The Flash Review – “Out of Time” S1E15

After a short break, The Flash came back stronger than ever. I can’t believe how many things they have decided to go forward with instead of making fans wait seasons for each little reveal. As for this episode, I think Martin Lawrence said it best. “Shit just got real” So many major things happened in what could possibly lead to one of the biggest events from comic books history.

Pros

The Flash has unknowingly realized the full extent of his speed: Barry Allen may not yet know it but when he gets overly emotional and runs really fast, he can travel through time accidentally. His ability to travel through time is actually only related to the speed but, in the comics, it was prefaced by his anger and sadness over not being able to save his mother. The show is a different situation, but tensions were understandably high and you could argue that it was the TV show way of representing that. This is what he has been training for all these episodes. I don’t think he can get much faster than time traveling speed, unless you consider running so fast he turns into a lightning bolt. The greatest thing about this episode is that it has left the future open for all sorts of possibilities.

Iris learns the truth, and it is only Season 1: They used a similar setup in Arrow of revealing Oliver’s identity in order to include more people on the team, but this show is much more similar to Smallville in many respects. It took 6 or so seasons for Lana to find out about Clark’s powers and in the very same episode Clark goes back in time and changes it all. I feel like the same thing will happen with the time-travel but it would be nice if they didn’t ret-con it. Barry deserves this, and it would add an interesting dynamic to the show.

We discover the true identity of Dr. Wells: Eobard Thawne (what a terrible name) also known as Professor Zoom or the Reverse Flash is second of the Reverse Flashes but is largely considered one of the greatest adversaries from the Flash rogue gallery. If the comics are any indication, his inclusion does not bode well for Iris in the future. It is nice that the fans get to know what is happening, but with the inclusion of time travel at the last minute, everything that happened this episode is suspect aside from the identity of Dr. Wells.

Things are progressing nicely: Usually shows drag on forever with slow reveals and plot advancements, but the lessons learned from Smallville have showed up in both The Flash and Arrow. This pleases me greatly and makes me very excited for the future of both series.

Gay Rights!!: It was very subtle, but I thought was an interesting inclusion. I wasn’t sure if they were going to broach the subject during the scene but I’m pleased with the way they handled it. With the Captain’s fiancé being shown this episode, The CW or creators of the show, made a subtle statement about where they stand on the rights to allow gay couples in this country.

Cons

Possibly no more Linda Park- We all know that she came to break it off when she showed up at the police station; Barry leaving her there while running off with Iris probably did nothing to help that. I like her character and it doesn’t hurt that she is smoking hot, but she is not destined to be with this Flash. Again, time travel makes this one of many possibilities, but I think it is safe to say she is on the way out.

Also possibly no more Cisco: While he got the Temple of Doom treatment, I can’t help but feel that we haven’t seen the last of Cisco Ramon. He hasn’t even been able to live up to the terrible persona of Vibe yet. He was killed and resurrected many times in the comic books and even was a Black Lantern for a spell. He is a popular character so his death may just be for the shock factor; however, it would be a shame to lose such a great character so early in the series.

The possibility of the episode not ever “existing “ in time: Once time travel enters the equation, all bets are off. Anything that happened in this episode is susceptible to getting ret-conned. That means the advancements along with the bad stuff.

Easter Eggs

This episode was a little light on the easter eggs, which is probably a result of so many revelations in the story.

Speed Mirage: The idea of using speed to approximate being in two places at once is referenced early in the episode as a potential explanation for Barry seeing himself…and then actually used by Zoom.

Wizards Wand: This is used by the Weather Wizard in the comics to control the weather, but it is used against him in this episode. Seems to me that a certain Hush writer did his research and called this all the way back in week one! It’s also pretty awesome that this particular Weather Wizard was portrayed by Spartacus‘ lead actor, Liam McIntyre.

The Walking Dead: “I will watch every episode of The Walking Dead with you.”

---

 

Hush Comics gives “Out of Time” an A for progressing the story, making huge reveals, and in general, shit got cray.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Diyah Pera.

The Flash Review – “Fallout” S1E14

Pros:

Cisco’s Hilarious Lines: And did he have some doozys this week. “It’s like this time I stepped on a sea urchin—only much worse” and referring to Mist being trapped in the basement of Star Labs and Ronnie not knowing, he says, “Dude, that was like week three!” (And it was episode three! Yay for being consistent!)

