The Flashpoint Paradox Review

On this review you can either read, watch or listen to a review of the Flashpoint Paradox.

Flashcast

Podcast Rating: PG 13

The Flashpoint Paradox Review (Pablo)
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I was quite weary of this translation of Flashpoint into an animated feature film. When I first heard about Flashpoint becoming the next DC animated feature film I was very excited about knowing more about the event that essentially spurred the NEW52. I had never read Flashpoint so I was hoping this film would inspire me to do so. I saw commercials for it but heard nothing about it either way. I was pretty turned off by what I had seen in the commercials. After reading two polarizing reviews I decided to call out to my Facebook friends and see if they knew anything about it. The word was good and that's exactly what I needed. I rented and watched it. I was blown away. Even my wife was rather impressed not being much of a nerd and definitely not a fan of the Flash. By the end of this film we were both fans of the Flash and most definitely interested in reading the book especially Batman's story. I won't deny that this movie had its issues whether it was the animation or short comings in the story but overall Flashpoint left a very good impression.
The voice actors did a phenomenal job. There was a lot of characters in this movie and even the main cast was quite the ensemble even if it was mostly focused around the main character, Barry Allen. Barry Allen was voiced by Grey's Anatomy, Justin Chambers. One of his costars is also featured in this film as the voice of the Flashpoint version of Batman, Kevin McKidd. I won't bother wasting your time by listing every single person that voiced a character but those were just two that had stand out performances. I pride myself on being able to figure who voices who but not only could I not tell who they were because they did such good jobs at actually voice acting but I was so into the story I stopped caring.
As I said I had never read Flashpoint so this was all new and fresh to me. I was rarely confused as to what was going on and how it got there with the exception of Aquaman and Wonderwomans story. The explanation is there but it takes some rewatching and looking into. Even as somebody who is not versed in DC and pre NEW52 history it was obvious that there was quite a bit of fan service throughout this film. There were a couple scenes that detracted from the main story just to satisfy fans. One in particular felt as if it had no purpose other than to service the fans. Despite that complaint those scenes were totally awesome and worth it. Its obvious that because there are so many characters in this story it was difficult to give everyone their due. The main focus was on Barry Allen then Flashpoint Batman, and later Cyborg. This story proved to me that not only can Flash hold his own movie but he deserves it. Flash was easily the best looking character in the film but unfortunately the same cant be said about all of the animation and its characters.
One of the most apparent issues with this film was the consistency of the animation. The thing that was stopping me the most from picking this up right away was the glaring semi-anime style art. Certain characters looked fabulous like Flash and Batman. Others such as Superman and Flashpoint Aquaman looked just awful and odd. Their stomachs were concave and their traps were ridiculously way too big. Supermans face just looked wrong. Flashpoint Superman looked way better even as anorexic and malnourished as he was. Other issues are easy to miss and will only be noticed if you're really looking hard and paying close attention. At times when characters were still it looked odd even Flash. The mouth is moving but there is no emotion or other movement. There were also moments when Flash would all of a sudden become 3D CG that would completely take me out of the moment and film. The styles just didn't jive. The Japanese animator seemed like they couldn't decide whether it was anime, classic American comic cartoon, or 3D CG like the animated Green Lantern series. When it came down to it though all these minor animation issues seemed exactly that in the overall scope of the movie, minor.
It's easy to get past all the little problems with this film that I honestly only noticed because I watched the movie at least five times already after renting and getting it on Blu-Ray. When you're actively looking for these things they're a lot easier to notice too. If you just let yourself enjoy the movie and not be so anal about it you'll love it. One thing to take note of is that this is easily the most messed up and violent of all the DC animated feature films. They really are pushing the envelope on the PG-13 rating and its rather bold of them to do so. I have never cared for Flash prior to the NEW52 mostly due to the way he was depicted in most animated shows and movies. This movie changed that for me. The easiest part is falling in love with the characters of Barry Allen and becoming so intrigued by the Flashpoint Batman that you'll be hungering and wishing for more. Not only has this movie convinced me to buy Flashpoint and any Flashpoint related material but also any of Geoff Johns works on Flash.
Verdict: STRONG BUY
PS If you wait until after the credits there's a teaser for the next DC animated feature film 
Check out Pablo´s Review of the book.

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