The Flash, a superhero film directed by Andy Muschietti, lands on HBO Max and Netflix on June 14, 2026. Released in theaters on June 14, 2023, this DC Universe feature puts Barry Allen at the center of a tale spanning time travel, the multiverse, and parallel realities, with Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton.
The Flash
Film | 2023
Cinema release: June 14, 2023
Streaming on HBO Max and Netflix starting June 14, 2026
Action, fantasy, science fiction | Running time: 2h24
Directed by Andy Muschietti | Screenplay by Christina Hodson | Starring Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon
Original title: The Flash
Country: United States
In The Flash, Barry Allen uses his powers to go back in time and try to change his past. But his bid to save his family upends the future: he finds himself stranded in a reality where General Zod threatens the planet, while the superheroes he knows have vanished. To set things right, Barry must persuade a retired Batman to come back into the fight and help a imprisoned Kryptonian.
Directed by Andy Muschietti, renowned for the It duo, The Flash has captured DC fans' attention with its returns and cameos, notably Michael Keaton stepping back into the role of Batman, more than 30 years after Batman: The Challenge, but also Ben Affleck, Michael Shannon as General Zod and Sasha Calle as Supergirl.
The trailer for The Flash establishes the stakes of the multiverse, the return of General Zod, the arrival of Supergirl, and the appearance of several Batman figures in a single DC storyline.
Our take on The Flash
For this first feature-length outing entirely devoted to The Flash, the superhero with “super-speed” powers and time travel ambitions, DC Studios has aimed high. Barry Allen, aka The Flash, in his bid to save his family, unsettles his own reality by leaping into the past. Trapped in a universe where General Zod has returned and where heroes aren’t as he imagined, Barry must recruit a retired Batman to hope to set the timeline right.
DC Studios’ ambition stands out and unquestionably outshines the previous universe-wide blockbusters. The film is rich with pleasant surprises and impresses with its tempo. We don’t deny the thrill of seeing on screen one of the elder Batman, Michael Keaton, even if the newer Ben Affleck is largely sidelined as a consequence.
We can fault The Flash for a few flaws, notably some longueurs in the fight scenes that pull the film back into the traditional blockbuster traps. Aside from a few redundancies that make these 2h24 sometimes feel labored, The Flash does manage to touch on some fairly interesting stakes, striking a relatively balanced blend of humor and emotion. Several moving moments are sure to resonate if you let yourself be carried along.
Moreover, The Flash hits close to the multiverse theme, a topic that has repeatedly returned to the screen in the MCU, and is also present in films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
If The Flash unquestionably ranks among the best DC entries, its form still feels oddly awkward at times. In short, a gamble that pays off for fans of the universe and is likely to find its audience.
To dive deeper, also explore our handpicked HBO Max releases for June 2026, the Netflix newcomers for June 2026, our guide to all-platform streaming releases, and today’s pick: What to watch today in streaming.
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
