The Flash
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: June 16, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 55 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
22
Negative:
5

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
85
CNNBrian LowryJun 9, 2023
DC finds itself at a bit of a crossroads. Yet that timing makes it all the more impressive to see how “The Flash” has managed to click on all cylinders, pay respect to the company’s past while achieving the kind of balance that could and perhaps should point the way to its future. Read full review
85
Film ThreatAlan NgJun 6, 2023
Ultimately, the story is the film’s star, and director Andrew Muschietti knows how to tell a comic book story. As much as there is excessive fan-baiting and nostalgia, it earned it at the end by holding most of it off until the end. I’m sold. Read full review
83
Original-CinChris KnightJun 14, 2023
While the movie motors along with admirable pacing for most of its lengthy running time, it stumbles in the final act, which is marred by even more bad special effects and a maudlin reunion. Read full review
80
EmpireChris HewittJun 6, 2023
Set to be one of the final entries in what we know as the DCEU, this is also one of the best, a witty and warm buddy comedy that deserves to be more than just a Flash in the pan. Read full review
80
UproxxMike RyanJun 6, 2023
This feels like the definitive Flash movie. Read full review
80
NMEAlex FloodJun 6, 2023
A funny, action-packed and, of course, fast-paced adventure follows – with a surprisingly moving emotional centre. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiJun 15, 2023
A solidly entertaining if predictable time-travel film that boasts something most DC movies sorely lack: a strong lead performance. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJun 14, 2023
It’s nuts. It’s fun. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 13, 2023
Despite a far-too-long running time and a second half that often relies on audience-pleasing gimmickry in favor of a compelling story arc, The Flash is an exceedingly well-acted adventure with just enough gas in the accelerator to make it to the finish line before wearing out its welcome. Read full review
75
SlashfilmBen PearsonJun 6, 2023
While I have a few complaints and there are a couple of head-scratching loose ends, The Flash is still a funny, emotional, action-heavy crowd-pleaser that ranks among the best DC movies ever made. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittJun 6, 2023
With good guys aplenty and a big heart, The Flash pens a love letter to DC superhero movies past, though the film runs around in circles trying to make it all work. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 12, 2023
Logic devolves, cameos abound — there are two that are truly inspired, one of which involves legendary recasting — and lessons are learned. Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJun 6, 2023
DC takes the multiverse for a spin in The Flash, an entertaining adventure that outruns its familiar narrative trappings thanks to a playful sense of humour and the arrival of an iconic character in a supporting role. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJun 6, 2023
You can feel The Flash wishing it could steal a glimpse into the audience and revise itself on the fly accordingly; no wonder early screenings apparently hedged on an ending until the last possible minute. Read full review
70
Rolling StoneDavid FearJun 6, 2023
This much-beleagured cinematic universe has finally hit upon a winning film, and one that will be forever tainted. Read full review
70
IGNJoshua YehlJun 6, 2023
Though the visual effects aren’t always the best and the third act is a bit overwhelming, strong performances and a refreshing earnestness keep The Flash on track and running circles around many of the recent DC Universe movies. If this is the truly last stop on the Snyderverse express, then it’s a respectable way to go out. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 6, 2023
This long-gestating stand-alone showcase for the Fastest Man Alive is enjoyable entertainment, even if it spends more time spinning its wheels than reinventing them. Read full review
70
PolygonJoshua RiveraJun 6, 2023
It’s a bright, breezy film that is overwhelmed by corporate hagiography, a pat on the back for a bunch of movies that never really worked out. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMatthew JacksonJun 6, 2023
It’s sometimes buried under layers and layers of storytelling knots that the film never fully untangles, but the fun is there, and when the film is really working, that turns out to be enough. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandJun 6, 2023
In its best moments, The Flash touches on something new and exciting, but too often, its the past that tugs on, keeping it from speeding ahead. Read full review
67
ConsequenceLiz Shannon MillerJun 6, 2023
There’s an immense amount of baggage weighing down what proves to be a vaguely competent superhero adventure, albeit one that fails to add anything significant to the genre by the end. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyJun 14, 2023
The action gets increasingly overblown, even by superhero-movie standards. Bad as smash-crash-bash can be, portentous smash-crash-bash is far worse. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 13, 2023
Despite a too-long running time of 144 minutes (the entirety of which much be endured to get to the post-credits scene), the story feels slight. There’s a strong emotional hook but it doesn’t fully compensate for all the half-baked story elements that litter the film. Read full review
63
The Associated PressJocelyn NoveckJun 13, 2023
At one point in this 184-minute drama, I started wondering if I was seeing a bunch of disco balls trying to destroy each other. But maybe this was a moment of sensory overload. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 12, 2023
The disconnect between Barry’s mature and adolescent selves, a running gag, can be amusing. But coming on the heels of the parade of similar content that we’ve been subjected to for the past several years in the world of superhero films and shows, the device cloys. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 7, 2023
The Flash, while it never comes close to the gee whiz “I can do THIS?” novelty of the many Spider-Man “origin” iterations, makes a charming, nostalgic and sometimes touching addition to the genre, and lets us hope Miller will recover enough to return to acting this character and others. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJun 6, 2023
One of the most spectacular and frustrating mixed bags of the superhero blockbuster era, The Flash is simultaneously thoughtful and clueless, challenging and pandering. It features some of the best digital FX work I've seen and some of the worst. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkJun 6, 2023
Nothing Batman or Supergirl do in The Flash to save the world is more effective than what Barry Allen does to save it with a hug and a can of tomatoes. Read full review
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