The Flash

I am a huge fan of the DCEU (I also like the MCU but I prefer DC's characters) and, since my nephew's favorite character is The Flash, we have been planning to see The Flash together for months.  We finally had the chance last night at a Thursday preview and we both loved it!  Barry Allen/ The Flash (Ezra Miller) travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother Nora (Maribel Verdu) and the wrongful imprisonment of his father Henry (Ron Livingston).  However, when he attempts to return to the present he ends up in an alternate version of 2013 where he encounters a younger version of himself when visiting his mother.  He realizes that his actions have had terrible consequences when he sees a broadcast of General Zod (Michael Shannon) landing on Earth and is unable to locate Diana Prince/ Wonder Woman, Victor Stone/ Cyborg, or Arthur Curry/ Aquaman.  Both Barrys travel to Wayne Manor where they meet an alternate version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman (Michael Keaton) and convince him to help them find Kal-El/ Superman.  They find Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle), a female Kryptonian and Kal-El's cousin, instead and this reconfigured Justice League has an epic showdown with General Zod and his forces.  Ultimately, Barry learns an important lesson about fate.  I really loved the story and Barry's character arc as he learns how to deal with loss is very emotional.  I am extremely frustrated by Ezra Miller's off screen behavior because they give an absolutely brilliant performance as both versions of Barry Allen/ The Flash and, while it is difficult to praise such a terrible human being, I really enjoyed how they portrayed this character.  Ugh!  I loved seeing Keaton return as Batman (and hearing his iconic theme by Danny Elfman) because I am a big fan of his version of the character!  The audience cheered out loud when he delivered some of his iconic lines.  I also loved Calle as Supergirl (she steals every scene she is in) and I hope we get to see her in this role again.  As a huge fan I really enjoyed all of the nostalgia on display and I think this is a great sendoff to the DCEU.  I also enjoyed the humor and it was really fun to see this in a crowded theater with an audience that laughed out loud many times!  I will say that some of the CGI, especially in the first act, is bad but I still loved most of the action sequences, particularly when both iterations of the Flash team up in the final act.  I am sure that there will be a lot of discourse about this movie (and I understand why) but I think it is one of the better CBMs and I am looking forward to seeing it again!