The Flash (film)

The Flash is a 2008 superhero film, based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. It is the fifth film in the DC Cinematic Universe and the fifth film of Phase One. The film was released on May 9, 2008 in the United States.

The film is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Chace Crawford as Barry Allen/The Flash, Julianne Hough as Iris West, Sean William Scott as Leonard Snart, Matt Lanter as Hunter Zolomon, Yifei Liu as Linda Park, Cary Elwes as Malcolm Allen, and Michael Rosenbaum as Eobard Thawne.

Plot
5 years ago, Barry Allen returns home from school one day to discovers his father Henry being arrested for the murder of Barry's mother Nora. Barry refuses to believe his father would do such a thing, before going to live with his uncle Malcolm in Central City. Now, Barry attends Central City High School but is a loner and has no friends. His science teacher Eobard Thawne befriends him, taking pity on him, though this leads to Barry being labeled a "teacher's pet" and getting bullied further by Hunter Zolomon, who is dating Iris West, Barry's childhood crush.

One day, after school, Barry stays late to work on a science project and accidentally leaves chemicals sitting out, just as a thunderbolt strikes him. This causes the electrocuted Barry to be thrown back into the chemicals. After six weeks, Barry awakens from a coma and discovers that he now has the ability to run at super-speeds. He informs Malcolm of this, and though he wants Barry to hide his powers, Barry begins using them around Central City to stop crime.

Barry's string of crime-fighting earns him the name of "The Streak", though he keeps this identity hidden while at school. The Streak's activities catch the attention of Leonard Snart, the leader of a local band of thieves. Snart has finally completed a gun that is able to go sub-zero and freeze its targets. While the Streak is stopping a burning building, Snart attacks him and freeze his leg, but Barry discovers his abilities also allow him accelerated healing, and he is able to break free of the ice and escape, though he does have some minor damage. This incident causes Malcolm to order him to stop his vigilantism, and Central City suffers without its hero.

Iris sets out to uncover the Streak's identity and calls out for the Streak before jumping off a building. This forces Barry into action and he saves her, with the media heralding the Streak's return. When Snart is able to find out Barry's identity, he goes to the school but Thawne fends him off, while Barry apprehends him and Snart is arrested. This causes Thawne to learn Barry's identity and Barry decides to work with him to figure out exactly how Barry got his powers. In prison, Snart is able to escape thanks to one of his gang members and he learns of a high school party hosted by Linda Park. At the party, Iris and Hunter get into a fight that causes Hunter to leave, but Snart finds him and kills him due to him realizing who he is. Snart then begins terrorizing the party to draw out Barry.

Barry and Thawne are able to deduce exactly what happened, but Barry is forced to leave when he learns of what is happening. After Barry leaves, Thawne prepares to recreate the incident. Barry arrives at the party as the Streak and fights Snart. The two enter a fight that takes them downtown. Eventually, Snart is taken into FBI custody. Barry returns home that night and reveals to Malcolm that Snart told his entire class his identity. Malcolm is supportive and agrees to help him no matter what.

Barry goes to school the next day, where his classmates are seen to be in disbelief of Snart's statement and think he is delusional. However, Iris believes Snart was telling the truth and thanks Barry for his save. The school then memorializes Hunter. Barry also notices that Thawne is gone, but when he asks Iris about him, she has no idea who is talking about. After taking down Snart, the news gives the Streak a new name: The Flash.

In a post-credits scene, Snart discovers his apprehenders are not the FBI, but rather the D.E.O.

Cast

 * Chace Crawford as Barry Allen/The Flash
 * Julianne Hough as Iris West
 * Sean William Scott as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold
 * Matt Lanter as Hunter Zolomon
 * Yifei Liu as Linda Park
 * Cary Elwes as Malcolm Allen
 * Michael Rosenbaum as Eobard Thawne

Box office
The Flash grossed $212.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $417 million in other territories, for a total of $629.8 million. The film had a domestic opening weekend of $78.4 million.

Critical reception
Critics praised Crawford's performance, the film's style and faithfulness to the comics, along with its action sequences, though some criticized the plot as formulaic. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 236 reviews, with an average rating of 7.03/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fast, funny, and gleefully energetic, the teenage The Flash subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining results." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.