Movie Review: ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’

Justice_League_-_The_Flashpoint_Paradox

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Warner Bros. Animation / DC Entertainment

Directed by Jay Oliva
Written by Jim Krieg
Based on Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert
Starring: Justin Chambers (Barry Allen / The Flash), Kevin McKidd (Thomas Wayne / Batman), Michael B. Jordan (Victor Stone / Cyborg), C. Thomas Howell (Eobard Thawne / Professor Zoom), Nathan Fillion (Hal Jordan / Green Lantern), Ron Perlman (Slade Wilson / Deathstroke), Kevin Conroy (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Dana Delany (Lois Lane), Cary Elwes (Aquaman), Vanessa Marshall (Wonder Woman), Danny Huston (General Sam Lane), Sam Daly (Superman)

It’s been a momentous week for the Flash, what with news of a live action series in development at the CW and a truly terrific Flash Annual from Brian Buccellato, Sami Basri, Nicole Dubuc and Cully Hamner. It also the release of Barry’s first big role in a DC Entertainment animated feature with Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Charming Grey’s Anatomy alum Justin Chambers capably dons the golden booties, but his debut sprint is beset by too many structural hurdles in this muddled adaptation of an admittedly flawed comics event.

Flashpoint was never my favorite Goeff Johns story, probably because the level of communication between writers at the big publisher never really afforded any kind of cohesion in a jam session of this hurly burly scope. Historically, these tie-ins were also heaved out during a time when many of DC’s top talents were already hard at work on the early issues of the New 52 catalog, leaving the scripting of several Flashpoint mini series to first-timers and editors. It was certainly an ambitious event, but then so was the Children’s Crusade. That’s harsh, probably. Several trappings of the Flashpoint narrative, from a sea-fairing Deathstroke and the delightfully bizarre Canterbury Cricket, to Lois Lane working as a resistance fighter in the fallout of Aquaman and Wonder Woman’s doomed dalliance, all make for thrilling Elseworld escapades. Unfortunately, it was a bona fide mixed bag that only feels murkier as a 75 minute feature. Flash, Cyborg and Thomas “Batman” Wayne’s quest to find this alternate reality’s Superman, the through line for this yellow brick road story, frequently gets lost in all the schizophrenic pans left and right to the tangental conflicts. Casting Barry’s evolving memories as the lens for all this overzealous world building makes little sense, and as a result the Flashpoint reality comes off as busy rather than rich. Simply put, there’s too much material begging for our interest.

Worse, some of the bigger moments, Barry deducing Flashpoint Batman’s true identity for example, read as dishonest because sufficient screen time wasn’t allotted. It’s like watching the “Previously On…” recap package at the head of a TV drama’s season finale. “Bwuh?”

Thawne

That’s not to say it’s a total wash. Fortunately or, really, unfortunately, The Flashpoint Paradox offers some of the direct-to-video line’s slickest character models and animation, especially during action set pieces. The mature anime influence hasn’t been felt so acutely since the Green Lantern: Emerald Knights anthology, or perhaps even earlier with Batman: Gotham Knights. The ocean battle atop Deathstroke’s ship and the closing melee between, well, everybody, look particularly impressive and fluid. An early rooftop fight between Batman and Yo-yo also makes excellent use of sound. It’s a visual style I particularly enjoy, but even I was put off by some of the more severe character models. Thomas Wayne, Professor Zoom and Flashpoint Aquaman suffer from curious bee-stung jowls. Then again, the severity often works in the film’s favor, as with the ghoulishly gaunt Flashpoint Superman. The very image is downright haunting, and it adds to a truly unnerving third act.

The filmmakers present a grim vision of the DC Universe as it could have been, an appropriately scary and violent world. Their success in this endeavor serves as a double edged sword of course. I was deeply affected and convinced that Barry needed to remedy this dire status quo, but it’s such an accomplished feat that I’m reluctant to revisit this movie any time soon. It’s the Requiem for a Dream conundrum.

