The Flash (2023)

I didn't expect The Flash to affect me so deeply. The way Andy Muschietti handles letting go is unlike anything I'd seen before. I came out of it looking at the world differently.

Some elements of The Flash show their age, but the core of it — letting go, Michael Keaton's beloved Batman return — hasn't diminished at all. Films this good age better than almost anything else.

The Flash has been praised so heavily that no film could live up completely. It's an excellent film — Ezra Miller's dual performance is genuinely remarkable — but it's not the untouchable masterpiece some claim.

The Flash is technically accomplished and I understand its place in film history. But it left me cold. The letting go element felt mechanical and I never connected emotionally. Maybe I'll try again.

Everyone told me to watch The Flash for years. Finally did and instantly understood why. Michael Keaton's beloved Batman return is immediately apparent. Now I'm recommending it just as loudly to everyone else.

There are scenes in cinema you never forget. For me, Batman vs the soldiers in The Flash is one of them. Andy Muschietti constructs it with total precision and it lands exactly as intended. Pure craft.

Every actor brings something to The Flash, but the lead performance is genuinely extraordinary. The subtlety involved, the way the character changes without announcing it — it's a masterclass.

I first watched The Flash as a teenager and thought it was fine. Rewatched at 30 and it hit completely differently. The altering the past and its consequences undercurrent makes total sense now in a way it didn't before.

The Flash commits to a conclusion that not everyone will appreciate. I found it perfectly right — it refuses easy comfort. If you want tidy resolution you may be frustrated. If you want truth, it delivers.

The Flash builds so carefully to its conclusion that when it arrives you feel genuinely moved. The the multiverse thread pays off in a way that's earned rather than manipulative. Couldn't sleep afterward.