I love DC animated films, they consistently deliver super hero goodness at a level most other films fall short on. Recently I reviewed X-men Days of future past, I enjoyed it. However They did not follow the actual story, and the variations they did make, ended up making for a weaker story overall. Why do companies do this? Because comics are a very different medium, they tell long stories over many months and sometimes years. A movie can not do that, you have 2 hours and have to make it work. Big studios won't take risks, but a straight to dvd animated feature can. And DC always delivers on these.
The story is about Flash, and since he is getting his own tv series, it seemed like a good time to bring this film up. Barry Allen is the flash, and he has a decent life. However his origin like most, is not a happy tale. His mother was murdered when he was a child, and he blames himself for not being their. One of his main villains is Eobard Thawne from the 25th century. He also goes by Professor Zoom, or the reverse flash. If you don't know about Flash, his powers come from the speed force. I won't go into that, but know other people who draw from that, all draw from the same source. So there is a limited amount of power, so having 2 flashes active at one time weakens their potential. Zoom uses the speed force as well, which is a major plot point. Flash is almost killed, but him and the Justice League save the day as they usually do. He wakes up however in a world that is different from the one he knows. Batman is a murderous vigilante that uses firearms and blades instead of the non-lethal hero who hates such things that we know. Some villians are not good guys, some heroes are now villians. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war, and humanity is being wiped out as a casualty of said war. Barry believes something happened int he past to alter how the world would turn out, but he now has no powers and can't really influence or change the past to right the events.
The other world is the main setting for the movie, and it does a great job of taking the established heroes and creating something new from them. In that world Bruce Wayne's parents never died, instead the killer murdered Bruce in that alley. His father then beat the mugger to death while his mother went crazy. Batman is now Bruce's father Thomas Wayne, and his mother is now the Joker. Now imagine if every hero has had their past altered to that degree, and you start to see the creativity and opportunities this story has to offer.
As I said in the opening, this movie is not for kids. It is violent, and slightly graphic. While most of the dirty is done off camera, you do have some "oh ****" moments. The movie does not shy away from showing you the horrors it creates, and I think it is better for that. I couldn't help but think, they would never do a live action like this, while watching. Which is to bad, because I honestly think if they did it right, it would be a amazing comic book film. But if I have to stick to animated, I am glad DC is behind it. The animation style was fantastic, and everything looked great. They always get solid voice actors to. Nathan Fillion is one again Hal Jordan. Which reminds me, why is he not always Jordan? Why does he not play him in the live action films to? Flash was played by Justin Chambers who I had never heard of before, but he did a great job with the character. And Bruce Batman was done by Kevin Conroy, as he should always be.
If you like the comics, you need to check this movie out. It acts as a prequel to Justice League War, and was honestly a little better then that one was. I loved the new world with the messed up time line, and seeing what eventually caused it was a great reveal. It told a clever story, with a fresh look at the heroes we know and love. While I never read the flashpoint books, this telling of it was amazing and something I can't recommend enough.
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