The Flash gets glowing reactions and Ezra Miller questions at premiere

The Flash, the movie that will attempt to bridge the old DC cinematic universe and the new one, has finally had a public (ish) premiere. The film was shown Tuesday during Warner Bros. Discovery’s Cinemacon panel, which is mostly for theater owners and exhibitors (as well as some members of the press), and appears to have been met with a resoundingly positive reception. But controversy and legal troubles still surround the film’s star, Ezra Miller.

The film’s debut was met with strong praise from a variety of attendees, though the reactions have been limited to social media so far. These mostly positive takes come on the heels of a variety of people, from DC Studios head James Gunn to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zazlav, saying the movie was among the best superhero movies they’ve ever seen — which several of the reactions seem to agree with.

While these reactions have gone a long way to hype The Flash up, they don’t offer much in the way of the movie’s plot, though it is rumored to provide the entire DC universe with a cinematic reset that will free up James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new slate of DC films.

Along with all of this praise, the film’s director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti were also faced with few questions about the film’s star.

Over the last couple of years, Miller has been arrested multiple times, and still faces charges in several states, on a variety of allegations including disorderly conduct, harassment, and assault. Miller has also had a restraining order filed against them and has faced accusations of grooming. Since then, Miller has released a statement, saying they were in the midst of an intense mental health crisis and are now in recovery and seeking treatment. The Muschietti siblings echoed this sentiment, and said far more in their post-screening panel, per Entertainment Weekly:

“We’re all hoping that they get better… They’re taking the steps to recovery,” Andy Muschietti said. “They’re dealing with mental health issues, but they’re well. We talked to them not too long ago, and they’re very committed to getting better.”

The siblings also stressed Miller’s good behavior on set, adding “their commitment to the role was something we’ve never seen.”

As the movie gets closer to release, it’s unclear if Miller will be part of the larger promotional schedule for the film or not. Along with Miller, The Flash also stars Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck — who both play their own versions of Bruce Wayne and Batman — Michael Shannon, who returns to the role of Zod, and Sashe Calle, who plays Supergirl. The Flash is set for theatrical release on June 16.