Gorilla Grodd: Harrison did some pretty nasty things this episode. I am not sure if want to hate him or like him, but he gets a tick in the good column for unleashing Grodd on General Eiling as payback. In addition, when General Eiling pleads to God and the ape says “No, Grodd!” I felt like that was coolest way to execute a cheesy line.

Professor Stein and Ronnie Raymond’s relationship: I couldn’t think of The Odd Couple when these two were arguing. The jabs were cute, and while it is comical the way they don’t get along, these two have the same values and a lot of brains when combined. Together as Firestorm, they are pretty freakin’ awesome.

Professor Stein and Ronnie Raymond need each other: They can’t live without each other now that they are both Firestorm. The way this was presented was really well done, with Professor Stein living in Ronnie’s head, and the moments they choose to fuse together and separate again. I was pretty impressed with how science-y and smart the whole thing was.

Graphics: The slow-motion effects of Barry taking down people, taking on a rocket filled with chemicals, and the scene of The Flash and Firestorm leaving the Army base were really striking. Good job effects team!

Time-Travel: There was a lot of talk about time-travel, especially concerning Barry as The Flash being at his mother’s murder. It was a good way to begin to explain why Barry was there while including the characters we currently have, like Professor Stein.

Cons:

Lying to Iris: While lying to Iris about who Ronnie is will drive a major plot point for Iris for a bit, it was all executed poorly. The music that played as Caitlin and Barry claimed Ronnie was Caitlin’s cousin was silly and the whole thing was treated like a joke. If they had told something resembling the truth, Iris may not have decided to snoop around more.

Pizza, Pizza!: It’s very millennial and cutesy, but the tip off that Ronnie and Professor Stein are still linked is because the prof is crazing pizza? It’s kind of silly.

Harrison’s motives: So Harrison poisoned Professor Stein, let General Eiling kidnap Professor Stein, lied to the group that Eiling barged in and took Professor Stein, put Professor Stein in mortal danger, and put Ronnie in mortal danger ALL so he could find the location of General Eiling and release Grodd on him? Seems a little over-the-top.

Easter Eggs:

Ronnie is from Coast City: As the group was trying to convince Iris that Ronnie was Caitlin’s cousin, they mentioned he was from Coast City. This is yet another reference to Hal Jordan’s hometown.

Ronnie is from Midway City: The second time that Caitlin talks about her cousin to Iris, she mistakenly says he is from Midway City. This is home to Hawkman.

Destiny to fail: Barry admits that his destiny in the future is to fail at saving his mom. If you are familiar with Flashpoint, you know this is true.

Predictions:

Harrison isn’t all bad: You know how they were talking about going back in time, and that if you change something in the past, you cause the event a la Back to the Future? Harrison goes back with Barry when he learns that he will try to save his mother because Harrison knows that if Nora Allen lives, Barry never becomes The Flash. Or something. I dunno.

Hush Comics gives “Fallout” a A- for propelling the “Flashpoint” story forward, delving more into Firestorm, and using Gorilla Grodd for the good kind of evil.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Cate Cameron.

The Flash Review – “The Nuclear Man” S1E13

This week’s Flash was clearly a Valentine’s Day episode. I’m glad the show has dodged the mistake of having main characters get together too soon. Unfortunately, we have to sit through Barry’s dating life – probably only this one, though – before he starts to date Iris. That day, I dread.

Pros:

 

Super Science Cisco: I love super-technology and all of the sci-fi nerd in me really enjoyed it when Cisco reconstructed the crime scene at the time of the crime using freaking holograms. Someone has to be as smart as Dr. Wells when everything goes down.

Fireman Ronnie Raymond: I really like what they did with Firestorm, especially graphically. His firey goodness was excited and visually stimulating, which is nice after the last two episodes. Also the Nuclear Man actually shows us why this episode was titled thusly.

Joe Knows: Joes has already shown that he knows how to read people better than anyone else in the show. He knows something is up with Dr. Wells and not everything is as straight forward as it seems. He’s the only one that questions his motivations.

Purposely accentuated man boobs: I guessed being ripped runs in the family.