Then again, I may enjoy the prologue caper featuring Flash and the Justice League as they take on my beloved Flash rogues, then shut off the feature before the main titles hit. Or at least skip to the wonderful final moment between Bruce and Barry.

2.5 Stars

(out of 5)


Comments

  1. Booo I liked it!

  2. SPOILERS –

    Yeah I didn’t like this one as much as the other DC Animated movies recently. It felt like an excuse to go as extreme and violent as possible. Barry Allen’s mother never died, so obviously Wonder Woman would turn into a murdering psychopath. Seriously, the violence that Wonder Woman exibits in this movie was a little much- hanging a hostage by the neck until he dies with the lasso of truth? ugh.
    The special features are a bit of a mix bag. I really enjoyed the featurette about the science of The Flash and time travel, that actually had me thinking and it was really fun delving into some of that. On the other hand, the feature about the Flash Rogues was a little spotty. One of the talking heads, I think brian buccellato, kept self-consciencely shitting on aspects of the comics he felt were too “corny”. So as a result in the New 52 Heatwave turns into a weird burn victom and Captain Boomerang flat out doesn’t exist all together (“a guy with boomerangs on his shirt? lame!”) I was gritting my teeth in disbelief listening to him.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      I hadn’t watched that featurette yet. That’s sad to hear. I’m not a fan of those revisions to the Rogues either. Then again, I really liked that Flash Annual this week. It was really charming and lighthearted, like a lost JLU episode. Such a rarity in the New 52.

      And yeah, Flashpoint never makes a good case for these extreme changes in character temperament. I’ll grant them the idea that Barry’s meddling with the time stream cause reverberations in either direction, but you really have to do some more ground work to justify a ton of this radical behavior. Otherwise it’s just tacky and belittling.

    • Yeah, I agree about the special feature. You’d have Geoff Johns talking with absolute joy about who the Rouges are and all the quirky ways they were unlike other villains (limited ambition, stolen weapons instead of super geniuses, relatable personalities), and then you’d have Buccellato reminding me why I stopped reading the book.

      I really do miss the John’s era Wally West Flash.

    • I’d argue the Rogues are basically the same as before. Blue collar super criminals who fight the Flash. Except now its power based, instead of toys that can just be taken away. Buccellato complaining about Cap. Boomerang doesn’t make alot of sense to me (and I’m a fan of the book), sense Cap Cold stills wears that eskimo costume and Heatwave has that funny furnace on his chest (probably the only revision I thought was “off”).

  3. Wow, that was harsh. I thought this was one of the best DC animated features yet. My only complaint was how, well, ugly some of the character models were – the jowls were off-putting. Other than that, I had no problems with it and really enjoyed it. I thought they did a great job adapting the event and side-stories into something cohesive and engaging. I also think this was the most violent DC animated feature yet – and I mean graphically violent. If I were a parent who bought this for young kids, I think I’d be upset, although that is not the target audience for these anyway (but people are stupid). 4.5/5

  4. Free Wally West.

  5. I loved this one, had a ton of fun watching it last night. This is probably my second or third favorite of the DCAU Justice League movies with New Frontier still firmly holding the number one spot. In previous years I’ve seemed to be on the same page Paul in most of his movie reviews but this past summer it seems like, with the exception of Pacific Rim, everything I love he has hated.

  6. I need to see this. I read the entire Flashpoint event, every series, as it was being published, and it was some of the most exciting comic reading I’ve had in years. Harrowing, yes, but definitely ambitious and energetic. The reveal of Batman’s identity was interesting, but it was the reveal of who the Joker was that floored me – I jumped out of my seat and exclaimed “oh my God!” when I turned the page to it (and no, that isn’t a common occurrence with me at all). Yeah, I know, everyone else will say they saw it coming a mile away, but I didn’t, and got one of the few genuine shocks I’ve ever gotten in 40 years of comic reading.

