For those unfamiliar with the comic book world, the character or The Flash first appeared in comics in 1939, so like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman he has been around for years. The Flash possesses super speed which includes the ability to run, think, and move extremely fast. Flash can also violate various laws of physics, and his powers came about one night in a lab where he was hit by lightning and doused with chemicals which resulted in his superspeed. In his history there have been at least five different characters who have portrayed the character, but in the recently ended television incarnation and the big screen version, Barry Allen has been The Flash. He is one of DC Comics most popular characters and made his first big screen appearances in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and the later "Justice League" film, of which there are two versions. Actor Ezra Miller is Flash in the cinematic universe and returns to the role in the current film "The Flash". The film is set after the "Justice League" film and begins with Barry being contacted by Batman (Ben Affleck) to hurry to Gotham City to help with a crisis. When he arrives in Gotham, he is confronted with a collapsing hospital and despite a daunting challenge, is able to help save the day and help Batman. While in Gotham another hero makes a surprise appearance which will delight fans. After dealing with the crisis in Gotham, Barry visits his childhood home where he relives his Mom's murder and his father's imprisonment for her murder, of which he is actually not responsible for. His memories accidently cause him to travel back in time of which he confesses to Bruce, who warns him time travel is dangerous and can cause potential chaos. Despite Bruce's warnings, Barry travels back in time to prevent the death of his mom, and when he attempts to travel back to the current day, he is knocked out of the Speed Force (an extradimensional energy source) and lands in an alternate 2013 where his mom Nora (Maribel Verdu) is still alive. He awkwardly greets his mom and dad Henry (Ron Livingston) and soon sees his younger self, and realizes he has arrived on the day he originally received his powers. The younger Barry in this dimension is still in college, and the older Barry has to take him to the laboratory where he must force him to be in the place where he will be hit by lightning in order to gain his superpowers. When the younger Barry gets his powers, the older Barry is accidentally hit by the same lightning bolt and loses his powers. When he is in the year 2013, the Earth is invaded by General Zod (Michael Shannon) of Krypton, and the older Barry realizes they need the help of Superman. Does Superman exist on this Earth? He doesn't but the duo find out his cousin Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) does, and with the help of the Batman of this world (the return of Michael Keaton!), they rescue the girl of steel and set out in an attempt to defeat the invading General Zod and his forces. The battle against Zod and his forces is intense, and all does not end as expected for our heroes. After all his messing around with the timeline, Barry eventually makes it back to 2023, but not after several tragedies. Barry thinks all is well and back to normal until he meets up with Bruce Wayne again.The film ends here, leaving us wanting more, so hopefully there will be a sequel. The film only has one post credits scene, and it's at the very end so don't leave early. I can't say enough about the performance of Miller, who excels at playing older and younger versions of himself, and the effects for this are amazing. At times Ezra’s performance is heartbreaking, and I'll admit to shedding a few tears at various points in the film. It was also worth the price of admission to see Michael Keaton once again portray Batman, the role he first played in 1989. Keaton comfortably steps into the role effortlessly as if he had never taken off the costume. This is also supposedly the last time we will see Affleck as Batman, and he left us with some memorable scenes. The film has some surprising cameos, and during one of the time travel segments features characters from DC's past. Despite all the action, humor and tears, the heart of the film is a son's love for his mother, and how he needs to learn to let go of the past. I encourage you to place "The Flash" on your must see summer movie list, and see it on the largest screen possible. This film is pure fun in epic proportions. Now playing in theaters. (Rated PG-13)
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