Barry Blood: Barry’s adult blood was found at the crime scene of his mother’s murder. Ok I didn’t see that coming, I’ll keep this going.

That last scene: DID YOU SEE IT!?

Cons:

Flash in the pan: Barry Allen dates Wally West’s future wife. Unless they plan on killing Barry and bringing in Wally, then I don’t really care and neither should you.

Firestorm’s split personality: So in the comics Firestorm is a combination of Martin Stein and Ronnie Raymond, cool whatever I still think that’s dumb. But why have Stein be the mind behind the body? If they make Ronnie in control like in the books they could drag Robbie Amell’s bad acting out for longer.

Iris & Linda: Iris likes Barry but won’t pull the trigger. Linda goes one two dates with Barry. Poorly written conflict happens.

Barry & Iris: The “will they, won’t they” trope has really taken full grasp on this relationship. I can hope it will just get nipped in the bud, but I don’t think we’ll be that lucky.

Purposely accentuated man boobs: We get it. It runs in the family.

Dr. Wells Super Engineerman: Why doesn’t anyone question how Wells designed or had the time to create a quantum whatever. That would seem dubious to me.

Easter Eggs:

Time travel confirmed: It’s been skated around all season long, but with the confirmation that an adult Barry at the crime scene, it opens up a whole bunch of doors from Flashpoint.

Mal Duncan: When Barry geeks out to Linda about their planned date, he tells her last that he wants to go see Mal Duncan perform after they play mini-golf. Mal Duncan is Vox in the Teen Titans comic books, but has also gone by Guardian in Young Justice. He is an accomplished jazz musician, as well – referenced in Tale of the Teen Titans #50 (1985).

52nd & Waid: The DC-CW shows loves using their street names for Easter Eggs. This week, they go with the lucky number 52 (New52, 52 event, etc) and Waid, a call-back to long-time The Flash writer, Mark Waid.

Predictions:

Barry Blood 2: Electric Boogaloo: So we found Barry’s blood at the scene of his mother’s death. Once Wells gets his time travel paradox on Barry is going to travel with him and during the melee inadvertently cause his mother’s death. Then….sadness.

Impending Litigation: Someone is getting sued for that “flame on” remark.

Killer, maaaan: They’ve been teasing it all season; we know who Caitlin Snow becomes in the comic books, right? Killer Frost may be closer than we think. Barry may be able to outrun or metabolize the effects of a nuclear explosion, but Caitlin is going to be pretty screwed. Throw in the way people’s powers in this show are blended from the environment around them, and we may have a much colder version of Caitlin Snow – very soon. Quantum Splicer, my ass, Wells!

 

Hush Comics gives “The Nuclear Man” a C for pointless love story taking away from a much more important storyline happening all around it. Also for Robbie Amell, meh.

All images belong to The CW and DC Entertainment. They are credited to Cate Cameron.

Justice League Flashpoint Paradox Review

DC has no shortage of stories set in an alternate universe, with most of the play going to Infinite Crisis, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and other Elseworld stories. So when Geoff Johns came out with the Flashpoint arc in 2011, fans were initially skeptical. Not only was Johns trying to reconstruct the DC comic lore, but he was doing it with Flash at the helm. While Barry Allen has been a staple character in the Justice League since his mid-1950’s induction into DC Comics, he remains out of the spotlight. The premise of the Flashpoint storyline is that, in a desperate move to change events in time to save his mother from being murdered, he taps into the Speed Force (it’s a long story; basically, the best way I can describe the Speed Force is an energy that the Flash can pull from to manipulate time… or some crazy shit like that), unknowingly creating a Butterfly Effect, saving his mother but putting himself right in the middle of a world war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Flash has found himself in a world without allies and without his powers. It’s a bit far-fetched of a story, but it really works out. So many questions about the DC Universe that begin with “What if” are addressed in the Flashpoint Paradox. What if Hal Jordan never was given a Green Lantern ring? What if Superman’s Kryptonian shuttle passed Smallville and landed in the hands of the government? What if Aquaman and Wonder Woman never got to interact with humanity before their rise to power? Maybe it’s just the fanboy in me, but there’s just something thrilling about not knowing what will happen next – an entire realm of new possible outcomes.

