The Flash (2023)

One Barry Allen is plenty, and The Flash hands you two for 144 minutes. The younger one, from an alternate 2013, is all yelling and flailing, and Ezra Miller plays both at full volume until they blur into one long squeak. Then there’s the look. The trips through time happen in a glowing bowl where people move like wax figures, and the opening rescue at a collapsing hospital features digital babies with the texture of gummy candy. A reported $200 to $220 million, and it often looks unfinished. The heart is real, though. Maribel Verdú makes Barry’s mom warm and specific in a few short scenes, and the grief under the whole plot gives the movie a pulse. Sasha Calle’s Supergirl is a striking new take with almost nothing to do. Michael Shannon’s Zod is a rerun. It made $271.4 million worldwide. A 4.4 because the mom scenes land and the rest is a timeline traffic jam. $57.78 says you forget one thing on your shopping list this week and seriously consider running fast enough to undo it.

What works: The scenes between Barry and his mother are warm and genuinely moving, and Sasha Calle makes a strong first impression as Supergirl.

What doesn’t: The visual effects often look unfinished, the second Barry is grating, and the multiverse finale turns into a noisy pileup.

Who it’s for: DC fans who want one more outing with the Justice League era, and anyone soft for a story about missing your mom.