    I’m going to keep my expectations low for this movie. The Flashpoint event worked for me because I read all the books, so it seemed like a huge sprawling epic to me. Had I just read the mainline series, it wouldn’t have affected me at all. So distilling it down into a 75-minute flick isn’t likely to carry the same kind of weight. Still, it looks like a lot of fun.

    • Word of caution – as you probably know, some things will get cut for time and others get changed slightly from what was in the comics to make a stand-alone story for an animated movie. I just don’t want you to set yourself up for disappointment. I didn’t think any of the changes hurt the story, but there were some things omitted I would liked to have seen.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      It’s also a bad movie.

    • ^^ lol

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      Eh, I don’t want to troll here. If you’re a fan of the source material, I hope you have fun with the adaptation. Neither worked for me, but that doesn’t mean I want everyone to share in my disappointment. Just have to be honest in my assessment.

    • As do I. And I liked it a lot. Your mileage may vary. If you don’t like the source material, I can’t see you liking this either, and that’s fair.

      And hearkening back to something justinsayne said above: There have been (and will be) numerous occasions that my opinion on something disagrees with Paul or one of the other writers here. And that’s OK. I certainly don’t view it as a barometer of whether I was right or wrong. I’m a grown up, I’m entitled to my own opinion, just as others are entitled to disagree. As much as I like trying to guess what the staff POTW will be, it certainly doesn’t influence my opinion if I don’t agree. “To thine own self be true,” after all.

    • @Paul, to you was this as bad as “Superman:Unbound” (I don’t remember what you rated it, I think you disliked it)? I watched that and found it really boring.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      3.5

    • I couldn’t really pinpoint any flaws with it, it has all the required “beats” for a Superman story. But I just found it so boring. I’d give Unbound a 1.5.

  7. This was a great animated movie one of the best ones out. Only thing I didn’t like was him saying that about captain boomerang. Spoilers from Deathstroke,Black Manta,Griffter,Sandman, Louis Lane & all the main characters in that what if situation was amazing to watch.

  8. I thought it was solid all the way around. Best one since Under the Red Hood (but Under the Red Hood was better).

  9. Gotta agree with Paul here. It’s a fair assessment of the movie. When the source material isn’t as strong to begin with, it can generally be a good indicator of the outcome.

    But I really really respect the fact that they went ahead and tried this in both the comics and the feature. It’s always good to see them trying new things. Sometimes it’s executed and it’s perfection but sometimes it falls short of the mark.

    I’m still happy I own this though!!

  10. I didn’t really like the voices for some of the characters all that much. Besides a few, they all sounded kind of bland. Except for that, I thought it was pretty solid.

  11. Enjoyed watching it, but probably won’t revisit it any time soon. As noted many of the designs were a bit odd for my taste. Paul talked abut Batman and Aquaman but for me the worst design were the female faces. While the men were hyperbolized, the women were oversimplified. In many scenes Diana looked like she wandered in from an anime show aimed at at much younger audience. Stylistically so far removed from the rest of the aesthetic it was almost as distracting as the voice acting – some of the worst in the entire line of Animated DC movies.
    The scope was impressive. Really told a “big” story but the character moments just did not work. Great action, but not much else.

  12. I thought it was a solid adaptation of the comics, there were just too many comics in it, like Paul said. I liked all the actors (I just think they were rushed in parts) and even liked that connection between Superman and Cyborg that never got played with in the comics.

    Some of those character models like everyone has said, (bubble jaw on Aquaman and Thomas Wayne) are kind of awful. But did anyone else kind of cringe on the 3D models of the Flashes running? The vehicles have been fine but for the people it is just way too stiff sometimes. Also, I’m re-watching now, Top’s one line? Fantastic. Happy I just rented on PS3, though I do want to see those specials. It also brightened my day after watching Only God Forgives before it, which I guess says more about Only God Forgives then this.

    • Dude, OGF was heeeeaaaavy.

    • I’m still trying to figure out if I liked OGF or if it was a little too full of it’s self, but man…it was just so rough, maybe as rough as Killer Joe.

