being something fans have literally wanted to see for decades, the actor in question is magnificent in his brief role, and fans familiar with the canceled Superman project, will truly get a laugh from watching the scene.
There is actually one other major cameo that I will absolutely not spoil, but I will just say that it is a true shocker of an ending, and something people will be talking about all summer long. It also sets the stage for the new DCU, and completely changes the status quo. Whether that actor or actress will continue to play that specific DC character moving forward, is still anybody’s guess. While the film has a very satisfying conclusion, much like the ‘Flashpoint’ comic, it definitely cleans the slate and sets the stage perfectly for James Gunn’s new DCU, whether that was Muschietti original intent or not.
Are There Any End-Credit Scenes in ‘The Flash’?
Yes. There is a mid-credit scene, which takes a look at an earlier scene in the movie from a different point of view, and is mostly played for laughs. But there is also an end-credit scene and I will just say that it helps to explain how the upcoming ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ takes place in the new DCU.
The really pulled it off! ‘The Flash’ is the most entertaining and satisfying DC movie in decades. Andy Muschietti masterfully adapts the source material and fills it with as many Easter eggs, callbacks and cameos as any fan could desire. While still delivering a coherent, fun, action-packed and emotional movie, that features a mesmerizing dual performance from Miller, and the return of the one and only Michael Keaton as Batman. This is one movie DC Comics fans will not want to miss!
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Double Dream/a Disco Factory production of an Andy Muschietti film, ‘The Flash.’ It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theaters in North America on June 16, 2023 and internationally beginning 14 June 2023.
Long before “The Office” became a huge phenomenon, director Mike Judge showed us just how ridiculous the life of a corporate drone could be in “Office Space.” To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the endlessly quotable comedy gem, here’s some fun trivia to tide you over to you get your stapler back.
1. “Office Space” is actually an adaptation of a series of animated shorts Judge created featuring the Milton character. They originally aired on “Saturday Night Live” and MTV in the early ’90s.
2. The film is also very loosely based on a short story by “Moby Dick” author Herman Melville called “Bartleby the Scrivener.”
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3. Actor David Herman was determined to appear in the move despite being locked into a contract with “MADtv.” Herman’s solution was to get himself fired by shouting all his lines at a table read.
4. The role of Joanna had to be expanded after the very bankable Jennifer Aniston was cast, which resulted in the memorable scenes where Joanna argues with her manager about flair.
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5.Matt Damon was Fox’s top choice to star as Peter Gibbons. Judge insisted that Peter needed to be played by an actor with less star power.
6. Judge was inspired to write the iconic printer scene after struggling with a faulty printer during the making of “Beavis and Butthead Do America.”
7. That printer scene has proven so popular that it’s been parodied in everything from an episode of “Family Guy” to one of Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign ads.
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8. While the film wasn’t a box office success during its theatrical run, reruns on Comedy Central are largely credited with transforming “Office Space” into an enduring cult hit.
9. Actor Gary Cole revealed the original cut of the film included a scene where his character Bill Lumbergh gets angry at seeing his Porsche towed. This scene was removed in order to maintain Lumbergh’s perpetually emotionless state.
10. Judge was very displeased with the studio’s choice of poster, even blaming it for hurting the box office gross. He was able to convince Fox to add an image of Milton to the cover of the home video release.
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11. The restaurant Chotchkie’s is meant to be a parody of the T.G.I. Fridays restaurant chain, though the scenes were actually filmed inside an Austin, TX-based restaurant called The Alligator Grille.
12. Stapler manufacturer Swingline didn’t actually make a red model like the one seen in the film, but they eventually made one available in 2002 in response to growing demand.
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13. According to Judge, there have been discussions about possibly continuing “Office Space” as either a sequel or a TV series. For now, Judge describes 2009’s “Extract” as a “companion piece” to “Office Space.”
14. All the license plates featured in the movie are fake, in order to avoid revealing the state in which the movie takes place. However, Peter’s personnel file lists his home address as being in Illinois.
