Parents' Guide to

The Flash

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Intense, long superhero adventure explores loss, teamwork.

Movie PG-13 2023 144 minutes
The Flash Movie Poster: Close-up of a man in a red helmet, with "The Flash" written across his chest

A Lot or a Little?

What you willā€”and won'tā€”find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 15 parent reviews

age 12+

Best DC Movie I've Watched In My Opinion

Greatest DC film I've watched by far. But let's get to how the movie is in age appropriate media. For violence of course there's tons of action with punching, kicking, gun fights and stabbing. Barry is also electrocuted by lightning in one scene which may be frightening to a younger audience. For language there are multiple uses of s--t, ass, and just one use of f--k. For sex there is one minor sex reference at the beginning of the film and in one scene the alternate version of Barry is scene naked with his buttocks showing only for a split second but no genitalia is shown as we all expected. Best suitable for ages 12 and up in my opinion.
age 11+

Bro this movie is fine....

This movie is fine 4 teens. There's 1 sexual references one where Barry at the beginning at the movie touches the lasso of truth and says I KNOW WHAT SEX IS IVE JUST NEVER EXPERIENCED IT and the only 2 a little dark things is Barry bassicly getting fried by an electric chair and Barry's mom dying ps Barry as an 18 ur old is butt naked in one scene no penis and this is non sexual so yeah šŸ˜€

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15 ):
Kids say (15 ):

This time-traveling, nostalgia-filled adaptation of Flashpoint is entertaining and benefits from Keaton's standout supporting performance. The two Barrys are amusing to watch, particularly because the original Barry is fairly socially awkward, while the younger Barry is somewhat spoiled and easygoing (having not been burdened by his mother's death and father's subsequent false imprisonment). The two develop a surprising chemistry as they try to track down Batman and Superman and do something that seems impossible. Three memorable female cast members also offer impactful supporting performances: Kiersey Clemons as Iris West; Maribel Verdu as Barry's mother, Nora Allen; and newcomer Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl). But this is definitely the story of the two Barrys -- and, later, their camaraderie with Batman.

Andy Muschietti directs, based on Christina Hudson's script, which ramps up the pop-culture references and nostalgic bits. There are several jokes about how the original Barry's time travel has created a world in which all of the Brat Pack actors swapped signature movie roles. Keaton's appearance is also nostalgic, of course, and there are a host of Easter eggs and cameos that will make audiences either applaud, laugh, or roll their eyes, depending on how they feel about the sentimentality of the sequence. While Miller's two roles complement each other, it's difficult to talk about the actor without acknowledging the many accusations and criminal allegations that have been made against them. The DC Extended Universe is reportedly not going to recast the role, even though all the time travel makes the Flash an easy character to consider for that strategy. And a few of the scenes are a bit cringey to watch given the nature of the charges against Miller, but ultimately they're largely outshined by the movie's crowd-pleasing elements.

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