      I think I’m going to spend the rest of my day watching JLU just to keep trying to get myself out that funk.

    • It’s definitely funk-inducing. I watched it a few nights ago and couldn’t shake it all night. But when a film affects you like that, I always see it as a positive thing. You should never watch anything right after though, bud. Give it some time to sink in.

      Some striking visuals, but definitely a little masturbatory. I’m a fan of both Gosling and Refn, but there was a bit too much ego stroking happening. Beautiful cinema is all well and good, but you need a story to back it up. I preferred Drive and Bronson by a mile.

      Sorry for the digression, Paul.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      How dare you.

  13. Yeah, I’m gonna sit this one out. I didn’t care for the event itself, so this would most likely be a waste of my time.

    Thanks for the warning, Paul.

  14. Hope this is good, I really enjoyed Flashpoint and the tie-ins I read (Superman, Batman, Secret Six, Deadman and the Flying Graysons, Deathstroke). I didnt care for “Superman:Unbound” though, and I think aside from a few exceptions the DC animated movies have done down in quality recently. I’m getting this from the library though, so money lost either way. It’ll be like a month before I get it though.

  15. I was not a fan of the original Flashpoint story, but I actually found myself really enjoying this film. I actually liked the violence that was displayed; I found it to really present such a stark contrast to the way the world was, and it gave Barry more of a reason to fix the timeline.

    Watching this, however, I did see it as a film that either people really enjoyed, or really hated. I do think some events could have been given more time, but most of the DCAU films have suffered from this, as they try to keep the run time pretty standard. I’m not saying that is a reason to give something like that a pass, but I don’t think the pacing on some of the films bothers me as much as it used to with the DCAU films. I did think, for the most part, that this film did a great job with the time it was given, and most of the moments really worked.

    The film made it as one of my favorite of the DCAU films. I hope other people enjoy it, and I’m sorry that there are people who didn’t enjoy it. It happens. Hopefully the next one will whet your appetite (though personally I’m not too thrilled for it…)

  16. I LOVED the movie but I also LOVED the source material. In 2011 when it was all coming out I only got the actual 5 issues of Flashpoint and the 3 Knights of Vengeance issues with Thomas Wayne. But since then I have gotten all the trades and have read them more than once. I really loved the story. And that ending when Barry giving Bruce the letter chokes me up every time when I read it in the comic and it also did hear too when I saw it in the movie. Probably affects me more as my Dad is gone too.

  17. Overall, I enjoyed JL:TFP. It made for a really good Elseworld tale and had a lot of good scenes (particularly, I thought the end sequence with The Flash was well produced).

    One of my beefs with this production was trumpeted by Paul already…

    “…Worse, some of the bigger moments, Barry deducing Flashpoint Batman’s true identity for example, read as dishonest because sufficient screen time wasn’t allotted. It’s like watching the “Previously On…” recap package at the head of a TV drama’s season finale. “Bwuh?”

    As a fan of The Flash, I can see myself watching this again sooner rather than later. It wasn’t the best of the lot, but it wasn’t the worst. If you are a fan of the DCAU, definitely give it a try.

  18. Seeing the differing opinions on this one definitely makes me interested to check it out. Just need it to show up on Netflix so I can give it a whirl.

  19. Have to disagree with Paul. I was pretty shocked when I saw his review. I personally think this is my favorite one yet. I have watched it multiple times and can’t find anything to complain about it.

  20. I wasn’t a fan of the Flashpoint comic, so I came into this movie with that baggage in tow. I liked the movie more than the comic, but I still didn’t really care for the movie. I’m sad that I haven’t enjoyed the past two DC animated films.

  21. Mostly agree with this… Though DEFINITELY not as bad or boring as Unbound…

    I don’t see why they feel the need to water down the whole story! I mean, it wasn’t a very good story to begin with IMO, but they pretty much took out all of the interesting parts…

    I would have like to have seen a small featurette on Azzarello’s “Knight of Vengeance”, but that’s just me.

