OVERVIEW: Prepare for the time-bending adventure of a lifetime when “The Flash” arrives for purchase Digitally at home on July 18. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti with Ezra Miller reprising their role as The Flash/Barry Allen in the DC Super Hero’s first-ever standalone feature film. The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on August 29.

SYNOPSIS: Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian... albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

MOVIE REVIEW: Let’s be honest, our exposure to the Flash character, cinematically speaking, has been such that I wasn’t too sure that he could carry a movie as the title character no matter how much I particularly love that character. I mean I love all things that are fast speed. I thoroughly enjoy watching airplanes of all sorts, sports cars are my weakness, and my favorite animal is the cheetah. Ezra Miller’s Flash just seemed too silly, too wired, and a hint of immature to warrant a movie about him specifically. Then again, the Shazam movies haven’t been too bad with a similar formula. So, you guessed it, I was totally wrong. Now let’s go ahead and get the purple elephant in the room out of the way. I realize there is a lot of controversy with Ezra right now and many of you might be turned off to the movie because of it. I really don’t want to get into all that. I figure to leave that up to you to decide and reach your own conclusions about the actor and this movie. I just want to focus on the movie and I got to tell you, Ezra was excellent. Arguably one of his better performances to date. He is a very good actor, regardless of his personal life issues. While on the subject of performances, Michael Keaton, wow, Michael Keaton, what a treat to have him reprise his most beloved role. He was fantastic and prompted a few well-deserved cheers from the audience. I also want to mention a touching performance given by Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Barry’s mom. She plays the kind of mom that none of us would mind having as mom ourselves. Lastly and most powerfully, we have Sasha Calle in the role of Supergirl, Kal-El’s cousin. Perfectly cast for this role, she’s the right combination of looking fierce and exotic. I mean she looks like she came from a different planet, but in a very good way. Oh yeah, can’t forget about those special cameos that we are treated to, look out for them.

Don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for two aspects that a movie can have, nostalgia as in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and when separate movies are linked or at least referenced as in several Marvel movies like No Way Home, or even Mr. Glass. The Flash has all of that and so well done. The nostalgia is turned up in this film and it links many DC movies too. I’ll tell you that it put a smile on my face while watching. These aspects were needed though because the storyline is all too familiar. The whole "You mess with time, it tends to mess back," (Tony Stark) story is overdone but I for one don’t really mind. This time it’s the Flash’s plight and how he’s going to handle it. This film has a good blend of action, drama, and humor. The special effects are eye-popping, one of the better ones yet from the DCU. Priscilla also pointed out that the imagery in the film is very well done and appropriate. Director Andy Muschietti, known for Mama, It, and It Chapter 2, has made a nice transition to the superhero genre. Knowing that the DCU has had its ups and downs in theaters and critically, I’ve gotta say that this is an up.

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Master Audio in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.85:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English, English-ADS, English ATMOS, Canadian French, Latin Spanish,

Subtitles - English SDH, Canadian French, Parisian French, Latin Spanish

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

“The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus” podcast – Six-part original scripted audio series featuring Max Greenfield as The Flash

The Flash: Escape the Midnight Circus Behind the Scenes

Making the Flash: Worlds Collide - featurette

Let’s Get Nuts: Batman Returns, Again - featurette

Supergirl: Last Daughter of Krypton - featurette

Flashpoint: Introducing the Multiverse - featurette