2023’s “The Flash” thrusts us right into the bustling life of Barry Allen, (Ezra Miller) a crime scene investigator working for Central City Police Department. Little do his employers know that he is secretly the fastest man on earth. In an attempt to get over the murder of his mother Nora Allen when he was a kid, by some kind of fast runner and the subsequent jailing of his father Henry Allen, who is played by Ron Livingston, Barry deals with this sorrow while at the same time doing superhero work as part of The Justice League.
He uses wormholes to travel back to the day when his mom was killed but it doesn’t go well as planned since he creates a lot of different realities that end up forming some sort of dystopia where there’s no more metahumans including himself and Justice League members.
At first reluctant, Bruce warns Barry about messing with time, but ultimately takes advantage of his desperation. Fuelled by despair Barry decides to take matters into his own hands and creates a device called chronobowl which works in conjunction with the Speed Force and allows him to travel back in time up to that night.
In this other world timeline General Eobard Thawne (played by Michael Shannon) controls Central City. He’s a military dictator out to achieve something sinister.Estranged from everything and everyone he knew due to changed timeline dynamics , Barry manages through another message left by him hidden behind walls few feet away . The other Barry who received such messages from “another self”, referred also as 2013 Barry or less mature version Ezra Miller when he hasn’t gained powers yet. To survive in this new reality they have come face-to-face with Cyborg who has not known happiness for many years now (Ray Fisher) ,and meets someone trapped in chains because she possesses strange abilities – Supergirl (Sasha Calle), whose freedom will bring normalcy back to Central City.
A race against time ensues as they try to bring down Thawne before he goes on a rampage. In the process, both Barrys realize that they can never escape the weight of their choices or deny what happened back then. Finally, in accepting his parents’ death due to car accident (a change brought by the new timeline), 2013 Barry confronts his own demons and becomes emotionally strong. The present day Barry feels guilty of destroying all he had built and is under obligation of fixing it.
Eventually, with some assistance from Supergirl and Cyborg, this duo manages overpower Thawne. Joining their Speed Force together, they form a whole new chronobowl which will reset everything once more after every wound has been healed properly.
In the climax of the movie, there is an eye-opening scene spiced with Barry’s super-fast racing and heroic sacrifice. During this moment, he decides to go back to his old timeline and live with the bitter fact that his mother died while his father is no longer in prison and Justice League actually exist.
However, it is a bittersweet ending. Barry finds comfort from having changed so much as he relates with his dad and other heroes he works with. The closure of the movie suggests future escapades that still have the multiverse threat as well as more opportunities to explore Speed Force.
“The Flash” is not just another superhero film dominated by action and spectacle; rather, it touches on various subjects including sorrow, acceptance, and consequences of time tampering. There are various aspects of humor, love, and action all through this story making it very interesting as the story reveals how hope can conquer everything even if there are loses.