Everything that makes the book work shows up in the film. Foremost, the Flash is an excellent leading character. He’s charismatic, witty and is the one voice of hope in a universe full of darkness. Plus, he can run really fast. But really, it’s Flashpoint Batman that steals the show. Batman (who is not Bruce Wayne in this world) is one of the most rugged and dangerous characters I’ve ever seen. He’s missing the high-tech gadgetry, but he more than makes up for it by being a total badass. Even the President respects his gangster. The rest of the Justice League is also in full effect. Flashpoint Aquaman and Wonder Woman could easily hold their own movie. As the two juggernauts clashed, I almost forgot I was watching a DC Animated movie. Professor Zoom AKA The Reverse Flash AKA… (this could take a while; he has a lot of nicknames) … AKA Thaddeus Thawne plays a crafty villain that is obsessed with bringing down the Flash, even at the expense of destroying the world (Sheesh dude, get a hobby). He presents the perfect match for Flash, as he can manipulate the Speed Force to make it appear that he is going faster or slower. He’s the yin to Flash’s yang and they play off each other well.

I bet the first time The Flash and The Reverse Flash met, it was just like this.

The biggest note of discussion with this film is the decidedly adult nature it takes on. Not only is it darker than the comics it adapts from, but it is the darkest DC Animated film released yet. There are tons of violent deaths, and nobody is off-limits. It’s like I was watching The Wire. While some might see this as unnecessary, I feel that the violence and tragedy add to the gravity of the film. It’s not for the faint of heart, and definitely not a family-friendly movie, but the anime-style brutality made me feel more in touch with the characters and the stakes they were fighting for. The animation is complemented by nuanced changes in the storyline to make things fit more cohesively. Die-hard fans can tell, but there are several events that allude to several of the spin-off stories that come from Flashpoint, chronicling the stories of the Justice League in this alternate timeline from hell. On the other hand, though, some of the subtleties may fall off the deaf ears of many of the casual fans that look to these movies to learn more about comic books.

Overall, this is one of my favorite graphic novel movie adaptations that DC Animated has done. It has a solid storyline and a great voice acting cast to carry it throughout the amazing action scenes and large-scale thrills. Its mature content and subtle hints may turn off some casual fans, but do pay homage to the grave nature of the source material. If you want to broaden your horizons in the comic book world and aren’t afraid of graphic violence, this is the DC Animated film you have been waiting for.

 

SCORECARD:

Category	Explanation	Score
Plot	One of the best alternate universe stories I’ve ever read, there are a few points in the film you can’t really understand unless you’ve read the source material.	8/10
Voice-acting	An All-Star cast creates believable characters that carry themselves.	10/10
Representation of Source Material	Flashpoint does a solid job of taking the source material and bringing it to life, keeping some of the most memorable moments intact.	10/10
Animation	The hardcore and anime-like feel of the film fit the dark storyline. They also do a great job of making the Flash’s animations clean.	8/10
Sound Effects and Music	Hero-certified music and cool time-warping sound effects fit the ambiance	8/10
Captivity	Flashpoint is broken up into enough segments that it never feels like it’s as far along as it really is.	10/10
Overall awesomeness	There is nothing about this film that does not kick total ass.	10/10
Creativity	Even though it’s a remake of a graphic novel, the genius that is Geoff Johns crafted an amazing story that explores an alternate universe with no reservations.	10/10
Replayability	I’ve seen the Flashpoint Paradox three times already, and there are more details to catch everytime	9/10
Special Features	A feature on the Rogues Gallery, a scientific breakdown of the Speedforce and some great DC Vault episodes make this an excellent showcase of The Flash	10/10

 

 

 

IF YOU LIKED THIS, CHECK THESE OUT:

Justice League: Doom (film)

 

All the Flashpoint books!

 

NEXT FOR DC ANIMATED:

Justice League: War will be DC Animated’s first New 52 movie and will reprise the first storyline of Jim Lee and Geoff John’s Justice League. All that I have on my wish list is that it’s animated by Jim Lee (I’m kind of obsessed with his art) and that I get to see the animated version of this. It’s already been released that Whedon alum Alan Tudyk is voicing Superman and DC Animated veteran Jay Oliva will be directing. Check out the teaser trailer at the link below.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib