The Flash
A worthy buy for any fan of the material (or the characters), and a good film for even casual fans (or those curious about the potential for future live-action films) to check out.
Justice League : The Flashpoint Paradoxis DC Universe ’s feature - length invigorate adaptation of the DC ComicsFlashpointcrossover result of 2011 . In the story , The Flash / Barry Allen ( Justin Chambers ) awakens in an alternative reality , in which he has no baron , there is no such affair as superheroes , and his friends from the Justice League are all skew and non - heroic versions of themselves .
The closest thing Barry can find to an friend is the alternate version of Batman ( Kevin McKidd ) , who is skeptical at first , but chop-chop give away his own abstract thought for wanting Barry ’s crazy story to be honest . However , their plan to restore the timeline to its natural nation has many hurdles - include the machination of the Reverse - Flash ( C. Thomas Howell ) , a lack of allies to pull off the plan , and the small subject of an ongoing warfare between Wonder Woman ( Vanessa Marshall ) and Aquaman ( Cary Elwes ) that is rapidly pushing the entire creation to the verge of Armageddon .
Flashpointwas a fairly well - received crossover event , thanks to the composition natural endowment of Geoff Johns . While the DCU animated feature of speech does n’t have the freedom to explore some of the more gripping street corner of Johns ' Flashpoint Continuity , it is still a solidly cinematic and exciting adjustment of the coreFlashpointstoryline . In keep with the increasingly synergistic nature of DC ’s comic book / TV / Film dimension , Justice League : The Flashpoint Paradox(as its rubric understandably implies ) serve as a desirable vision of the entire Justice League , while still get by to propel The Flash to the vanguard . That ’s to say : this movie is a good example of why Barry Allen is both a rich and complex enough role to have his own live - action film , and is a character who can bridge the partake in continuity of a Justice League pic universe .
Director Jay Oliva has been responsible for for some of the adept DCU invigorate full treatment of the last few years ( Young Justice , Batman : The Dark Knight Returns , Parts 1&2 ) so it ’s not really surprising that he ’s able-bodied to capture the darker and grittier face and tone of the Flashpoint persistence so well . intestinal colic about animation panache by , the film is definitely designed to be enjoyed on Blu - ray Hawaii - def in a domicile dramatic art setting . The visuals and sound are crisp and have the feel of a blockbuster animated feature - rather than the esthetic of an extended television episode , which you get with some of these animated film from DCU ( see : Superman Unbound ) .
Unfortunately , Flashpoint Paradoxcontinues in the disappointing transition away from the golden - era style of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’sBatman : The Animated Series , move further into the animation manner and esthetical of modern anime . While Batman and Flash still front secure enough ( Flash ’s running posture is a bit strange ) , other grapheme like Wonder Woman and Aquaman are but designed in ways that do n’t vibe with the musical note of a DC Universe . Aquaman should have a neck … just saying .
On the plus side , the action sequences are pretty epic and adult oriented ( read : PG-13 crimson ) , and there plenty of nice Easter eggs nods to other character in the DC Universe , most of whom have been given a prissy " Flashpoint " turn . The voice acting is pretty on dot , as well : Chambers and McKidd are a good team for the odd - pairing of Batman and The Flash;Chroniclestar Michael B. Jordan is ripe representative for Cyborg ; and there are plenty of flash devotee - favored appearances from DCU icon like Kevin Conroy ( as the " regular " variation of Batman ) , Dana Delany ( reprise her longtime role as Lois Lane ) , Nathan Fillion ( ' the hoi polloi ’s Hal Jordan ' ) and even some bequest casting in Sam Daly ( as in son of iconic Superman voice doer Tim Daly ) , who step in to vocalize the Flashpoint version of Superman ! How could any longtime DCU fan NOT love that ?
While there is plenty of refreshful textile to enjoy inFlashpoint Paradox(alternate universe tales are often some of the most gratifying in comic script lore ) there is also the sense that we are only scratching the control surface of a fat universe worth explore further . It ’s a problem that some would say also beset the mirthful Word rendering : theFlashpointcontinuity was so interesting that a brief tromp through it before DC ’s milestone " New 52 " reboot feel like wasted chance . The animated feature article maintain its focus on the core storyline most of the clock time , but interesting tangental scenes exploring the human electrical resistance to the Atlantean / Amazonian war - or the altered story of Flashpoint Batman - certainly tease the looker with challenging material that the comics explored in more deepness , but the animated film never does . Great incentive to go out and pickup theFlashpointgraphic novel for a read ; but as far as a self - contained movie goes , it ’s untidy storytelling .
Still , wanting to know more than you ’re get is a underage complaint when it comes to big movie . There are valued few DCU films that boast 2d - tier characters like The Flash , and this is certainly one of the best . A suitable steal for any fan of the material ( or the characters ) , and a good film for even chance fans ( or those curious about the potential for next alive - action motion-picture show ) to learn out .
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Aquaman in ‘JL: Flashpoint Paradox’
Blu-Ray Special Features
Justice League : The Flashpoint Paradoxis now available on Blu - ray , DVD , ( Blu - re / DVD Combo pack ) , VOD , Digital Download and oniTunes .
Aquaman in ‘JL: Flashpoint Paradox’
