After nearly a decade of bouncing around different stages of development, DC’s film adaptation of The Flash is finally making its run through theaters. As seems to be the case with every DC movie, the film certainly has its die-hard fans as well as plenty of naysayers. The Flash has been embroiled in controversy for a while now, largely as a result of the actions of its star Ezra Miller. The movie is a multiverse and time-traveling romp that features the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, among other DC fan favorites, as well as Sasha Calle stepping into the role of Supergirl for the first (and hopefully not the last) time.
If you’ve been a fan of The Flash for a while now, whether it be because of the numerous great comics or the CW series starring Grant Gustin, there’s no denying the pure satisfaction in seeing the character finally get a big-budget solo film. The movie is a loose adaptation of one of the Flash’s most iconic stories, Flashpoint, which was written by Geoff Johns and published in the summer of 2011. Thankfully, if you loved The Flash, there are a number of other movies out there that are likely to give you the same satisfaction. Here are nine movies to watch if you couldn’t get enough of DC’s The Flash:
Man of Steel (2013)
First of all, 2013’s Man of Steel is a must-watch if you haven’t experienced it already. Although The Flash is a surprisingly self-contained story, it is still built upon the foundations of the DCEU which began with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. On top of that, The Flash even revisits several of the key stories of Man of Steel with alternate history twists to them.
Man of Steel is the introduction of Henry Cavill’s Superman, and it’s a comic-book movie that deserves a lot more love and recognition than it actually gets. Plus, as great as Michael Shannon is as Zod in The Flash, his performance in Man of Steel makes him one of the most memorable comic-book movie villains of the modern era.
Back to the Future (1985)
With the numerous time travel elements of the movie and the often light-hearted approach to its story, The Flash takes a lot of inspiration from one of the most famous time travel movies of all time, 1985’s Back to the Future. The sci-fi adventure, which starred Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, is well-deserved of its status as a classic. There’s really no beating Back to the Future.
The movie has incredible magic and charm to it that keeps people coming back to it constantly, even 40 years after its release. In many ways, Back to the Future paved the way for what a modern blockbuster could be. While the second two films in the Back to the Future trilogy might not be quite as beloved as the first, they are still certainly worth checking out.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
You likely still have time to catch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in theaters, as it just opened a few weeks ago. The second film in the animated Spider-Verse trilogy has some surprising similarities to The Flash, which are only more apparent because of the two films’ proximity to each other in terms of release date. Across the Spider-Verse is a perfect example of what a middle chapter of a trilogy should be.
It thoroughly tells its own story, with complete character arcs for the likes of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, but it also significantly builds upon the events of the first film and sets up an exciting story for the third film. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse might just be one of the best Spider-Man movies ever produced, and the animation is breathtaking from start to finish. Please, do yourself a favor and catch this movie before it leaves theaters.
The Adam Project (2022)
2022’s The Adam Project is a movie that made a decent splash when it was released, but it has largely been forgotten about since, which is a shame. The film is a solid sci-fi adventure that follows a time-traveling pilot as he goes back in time to find his father, and he accidentally gets his younger 12-year-old self-involved in the danger. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell, who is set to play Percy Jackson in the new Disney+ series, and it is directed by Shawn Levy.
Levy has received acclaim for his work on the Night at the Museum movies, as well as 2011’s Real Steel, 2021’s Free Guy and the Netflix series Stranger Things. He is also now set to direct the third Deadpool film, set for release next year. The fun-loving time travel antics of The Adam Project make the movie immensely entertaining to watch, and it tonally exists in a similar space to The Flash.
Superman (1978)
Going back nearly 50 years, 1978’s Superman is the movie that started it all for superhero movie blockbusters. The film, directed by Richard Donner, is a story that comes from a pure love for its lead character and the hope and optimism he brings to the world. There had really been nothing like Superman prior to its release, and the best comic-book movies are still attempting to follow in its footsteps a half-century later.
Christopher Reeve is perfect casting in the lead role, and his transitions between the shy reporter Clark Kent and the endlessly positive Kal-El are truly wonderful. Yes, there are some ways in which the film feels a bit dated, but it’s a movie that still has a lot to offer to modern audiences.
Looper (2012)
Rian Johnson’s Looper is a pretty different movie from the rest of the entries on this list. That’s because it’s a much more serious and adult story that isn’t going to leave its audience with the same kind of feel-good impression that most of these other movies will. However, Looper is still certainly worth checking out simply because it’s one of the best sci-fi time travel films of the last few decades.
The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the same character at different ages. The plot kicks in when the older Willis is sent back in time and comes face-to-face with his younger self, who has been hired to kill him. These days, Johnson is a director known for keeping people on the edge of their seats with clever story twists and unexpected shifts; Looper lives up to that reputation and still stands tall as one of his best films.
Batman (1989)
The reason for including 1989’s Batman on this list is pretty obvious. With Keaton’s return to the role of Bruce Wayne / Batman in The Flash, going back to watch his debut film is a must. If you’ve already seen it, then you’ll get the satisfaction of re-visiting one of the most iconic and beloved superhero movies of all time. If you’ve never seen it, then you’ll get to experience the movie for the first time.
Batman, directed by Tim Burton, is very different from many of the comic-book movies of today. It’s much more character-oriented and has lower stakes, but Burton’s visual depiction of Gotham and the outstanding performances from Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker make the watch more than worth it.
Gemini Man (2019)
The 2019 movie Gemini Man may be a bit of a controversial pick for this list, as the movie isn’t the most well-regarded. While the movie certainly does have its flaws, they are not the fault of the story’s premise and the insane action sequences. The movie is directed by Ang Lee, and it stars Will Smith as a legendary assassin who is preparing to retire.
However, he’s pulled into one more mission when a younger assassin with skills to match his own begins to chase him down. The crux of the movie is that this younger assassin is actually a cloned version of Smith’s character, who is several decades younger. The movie is then, essentially veteran Will Smith versus his younger self, who Smith also plays through the use of digital de-aging.
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)
Finally, although The Flash is the first theatrically released live-action movie based on the Scarlet Speedster, it is not the first great Flash movie to exist. DC has produced many beloved animated direct-to-video films over the years, and one of the best is 2013’s Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. While The Flash is a very loose adaptation of the Flashpoint comics, the animated The Flashpoint Paradox is a direct adaptation of that story. Although the animated film does make some changes, they are almost all welcome additions that build upon the already incredible story.
Plus, the film even has a fairly impressive voice cast, which includes big names like Michael B. Jordan, Cary Elwes, Nathan Fillion, Danny Huston and Ron Perlman. Plus, Kevin Conroy returns to voice Batman and, for the Star Wars animation fans, Dee Bradley Baker and Steve Blum also play roles. If you loved the film version of The Flash, then Flashpoint is both a must-read comic and a must-watch animated film.