  22. For me, I found this to be the single worse of the line.

    The character models were wildly inconsistent for my tastes. Thomas Wayne looked like an unused sketch from DARK KNIGHT RETURNS with 5 o’clock shadow. The animation varied wildly. The highlight was at the end with the non sequitur New 52 running sequence.

    As per the narrative… We all admit that FLASHPOINT is flawed, and I think this is the case of the adaptation adhering too close to the source material. This is a stark contrast to Johns’ other adapted work, SUPERMAN: UNBOUND, which took a hard right somewhere. The film might have been more serviceable had they not tried to bit off more than could be chewed in 75 minutes and focused more on what mattered, which was Flash’s journey and Thomas’ redemption.

    Essentially, the film had the arduous job of establishing two status quos in 20 minutes. It might have been more effective had they adopted an in media res approach and had the viewers be Barry on this quest of discovery. After all, it’s not like these movies aren’t already leaning on the fact that their audience has seen their animated series backwards-and-forwards by hiring their Pearlmans and their Conroys. We know what the DC Universe is suppose to be, show us what it’s not and have us work for the resolution. Instead, Barry mind melds with a reality and the sequence comes off as clunky as it was hackneyed.

    Ultimately, the structure felt more like reading an outline for an essay. The thesis sentence was there, the supporting points were there, and some semblance of a concluding thought but none of the writing, none of the heart was to be found. As the Flash is one of my all time personal favorites, I wished to enjoy this more than I did. I found myself groaning quite a bit, and pausing the film intermittently to mock it.

    Those are just my two cents on this. Feel free to ask for a refund.

    -J.

  23. I definitely enjoyed this one, but I can see why others wouldn’t.

    The character models took a bt of getting used to and the world was dark. I had forgotten just how dark Flashpoint was, but this sure reminded me in a hurry.

    That said, once I got past my initial shock over some of the designs and dark elements, I found a lot to like. The transitions were impressive (especilly the way they just eased into the Flashpoint universe; very nicely done). The action was fluid and visceral and felt like it had genuine stakes. This was truly no holds barred and much bloodier than your average DC film – but that’s in keeping with the story. Speaking of story, they did a good job of making the story – a fairly challenging one to deliver – stand alone for people. I think if you have a basic understanding of the DCU, you get it. They even managed to touch on a lot of the elements covered in the minis in a natural way. And there’s even a post credits sequence (of a sort).

    The characters and voices were bang on as well. Voice casting was huge on this with so manycharacters but they got a mix of familiar folks with some geat additions.

    They accomplished a lot in this film. And they did it really well. If you aren’t a fan of Flashpoint – or dark stories in general – you likely won’t dig it. But I don’t mind the occassional dark story – I wouldn’t want all DC movies to be like this, but I’m okay with this one.

    My favourite part: two teardrops hitting a paper. You managed to get me a little choked up there, DC.

  24. I don’t get why they went with New 52 Flash at the end with zero explanation of why he suddenly had a new costume. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to just ignore that aspect?

    • It makes sense to people who know the story, but for people who don’t read comics, it would be a weird change.

    • Well it makes sense, since Barry changed the past slightly by preventing himself from saving is mother. It’s the whole theme of the Flashpoint book and the animated movie, hence the Flashpoint Paradox. He undid his mistake but he cannot undo it and make reality exactly as it was before.

    • That would have made sense if there was anything else in that scene beyond Flash’s costume change to indicate that reality had be altered. From a storytelling perspective, it’s a weird comics continuity thing that doesn’t really work if they’re trying to create a self-contained elseworlds story.

    • Well there is a post-credits scene foreshadowing the next DCAU film, Justice League: War based on the Justice League: Origins New 52 graphic novel by Johns and Lee, I guess they’ll have the New 52 costumes in it and everything will make sense? 😉

      I dunno, it’s just logic to me and I didn’t find it problematic at all. It’s just a consequence of time-traveling stories and the butterfly effect theory.

