As part of the “DC Extended Universe” run of movies that began with 2013’s Man of Steel, the Flash first appeared in a “blink and you’ll miss it” part of 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The role got more exposure the following year, as 2017’s Justice League allowed the Scarlet Speedster more room to shine – albeit as part of a team framework.

At long last, the role earns his own feature via 2023’s The Flash, though one shouldn’t expect a follow-up – at least not as part of the DCEU. But more about that later.

In his youth, Barry “The Flash” Allen’s (Ezra Miller) mother Nora (Maribel Verdú) got murdered. Though he proclaimed his innocence, Barry’s father Henry (Ron Livingston) found himself convicted of this crime and has spent the last decade in prison.

Barry decides to use his super-speed to go back in time and change events so that his mother doesn’t die. However, this comes with unforeseen repercussions that pair Barry with an alternative universe version of himself and force the two Barrys to fix this problem.

Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the DCEU only sporadically reached box office highs. I thought Flash might reverse that trend, but instead, it became a notable financial disappointment, one that lost buckets of money.

I really can’t explain its less than enthusiastic reception. While Flash doesn’t deliver the strongest superhero flick I’ve seen, it does much more right than wrong.

I wondered if perhaps audiences reacted negatively to the movie’s multiverse concept because they tired of that conceit. However, since summer 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse delivered an even more complicated take on that topic and became a hit, this explanation doesn’t fly.

My best guess is that moviegoers just don’t care for the overall direction of the DCEU and didn’t see enough in Flash to change minds. Outside of 2017’s Wonder Woman and 2018’s Aquaman, other DCEU releases haven’t lived up to monetary expectations, so the franchise just hasn’t connected in the same way the MCU did.

None of this means Flash deserved its lackluster fate. It tells a fairly ambitious tale and does so in a reasonably vivid manner.

Not that it lacks flaws, most of which revolve around the convoluted plot. That becomes an issue with “multiverse” stories, as they go down so many rabbit holes that viewers can struggle to follow them.

I also think the film’s 144-minute running time feels a bit excessive. Granted, the massively successful Spider-Man: No Way Home went even longer, but that one wrapped up an ambitious trilogy, so it needed the cinematic real estate.

Flash shows less reason to go so long. At its core, the plot seems not all that complicated, and parts of the movie drag due to the choices to give it this running time.

Despite these issues, Flash finds enough inventiveness and excitement to make it a fun ride. As complicated as the narrative becomes, it still usually moves at a positive pace, and the film finds plenty of outlets for thrills.

Of course, the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman acts as an event – well, for those of us at a certain age, at least. I get the sense Keaton’s appearance meant less to the under 30 crowd, as they didn’t experience his Bat-glory days the same way we did.

Nonetheless, Keaton’s revival of the role turns into a treat. He seems excited to revisit the part and he adds both warm and depth to the piece.

Outside of the Shazam flicks, Flash opts for a more comedic vibe than other DCEU tales, but it feels natural for the character. Barry/Flash was always a bit of a goof, so the humor connects.

Flash doesn’t turn into a total farce, however, and it musters some real emotion at times. Barry’s core journey to save his parents strikes a chord and helps add impact to the tale.

Miller holds the film together and deals with the challenges of “Core Barry” and “Teen Barry” well. I admit that Teen Barry felt wrong to me at first, just because he's such a Dopey Bro and so different from the more introverted, anxious Core Barry.

I accepted the portrayal more as the movie went, partly because I understood that the movie needed to give Miller a way to clearly differentiate the two. If they're too similar in personality, the viewers will get confused.

Also, I understand that the movie wants to show what a difference Barry's mom's survival meant to him. It implies her death - and the loss of his dad to prison - turned him into a much more shutdown person.

Which makes sense, though I still think Dopey Bro Barry felt a little too different. A little more tame version would've been more believable.

I actually wish the film had more thoroughly explored the personality differences of the two, though, especially because characters never really allude to how different they seem. Core Barry gets frustrated with Dopey Bro Barry but he doesn't seem to wonder how they could be the same person.

Still, Flash handles the dual roles well as a whole, and Miller executes these challenges in a positive way. Miller gives the movie the right comedic and dramatic beats.

Some nitpicks aside, I do like The Flash. It packs action, drama and comedy into a largely engaging movie.

Footnote: expect the usual extra footage after the end credits.

The Flash appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.90:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. A true 4K product, this Dolby Vision presentation offered a stellar image.

Sharpness seemed strong. Nary a hint of softness impacted the image, so it remained tight and concise.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies. Both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

Like every other modern action movie, Flash opted for an amber/orange and teal orientation, though it came with splashes of other hues as well. The disc depicted them in an appropriate manner, and HDR added range and impact to the tones.

Blacks showed good depth, and shadows offered largely nice clarity and smoothness. HDR contributed power and force to whites and contrast. In the end, the movie provided pleasing visuals.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Flash brought us a strong Dolby Atmos soundtrack. As one would expect, the soundscape opened up best when it indulged in its many action sequences.

These used the various channels in a vivid, immersive manner that placed the elements in logical spots and meshed together well. The track gave us a strong sense of place and action.

Audio quality also pleased. Speech remained natural and distinctive, while music was full and rich.

Effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with tight low-end. I liked this mix quite a lot.

