The Flash (Film)

The Flash is an American superhero, action, and science fiction film released on 16 June 2023, based on the character of the same name in DC comics. The screenplay, written by Christina Hodson and directed by Andy Muschietti, is built around the themes of the multiverse and time travel within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film centers on Barry Allen, who uses his superpowers to travel back in time to prevent his mother’s death in the past, inadvertently causing disruptions in the linear flow of time that lead to collisions between parallel universes and alternate realities.

^{The Flash Film Poster (}IMDB⁾

Barry Allen, while working at a forensic laboratory, gains extraordinary speed powers after being struck by lightning during a storm, which causes the lightning to interact with chemicals. He adopts the alias The Flash and becomes the protector of Central City. However, he remains haunted by the unresolved tragedy of his mother Nora Allen’s murder and the wrongful imprisonment of his father Henry Allen. Using a device called the "Chronobowl," which allows him to bend time and intervene in the past, Barry travels back in time. Despite Bruce Wayne’s serious warnings that time travel could trigger unforeseen catastrophic consequences, Barry alters the past by placing canned tomatoes back into his mother’s shopping cart, ensuring Henry stays home and preventing the murder from ever occurring.

As Barry attempts to return to his own timeline, he is thrown out of the time stream by an unidentified dark speedster known as Dark Flash and finds himself in an alternate 2013. In this universe, his mother Nora is alive, but he encounters his 18-year-old self, a university student who has not yet gained his powers. Recognizing that his younger self must experience the same accident to acquire his abilities, the original Barry ensures the accident repeats in the lab; however, during this process, he loses all his powers while his younger self gains them.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

Meanwhile, it is announced that the Kryptonian General Zod has arrived on Earth with intentions of invasion. Barry realizes that no Justice League exists in this universe and that heroes such as Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Arthur Curry (Aquaman), or Victor Stone (Cyborg) either do not exist or have not yet gained their powers. Seeking help, the two Barrys go to Wayne Manor, where they meet not the Bruce Wayne they know, but an older, retired, gray-haired, reclusive version of Batman (Michael Keaton). Batman explains the multiverse structure using his "spaghetti theory," asserting that interventions in the past do not merely alter the future but also change the past, causing universes to become entangled.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

To defeat Zod, the team devises a mission to rescue an alien imprisoned in a military facility in Russia. However, the person they rescue is not Kal-El (Superman) but his cousin Kara Zor-El (Supergirl). After being exposed to sunlight, Kara regains her powers. Although she initially refuses to defend humanity, she agrees to join the battle after witnessing Zod’s brutality.

During a massive battle in Siberia, Batman and Supergirl fight alongside the Barrys against Zod’s army. However, Zod reveals that the genetic Codex required to rebuild Krypton is contained within Kara’s blood and kills her to seize it. As Batman attempts to destroy Zod’s massive ship, he is killed. Unable to accept these tragic deaths, the two Barrys repeatedly rewind time to restart the battle; yet each attempt confirms the inescapable truth that Batman and Supergirl inevitably die at the same "convergence point."

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

Pushing the limits of time travel, the younger Barry repeatedly rewinds time hundreds of times to hold the timelines together, sustaining severe injuries and eventually transforming into a monstrous speedster known as Dark Flash. Dark Flash, who seeks to prevent the original Barry from altering the past, is in fact trying to preserve his own existence in the timeline. During their confrontation, the younger Barry sacrifices himself to save the original Barry, causing Dark Flash to vanish from the timeline. Barry Allen realizes he must undo his intervention with the canned tomatoes and accept his mother’s death. However, he makes a small change: he places the canned tomatoes on a higher shelf in the supermarket to improve the security camera footage that will prove his father’s innocence. Upon returning to the present, his father Henry Allen is acquitted in court, but the Bruce Wayne Barry now encounters is portrayed by George Clooney.^【1】.

The process of adapting the Flash character for cinema has a long and complex history. Attempts to bring this popular DC comic book hero to the big screen began in the 1980s but failed to yield concrete results for many years. The production gained new momentum in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which officially launched the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In 2014, Ezra Miller’s casting as Barry Allen led Warner Bros. to officially announce the solo The Flash film.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

Originally scheduled for release in 2018, the film became one of the most delayed and revised projects in cinematic history. Throughout its development, numerous screenwriters and directors—including Seth Grahame-Smith, Rick Famuyiwa, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein—joined and later departed due to artistic disagreements. Administrative instability within the DCEU, studio financial and creative disappointments, production delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and legal and judicial issues involving lead actor Ezra Miller severely disrupted the production process.