      PS: If you look closely, Batman’s costume is also changed for the New 52 one compared to the one at the beginning of the film.

    • I mean, yeah, I guess if War is slated to be a direct sequel with the same voice cast. But it’s not like there’s some long standing continuity with the animated movies anyway. They’ve already revealed that they’re not sticking with New 52 stories, after Justice League: War.

      Now that you mention it though, the post-credit scene doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either. If the Parademons are appearing at that point in the timeline, after Barry and Bruce are already friends/teammates and post that 5 years crap, does that mean the JL movie is going to show the team forming, like in the comic, or will they have already formed?

    • Either way, I don’t hold out much hope for that one either. I don’t want to see shoulder pad Darkseid screaming his own name for an hour.

  25. I’ll watch it when I get a chance because I watch all the DC/WP animated stuff.

    I thought the event itself was really bloated, really scattershot and had some TERRIBLE art.

    I find many of DC’s events to be just too many cooks simultaneously working on too many dishes.

    They often don’t gel into a satisfying or complete meal, more like a smorgasbord of confusion.

    The portions are too small, the seasonings are excessive and the overall offering is just a hot mess.

    I’ll offer up both Our Worlds at War and Emperor Joker as exactly the kind of thing I mean.

    If you need me, I’ll be in the vomitorium.

  26. This movie was flat out amazing

  27. Yeah, I found the original “Flashpoint” series flawed for many of the reasons listed above, though some of the spin-off material worked well. The Batman mini with the Joker reveal and Grodd destroying Africa and becoming bored with his genocide.

    But the film is very entertaining still as a Barry Allen story. I enjoy Thomas Wayne. The backdrop of Aquaman and Wonder Woman’s war is brutal, as it’s supposed to be. I feel like the mass devastation works here because it’s supposed to be a broken and damaged work on the brink. I don’t want Aquaman and Wonder Woman as mass murderers but that’s why this world is wrong. When Superman obliterates the soldiers with heat vision, we see the appropriate anguish and confusion, and it makes sense given the character being untrained and a prisoner. I’m more forgiving of that than the “Man of Steel” third act.

    Ultimately, this is a flawed series adapted as a pretty entertaining Elseworlds film starring a great character in Barry Allen. We see the Justice League as the heroes they should be in the opening, and then we get our Elseworlds for the next 65 minutes.

  28. Can we get some Mike Romo movie reviews, please?

  29. 4/5 for me. I thought it was wayyyy better than the previous Justice League animated movies and on par with the Dark Knight Returns part 1 and 2 and Batman: Year One. It was compelling, brutal and kept us on the edge of our seat until the credits rolled! I thought the adapted the Flashpoint book quite well and made everything relevant, if different than the whole mini-series and it’s numerous spin-offs, it is, above all, a Flash story first and a Justice League one second.

    The animation style was solid, fast and most of the time “spot-on” for the tone of the whole movie but I agree that Aquaman and Superman (before Flashpoint) looked “weird”. Still, it all worked out to give it a good cinematic, action movie feel!

    The voice acting was solid throughout, always clear and it fitted for the most past, though I thought that the actor chosen for Thomas Wayne wasn’t gritty and “old” enough for my taste but it was still good nonetheless.

  30. The movie: 4/5.
    The review: 2.5/5

    I still love you, Paul. Till the wheels fall off.

  31. Gonna watch this tonight, but based on the review, it sounds like JL: Doom, where they had to squeeze too much into 75 minutes.

    I really don’t get that about DC toons. Why does Warner limit them and their budget? What’s wrong with a 2-hr full length cartoon? Even with The Dark Knight Returns toons, they had to split it on 2 separate retail DVDs? Why?

    I would rather they NOT pay actors like Bryan Cranston or whomever that agrees to do voicework, instead pay some unknown voice actor, and use the money they save to extended the length and quality of the feature. I don’t know anyone who said “Oh, So-and-SO is doing a voice in that new DCU cartoon? Well I’m totally buying that now”

    • Trust me, 1h21 minutes is perfect for this movie. Longer and it would have dragged.

