“Flashpoint,” the last event of the pre-New 52 era, was met with mixed critical reception due to its poor pacing, under-developed story and absurd number of tie-ins. In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the latest in DC’s line of direct to home video animated features, the story originally laced down by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert is streamlined, given necessary room to develop, and made all the better the better for it.
Note: This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of the film
Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox stands as one of the most faithfully accurate DC Comics adaptations to date, cramming an incredible amount into the film’s standard 75 minute run time. Even with the time restriction, the film makers deliver a well paced and crafted story.
Beginning in the regular DC universe, the film establishes the major players of the Flashpoint world through their more recognizable counterparts. In order to combat a terroristic plot set by Professor Zoom, the film’s lead antagonist, and The Rogues, the Justice League must use their powers in interesting and creative ways. It’s a brilliant introduction for the uninitiated, and a delightful treat to long time fans. Superman’s solution is by far the best (“Waiting is the worst part”).
Shortly into the film, the story is shunted into the titular Flashpoint universe. Here the DC characters you know are slightly askew and the world is on the brink of war between the Atlanteans and the Amazons. Only the Flash knows that the world has changed, so he sets out to find out why.
Thankfully, even with the “Justice League” moniker tagged on to the title, the film remains a Flash-centric story. Other important characters include Cyborg and the mysterious Batman, who is quite different from our own.
As mentioned, the film is surprisingly faithful to the source material, even incorporating material from the tie-in mini series. Fans of the original series will be delighted by the sheer amount of characters included in the film, even if their roles are relatively small. The film features a particularly surprising cameo as well, one that fans of the late Young Justice animated series should be especially pleased by.
Continuing the faithfulness to the source, The Flashpoint Paradox is a dark, violent film, one of the most graphic in DC’s recent line of films. Blood and profanity is very prevalent, as are various instances of decapitation, dismemberment, and a particularly disturbing view of a perfectly aimed headshot. While this doesn’t necessarily detract from the film, those with small children should take consideration loading this into their video player of choice.
The film’s voice acting cast, led by Justin Chambers (The Flash), C. Thomas Howell (Professor Zoom), and Kevin McKidd (Flashpoint Batman), do a fantastic job, for the most part. McKidd’s grim, gritty voice can become monotonous after a while, in the same way Christian Bale’s signature growl does. Michael B. Jordan’s flat, synthesized effort as Cyborg is the sole black spot on another otherwise commendable cast. Guest appearances by Kevin Conroy and Nathan Fillion, reprising their roles as Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan, respectively, are an added bonus for fans of these animated features.
The film’s animation, on the other hand, is somewhat disappointing. Using heavily anime-influenced style,the film is strikingly different from Andy Kubert’s unique style. This wouldn’t be a huge problem, if the new style weren’t so unpleasant at times. Characters like the Flashpoint Batman and Aquaman are hulking caricatures of themselves, with muscles and sinew bulging from every body surface. Other anatomical issues abound. In the opening segment, Superman’s head is hilariously sized in proportion to his oversized physique. When the emaciated Flashpoint Superman has one of the most realistic body types in the film you know something is wrong
Anatomy issues aside, the film features some fantastic action/fight sequences, particularly the Atlantean attack on Deathstroke’s ship and the climactic battle in the decimated streets of London. The animation is fluid, rarely skipping a beat, a necessity when the lead character moves faster than the speed of light.
As with all DC animated features, a bevy of special features are included, such as audio commentary by Geoff Johns and the film makers, Flash-centric episodes from various DC animated series, and two mini-documentaries.
Continued belowThe first, “My Favorite Villain! The Flash Bad Guys,” focuses on the Flash’s villainous rogues. This feature is especially interesting, as it compares the views of Geoff Johns, well recognized for his contributions to the Flashpoint universe, with those of Brian Buccellato, current writer of “The Flash.”
The second is the “A Flash in Time” featurette, which looks at the nature of time-travel in the Flash universe. This feature, with it’s dramatic British narrator and questionable scientific credibility, would feel right at home on the History Channel. Still, it offers an interesting look at how the Flash’s powers might actually work, how “Flashpoint” might come to pass, and the history of mankind’s fascination with time travel.
Finally, the Blu-Ray offers a sneak peek of the next DC animated film, Justice League: War. An adaptation of Geoff John and Jim Lee’s inaugural arc of the current “Justice Leauge” series, the film is a logical follow up to a “Flashpoint” film. Interestingly, just as “Flashpoint” ushered in the New 52, The Flashpoint Paradox plants seeds for the upcoming feature in an Marvel-esque after-credit scene. This is a surprising step, suggesting a possible “reboot” of the DC animated universe enjoyed by fans in the late 90’s and early 00’s.
Faithfully adapted, with strong voice work and mature characterization, fun action, and the promise of things to come, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox ranks as one of the most enjoyable of DC’s modern animated films. This is one you’ll definitely want to watch more than once.
Final Verdict: 8.6 – Buy