The film’s release date was officially updated by studio authorities as follows:

• 14 December 2019: The release date was first announced as 1 July 2022.
• 21 April 2020: Due to the pandemic’s onset, the release date was updated to 3 June 2022.
• 2 November 2020: Delays in production pushed the release date to 4 November 2022.
• 10 March 2022: The release date was set as 23 June 2023 following a major reorganization.
• 6 December 2022: As the film neared completion, the date was moved forward to 16 June 2023.
• 13 January 2023: Although initially announced as delayed to an unspecified date, the release date was confirmed as 16 June 2023 on the same day.

Shortly before the film’s release, Warner Bros. Discovery’s management decided to terminate the entire DCEU project and handed creative leadership to James Gunn. As a result, The Flash became one of the final films marking the closure of the previous DC cinematic universe.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

The film’s cast brings together actors from different eras of DC’s cinematic adaptations within the multiverse narrative:

• Ezra Miller (Barry Allen / The Flash): Portrays both the experienced Barry Allen of the main universe and the 18-year-old, immature Barry Allen of the alternate universe.
• Sasha Calle (Kara Zor-El / Supergirl): A fierce and charismatic Kryptonian hero imprisoned in a Soviet military facility in the alternate universe.
• Michael Keaton (Batman / Bruce Wayne): Returns to the role after more than thirty years, portraying the retired Batman from Tim Burton’s 1989 and 1992 Batman films.
• Ben Affleck (Batman / Bruce Wayne): Plays the experienced Batman from the original DCEU universe who mentors Barry.
• Michael Shannon (General Zod): Reprises his role as the Kryptonian military leader from the 2013 film Man of Steel in the alternate universe.
• Ron Livingston (Henry Allen): Barry’s father, wrongfully accused of murder.
• Maribel Verdú (Nora Allen): Barry’s mother, whose death in the past triggers the entire timeline collapse.
• Kiersey Clemons (Iris West): Barry’s journalist friend from university.
• Temuera Morrison (Tom Curry): Appears as Arthur Curry’s father in the alternate universe.
• Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso: Play supporting roles in the film.
• George Clooney and Nicolas Cage: Appear in cameo roles as an alternate Bruce Wayne and an unproduced Superman, respectively.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

With a massive production and marketing budget, The Flash failed to meet commercial expectations after its release and is recorded as one of the biggest box office failures of 2023. Director Andy Muschietti attributed the film’s underperformance to studio transition processes and broader shifts in the film industry. According to 2023 box office reports, although The Marvels incurred greater financial losses than The Flash and became the year’s biggest financial loss, both films ranked among the top financial failures of the era.

The official box office performance of the film in Türkiye is reported by Box Office Türkiye as follows:

• Opening Weekend Audience Count: 56,542 viewers
• Total Audience Count (7-Week Run): 181,381 viewers
• Opening Weekend Revenue: ₺5,721,951
• Total Revenue (7-Week Run): ₺17,236,449^【2】
• Weekly Status: The film topped the Türkiye box office during its opening weekend.

^{A scene from The Flash film (}IMDB⁾

Following its release, the film received various nominations from industry guilds and critics’ associations but won no major awards^【3】. The official list of nominations and awards received by the film is as follows:

• 51st Saturn Awards (2024):
• • Nominated for "Best Superhero Film"
  • Nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" (Michael Keaton)^【4】
• 39th Artios Awards (2024 - Casting Society of America):
• • Nominated for "Zeitgeist Award" (Rich Delia, Kate Ringsell, Adam Richards)^【5】
• San Diego Film Critics Society Awards (SDFCS - 2023):
• • Won "Best Ensemble / Filmography" Award – Nicolas Cage (Shared)
• Young Artist Awards (2024):
• • Won "Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor" Award – Bastian Antonio Fuentes
• Spanish Actors Union Awards (2024):
• • Won "Best Female Actress in an International Production" Award – Maribel Verdú
• Visual Effects Society Awards (VES - 2024):
• • Nominated for "Outstanding Technology Award" (Stephan Trojansky, Thomas Ganshorn, et al.)
• Hawaii Film Critics Society (2024):
• • Nominated for "Worst Film of the Year"
• Golden Schmoes Awards (2024):
• • Nominated for "Biggest Disappointment of the Year"
  • Nominated for "Worst Film of the Year"
• ReFrame (2024):
• • Won "ReFrame Stamp Feature" Award
• Filmtracks Awards (2023):
• • Nominated for "Best Film Music Theme" (Benjamin Wallfisch)^【6】