    • Longer movies mean a higher cost for animation. Plus just going by the numbers the sales for these movies are way down, so they’re not earning alot of money back anyway.

    • Sales have flattened out a lot.

      I wonder how long they give these movies to recoup the investment in second year disc sales and streaming revenue.

      I also wonder if that’s why DC/Warner has decided to license more product to Netflix of late.

      It’s true that they seem to have a sweet spot for running time versus price point.

      I see a lot of the DC/WP stuff hit $9.99 in the discount stores sooner and sooner all the time.

    • To be honest, I think the quality of the movies (IE the story) has decreased alot. Which I attribute to stagnation of material, making everything about Batman and Superman. After so long, you gotta give other characters some love too. But then people don’t buy those and we end up in this stupid cycle; them only making Batman and Superman movies because they sell but then the stories suck. This is why I think JLU was so great, tons of characters got the spotlight that weren’t typical choices (Question, Green Arrow, The Flash, Mr.Miracle,etc).

  32. This movie was great! I was not a big fan of the Flashpoint miniseries, but I think it works much better as a contained movie. Lots of fantastic moments, character designs, action and heart! And yes, just the right length.

  33. I have no opinion about the movie but I am in love with Professor Zoom’s, Winston Wolfe “Mmmmm….good coffee” look.

  34. Wow, I am going to have to disagree with you, again Paul. I get what your saying about the bleakness and violence. But I think the animation team managed to distill the best parts of Flashpoint.

  35. I give this a 4/5. I haven’t read the Flashpoint event, but the film presented a solid elseworlds tale for me. Voice acting was a B. Liked seeing characters like Deathstroke, the Rogues, Cyborg get some screen time.
    Animation was solid, only characters were depicted as overly muscular( Aquaman’s upper torso was just ridiculous).
    Finally, the violence was a bit too much. I think it could have been handled better. We don’t need to see a kid die, blood streaming from his mouth. It would have worked off camera with just as well (indicated by some creative use of sound effects). Dismemberment, death, mayhem, a headshot. I get it, the future is bleak unless a hero steps up.
    The finale with Bruce/Flash in the Batcave was a nice moment as was the closing credits scene with the Flash.

  36. Flashpoint Paradox was great! 4.5 out 5 from me… it was very well done!

  37. I started listening to the Special Edition Podcast, and all three members of the Ifanboy brain trust were already slamming the movie. I stopped at about 5 minutes in because I just couldnt listen to all the negativity being thrown around. I found this movie to be outstanding and very emotional. Paul, is there any reason I should listen to the rest of the podcast or will I just continue to grind my teeth? I certainly respect everyone’s opinion, but I wish there would have been one person on the podcast that loved the movie. Based on the comments in this thread, I dont think it would have been very hard to find one.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      We’re the only people on staff who watched the movie. Conor’s traveling, so I’m not sure what his reaction might be. Chris hated it. Ryan didn’t like it. I fall somewhere in the middle.

      I think I was fair on this one and tried to talk up things I liked (as a point of contrast to Chris), but if you’re actually grinding your teeth at the first three minutes…it’s probably safe to end it there.

    • @boostergold4 – I’m there with you, but I soldiered on. While I’m always open to various points of view, the tone of delivery of those views should be considered as well. I’m familiar with Paul and Ryan but, not Chris. The stern finger pointing by Chris at Geoff Johns about the importance of The Flash came off a bit melodramatic and set the tone for the rest of the podcast.
      Going back to what Paul said in regards to the Review Podcast, I agree – “if you’re actually grinding your teeth at the first three minutes…it’s probably safe to end it there.”

    • @Paul I found myself nodding throughout the entire thing. Between this and Superman: Unbound, I fear for the future of these movies with the lack of Bruce Timm’s involvement.

    • Gimme a break. It’s a review, and a review podcast. If none of them enjoyed the movie, what do you expect them to do? Lie? They have a responsibility as critics to present their opinion honestly. Reviews are subjective.

