Ezra Miller stars in a scene from the movie “The Flash.” The OSV News classification is A-III -- adults. (OSV News photo/Warner Bros.)

By OSV News

Time travel-themed adventure in which the super-speedy DC Comics figure of the title (Ezra Miller) journeys back into the days of his childhood to prevent the murder of his mother (Maribel Verdú), a crime for which his father (Ron Livingston) has since been unjustly convicted. Predictably, his attempt to undo the double tragedy creates innumerable fresh problems. So he teams with a carefree youthful version of himself (also Miller) from the timeline in which mom went unscathed and with a previously unknown variant (Michael Keaton) of his pal Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) to retrieve the situation.

Action abounds in director Andy Muschietti’s sprawling addition to Justice League lore. But the chronological convolutions, which eventually introduce Krypton-born Supergirl (Sasha Calle) into the mix, hover between interesting and confusing. As for Christina Hodson’s script, although it puts forward a view of suffering that comports with Christian values, consistent vulgar vocabulary and an embarrassing lesson for the protagonist’s adolescent alter ego about why the Flash sports a specially designed low-friction suit make the film a dicey proposition for the teens at whom, along with grown-ups, it’s presumably aimed.

Much stylized violence with occasional gore, rear male nudity in a nonsexual context, at least one use each of profanity and rough language, several milder oaths, frequent crass talk. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may not be suitable for children.

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