Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Warner Bros.
Early into The Flash, Barry Allen (Ezra Miller)—a.k.a. The Flash himself—is in Gotham City, saving average citizens from falling buildings and sinkholes, as is a superhero’s obligation. He’s got Alfred (Jeremy Irons) on the phone, giving him updates on when Barry could expect Gotham’s actual savior to arrive.
“I am essentially the janitor of the Justice League,” Barry tells Alfred, who’s well-aware; it’s the Batman’s messes that the Flash is usually called in to clean up. A superhero fan who’s been waiting for Barry Allen’s return since he last appeared in 2017’s Justice League might find this line a snarky, earned dig at the DC Cinematic Universe’s set of super-powered fuck-ups. But to the rest of us, it’s deeply ironic: The Flash (out June 16) has become the Justice League franchise’s mess to mop up, a giant hole in the wall that DC Studios has been trying to hide with a painting.
The movie itself, for those willing to wade through the muck and the mire of public record to go see it, is barely the problem. The Flash’s achievements are the kind that make for good in-flight movie fare: It’s familiar, easygoing, and amusing. But to offer the film any kind of praise is an uneasy task, because its star is one of the most controversial Hollywood figures in recent memory. Miller, who spent much of 2022 at the center of several shocking allegations, doesn’t just play one super-speedy Barry Allen. In this movie, they play two separate Barry Allens, who share the screen together for most of The Flash’s 144-minute runtime.