Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Blu-ray Review
“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” is one of the best DC animated films to date.
After the Justice League survives a deadly encounter with Thawne (Reverse Flash) and his minions, The Flash (Barry Allen) finds himself in a violent alternate timeline where everything is off. Barry Allen’s deceased mother is still alive, Bruce Wayne is dead and his father (Thomas Wayne) is a gun toting Batman, Cyborg is the main hero, Lex is not a baddie, Superman is an isolated rab lat weakling, and the murderous Wonder Woman and the Amazonians are engaging in a world crippling battle against the equally villainous Aquaman and his Atlantean forces. Who is responsible for the timeline change and can it be corrected before the world is destroyed?
Normally, I’m not a big fan of alternate timeline stories. To me, they often feel like gimmicks and side stories because most of the time these timelines are short lived and or altered so that they cease to exist. Thankfully, the timeline in “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” never feels like a gimmick. The story has real emotional weight to it as above all, there’s a point to it all. ‘Flashpoint’ is essentially a cautionary tale about time travel and changing the past.
What immediately impressed me about ‘Flashpoint’ was the non-watered down tone and the attention to character. This is a very dark, adult, violent tale with a lot of great characterization. The film could have easily become a glorified cameo fest, but it’s not. Yes, there are a number of cameos, but they don’t feel excessive nor do they bog down the story. The bulk of the centers around Flash’s journey, but there’s also a rather poignant focus on Thomas Wayne (who later teams up with Flash). I don’t want to get into any spoilery details, but suffice to say, both characters have extremely moving character arcs in the film. I found this refreshing as the last few DC animated films have lacked real emotion and were more concerned with big action set pieces.
I could go on about Hal Jordan, Captain Atom, Lois Lane, Thawne, Captain Thunder, and the resistance movement, but I’ll leave these topics alone so viewers can experience the movie for themselves. The less you know about ‘Flashpoint,’ the more satisfying it will be.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? For a direct-to-DVD animated feature, this is a pretty impressive production. The character models are a bit wonky at times, but the environments and action look sharp in hi-def.
Audio track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The action is LOUD which is just the way comic fans would want it.
Extras:
* Warner Bros and DC trailers.
* A digital comic book excerpt of “Flashpoint” issue 1.
* 4 animated series episodes. “Requiem For A Scarlet Speedster” (from “Batman: the Brave and the Bold”), “Flash and Substance” from “Justice League”), and “Legends Parts 1 and 2” from “Justice League Unlimited.”
* A sneak peek of the upcoming “Justice League: War” animated film which is a 52 “Origins” story. While I’m not thrilled that we are getting 2 JL stories in a row, it has potential.
* “A Flash In Time: Time Travel In The Flash Universe”- A featurette about time travel and the Flash character’s abilities.
* “My Favorite Villain! The Flash Bad Guys”- A featurette about the rogues gallery in the Flash universe.
* Commentary by James Tucker, Jay Oliva, Jim Krieg and Geoff Johns. Topics include the adaptation process, the Flash character, plot points, villains and heroes, and much more. A solid track.
* DVD copy and Ultraviolet digital copy.
Summary: At 80 minutes, “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” has enough material for 2 movies. I highly recommend that comic book fans check this one out. You’ll be glad you did.
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