As we head to extras, we find a mix of featurettes. Worlds Collide runs 36 minutes, 55 seconds and brings notes from director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart, vehicle stunts Nick Murray and Nico Ferrari, acting double Ed Wade, production designer Paul Austerberry, executive producer Marianne Jenkins, construction manager Ray Barrett, costume supervisor Dan Grace, costume FX supervising modeler Pierre Bohanna, director of photography Henry Braham, composer Benjamin Wallfisch, supervising locations manager Amanda Stevens, VFX supervisor John Desjardin, 2nd unit director Robert Alonzo, makeup department head Victoria Down, editors Paul Machliss and Jason Ballantine, special FX supervisor Dominic Tuohy, and actors Jeremy Irons, Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Gal Gadot and Michael Shannon.

“Collide” offers a general production diary that touches on topics like stunts and training, sets and design, various effects, vehicles, costumes, photography, music, and editing.

“Collide” doesn’t offer the most coherent piece, as it flits around from topic to topic. Nonetheless, it gives us a nice array of insights, and ample footage from the shoot adds value.

Flashpoint goes for six minutes, 21 seconds. It involves Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Desjardin, Braham, writers Mark Waid and Sterling Gates, screenwriter Christina Hodson, and DC president/publisher/chief creative officer Jim Lee.

In this show, we learn about DC’s use of the “multiverse” and how it works in this film. It provides a decent overview.

Next comes Let’s Get Nuts, an eight-minute, 31-second piece. Here we find notes from Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Austerberry, Desjardin, Hodson, Grace, Bohanna, Wade, Braham, and supervising art director Jason Know-Johnston.

“Nuts” discusses the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. A few useful details emerge, but a lot of “Nuts” just praises the actor, and his absence as an interview subject leaves a void.

The Bat Chase spans six minutes, 50 seconds. It comes with info from Andy Muschietti, Tuohy, Austerberry, Huthart, Knox-Johnston, Barbara Muschietti, Alonzo, Ferrari, and Murray.

As expected, “Chase” looks at elements involved in that particular scene. Though short, it gives us a solid take on the topic.

After this, Saving Supergirl occupies six minutes, 49 seconds. During this one, we hear from Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Austerberry, Calle, Knox-Johnston, Barrett, Huthart, Braham, and set decorator Dominic Capon.

“Saving” follows the same path as “Chase” and details elements of a particular part of the movie. It turns into another worthwhile reel.

Battling Zod lasts five minutes, 36 seconds. It comes with comments from Andy Muschietti, Jenkins, Huthart, Braham, Alonzo, Shannon, Calle, and Tuohy.

“Zod” covers aspects of the movie’s climactic action sequence. Expect a quality program in the same vein as the last two.

With Fighting Dark Flash, we get a seven-minute, 14-second reel. The featurette delivers material from Andy Muschietti, Bohanna, Grace, Down, Desjardin, Barbara Muschietti, Jenkins, Miller, Wade, and script supervisor Lizzie Pritchard.

Another featurette focused on a specific area of the film, we cover the “Dark Flash” part of the movie. It brings more worthwhile information.

The Saga of the Scarlet Speedster fills 38 minutes, 26 seconds. It provides statements from Lee, Andy Muschietti, Miller, Hodson, Barbara Muschietti, DC writers/producers Jeph Loeb, Bruce Timm and Geoff Johns, TV writers Sterling Gates and Joshua Williamson, TV actors John Wesley Shipp, Michael Rosenbaum and Grant Gustin, DC writers Grant Morrison, Jeremy Adams, Marv Wolfman and Jim Krieg, DC writer/artist Francis Manapul, historian Mark Waid, former DC Comics president/publisher Paul Levitz, former Flash comics editor Julius Schwartz, DC artist Carmine Infantino, TV series creator Greg Berlanti, and filmmaker Zack Snyder.

“Saga” examines the character’s history in the comics and other media over the years. We get a fine overview of these domains.

In the same vein, The Last Daughter of Krypton spans 16 minutes. With it, we hear from Gates, Calle, Lee, Waid, Levitz, Loeb, Johns, Wolfman, Timm, Andy Muschietti, Hodson, and actors Melissa Benoist, Helen Slater, Nicholle Tom, and Laura Vandervoort.

“Daughter” follows the same path as “Saga” and gives us a history of Supergirl in comics and other media. It lacks the same level of detail and rushes too much, but it still comes with some quality material.

10 Deleted Scenes take up a total of 14 minutes, 13 seconds. Most of these offer longer versions of existing sequences.

Nothing crucial appears. That said, the segments offer some interesting moments, even if I can’t claim any of the additions needed to make the final film.

Called Escape the Midnight Circus, we get a “scripted podcast story”. This essentially means Circus acts like a radio play.

Circus lasts one hour, 33 minutes, 43 seconds and tells a tale in which Barry tries to go back in time but ends up in another world where he lacks his powers and finds himself in a “fight to the death” reality show. Aspects of Circus seem derivative but it finds a lot of fun and cleverness along the way, so it becomes a very enjoyable program.

In addition to a trailer for Circus, we conclude with The Flash in Session, a one-minute, 58-second featurette. It involves writer/director Henry Loevner and actor Max Greenfield. They offer some basics about the podcast, but the reel seems too short to give us much.

Given its lackluster box office reception, history seems unlikely to remember The Flash kindly. That feels too bad, as the movie offers a pretty lively and vivid superhero adventure. The 4K UHD boasts excellent picture and audio along with a mix of bonus materials. This turns into a solid comic book flick.