      Granted, Neseman may have gotten a little passionate in expressing his opinion. But since when can comic fans point the finger at someone for being passionate? Paul was articulate and fair as ever, and Ryan’s complaints were entirely valid.

      If there are three guys on the show, and none of them liked it, I’d say that says more about the movie than it does about the podcast.

    • @boostergold4, you should probably leave the podcast alone at the 3 minute mark. I have this problem when I watch Comic Book Syndicate on Youtube. 8/10 times there’s this guy there, always negative. About EVERYTHING. I hate listening to him, nothing ever pleases the guy. And he doesn’t even read comics today unless its for the show so its like, why are you even here?

      There being three guys doesn’t mean everything. I’m sure somewhere theres 3 guys who got together and hated “the Avengers”. I went with 6 friends to see “Prometheus” and only 1 guy liked it. Taste is subjective, and some movies aren’t for everyone.

      I’ll say @Paul was fair and kind of a moderator. That Chris guy tho…

    • I may not always agree with Paul or any of the podcasters or reviewers here. But generally I trust them to be honest about their reaction, and I would much prefer that than them giving the rubber stamp of approval to every book/movie/video/etc. They might save me some money. Given that, there is a line between giving a negative review and bashing something and being a dick. 90% of the time, the guys here don’t cross that line. I don’t know about this case, because I have not listened to this podcast and probably won’t.

  38. Oh crap I just cracked a tooth!!

  39. This is the only negative review I have read so far. At ComicVine it got a 4, on IMDb it’s an 8 out of 10, Kevin Smith loved it as well. And I did, too. A 4.5 from me.

    • General consensus means little to nothing. I disliked this as well…

      And Kevin Smith is kind of a “Stamp Tramp”… (Kudos if anybody got that)

  40. I wanted to like this movie much more than I actually did. I found the background art to be truly breathtaking, but I also hated the character models that had at least half the characters to be gigantic to the point of DCs Blockbuster character. Characters like Flash, Reverse Flash, and Aquaman should have been more sleek and and tapered not muscle bound goons. As far as the story, it was far too short to encompass all of Flashpoint…too much of the story, required explanations with no time given to address them. I feel like the only reason I understood the movie myself was having read the event.

  41. When Chris said, “[Geoff Johns, stop trying to tell us that Barry Allen is the most important character in the DC universe and that we should care about Cyborg],” I did a little nerd-cheer. I feel very close to you right now, Mr. Christopher Neseman.

    Free Wally West.

  42. Still waiting on that Janus Directive movie they announced four or five years ago.

  43. Wow, I can’t believe I just read a review for a DC Animated movie that included the following statements:
    ” It was certainly an ambitious event, but then so was the Children’s Crusade. That’s harsh, probably.”
    ” I was deeply affected and convinced that Barry needed to remedy this dire status quo, but it’s such an accomplished feat that I’m reluctant to revisit this movie any time soon. It’s the Requiem for a Dream conundrum.”

    Full disclaimer, I liked the movie a lot more than most DC Animated movies – I give it a 4. Flashpoint always seemed to me to be a DC attempt at Days of Futures Past – and who doesn’t like dystopian timelines? Most revere Dark Knight Returns.

    I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you mean the Avenger’s miniseries – Childrens’ Crusade – which I admit, had great art but some head scratchers. I am not an expert in the history of religious crusades, but if this is meant to indicate that the “new 52” initiative should be likened to disputed historical events depicting the poor and children striking forth on a failed “peaceful crusade” to bring Christianity to the Muslim people, that is harsh.

    As to the comparison to the Requiem for a Dream “conundrum” – everyone I know also feels the same way about that movie, can’t watch it again because the ending is horrifying – SPOILERS – people lose limbs, lose their freewill, and are forced to perform grotesquely and graphicly depicted sex acts for drugs. Honestly, that is a bit harsh of a comparison to re-watching a DC Animated movie.