It’s particularly interesting to watch “The Flash” as we all know James Gunn and company are now overhauling the DC Extended Universe to where many of the actors we see here will likely never get to play these iconic characters ever again. Who knows if we will ever get to see Gal Gadot play Wonder Woman in another film? As for Henry Cavill, his days as Superman are now sadly over. As for Ben Affleck, it kind of feels like sheer luck he is back as Batman considering what a bust the theatrical version of “Justice League” was. In a lot of ways, this DCEU installment is a goodbye of sorts, both literally and thematically speaking.

And at the center of it all is Ezra Miller who returns as Barry Allen and his alter ego, The Flash. Long before this film’s release, Miller had been in various legal shenanigans to where I wondered if he was actually playing himself in “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” If all these allegations are true, it is a miracle he is not in jail or a mental institution, and it’s no surprise that the bosses at Warner Brothers did their best to shut him down months before this film’s release. Of course, their conversation with him probably went something like this:

“Look Ezra, we have put hundreds of millions of dollars into this superhero movie, not to mention the similar amount we put into advertising and publicity. Don’t mess with us or our investors! We need a solid return on this one before we doctor the books to make it look like it has yet to go profit… Oh, and get some mental health treatment. I think you need help.”

Well, regardless of the extended chaos, “The Flash” is now in theaters, and regardless of what you think of Miller as a person, he does give a solid performance as not one, but two Barry Allen’s as he struggles to straighten out the DCEU multiverse which proves to be as easy to fracture as the one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is.

This movie gets off to an entertaining but rough start as Barry is forced to go into action as a hospital is about to collapse to the ground. Ben Affleck’s Batman is on hand to handle the bad guys while Barry races to save a nurse and a number of adorable newborns from certain danger. The visual effects were all over the place and not altogether exhilarating in the way they should be, and it made me worry that “The Flash” would fall short of the finish line. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the glorious spectacle that was James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” as the visual magic he gave us makes all other CGI effects pale in comparison.

Things, however, do get better as we get to the heart of the story in which we learn how Barry’s mother, Nora (Maribel Verdú), was murdered and that his father, Henry (Ron Livingston), was wrongfully convicted of the crime. Like any other iconic superheroes, Barry has suffered a terrible tragedy which has come to define him, and he pines to get back those he lost too soon.

But then Barry discovers that, in addition to running at lightning speed, he can also go back in time. From there, he succeeds in preventing his mother’s murder thanks to a can of tomato sauce, and everything seems right in the world. The problem is, he quickly discovers he is not in his own reality as he is confronted with another version of himself who is overly obnoxious, and he learns certain superheroes are not around to lend a helping hand. To make things even more unsettling, he is in a reality in which Eric Stoltz was never recast as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future.”

From there, we know Barry has to go back and undo the damage he did to the multiverse. The story of what happens when you mess with time and change the course of events has been done to death. I have seen it dealt with in the “Back to the Future” movies, “Project Almanac,” “Frequency,” “Hot Tub Time Machine” and at least one or two episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” But while the narrative thread may seem overly familiar and the story’s resolution can be seen from a mile away, it is how director Andy Muschietti (“It” and “It: Chapter Two”) gets to this resolution which makes it feel both earned and heartfelt.

Now while the visual effects might seem underwhelming initially, they do get better as they go along, and they prove to be at their best when Barry Allen desperately tries to repair the multiverse in various ways. This leads to some incredible visuals at we get a look at iconic characters in their past incarnations, and of what they could have been cinematically speaking had certain projects not fallen apart. There are a variety of priceless cameos which are too good to spoil here, and they are worth the price of admission.

Miller may be a troubled soul in real life, but he does really strong work here as both versions of Barry Allen. While the Barrys initially come off as annoying and cloying, I really liked how Miller made each of them evolve throughout the film’s 144-minute running time. While the characterizations might seem too broad at first, the way they achieve their objectives is given a lot of depth by Miller as they make harsh realizations of what they can and cannot change, and of their responsibility to the universe they exist in.

But yeah, the real selling point of “The Flash” is seeing Michael Keaton return as Batman. After he retired from the role following “Batman Returns,” I never thought I would see him played the Caped Crusader ever again. Seeing him in Tim Burton’s “Batman” made audiences realize what a strong dramatic actor he could be, something they should have realized a few years before when he starred in “Clean & Sober.” Seeing him back in this role 30 years later is a real treat, and he hasn’t missed a beat as he brings the same gravitas, thoughtfulness and humility we saw him give this character in the past. I thought it might be just a mere cameo, but his Batman is very central to the plot.

As for Affleck, I really do believe it when he said he had a lot of fun being in “The Flash.” While his intro into the DCEU was a rough and bumpy one, he has finally settled into this character to where he could make it his own even in the brief time he appears. Still, this may be the last time we see Affleck’s Batman, and it feels a bit sad as a result.

Sasha Calle gives us a strong and formidable Kara Zor-El/Supergirl here, and I say this even though we don’t get to see enough of her here. And while it is great to see Michael Shannon in anything and everything, his presence as General Zod feels shoed in as the screenwriters needed a central villain to center the story, and he really doesn’t get much to do.

When it comes down to it, “The Flash” is a good but not great motion picture. It is not as exhilarating as I hoped it would be, and the screenplay is a bit of a mess, but it does have heart and is never boring. Considering how bumpy it has been recently for the DCEU, particularly with the critical and commercial failure of the “Shazam” sequel, the fact it is this good is a huge relief. As weary as I am of comic-book/superhero movies, this one feels a bit refreshing and was very entertaining.

So yeah, you wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts!

* * * out of * * * *