Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is an adaption of the comic book storyline that changed virtually everything for every character in the DC Comics pantheon. Timelines have shifted and the world is a very different place. Bruce Wayne was killed and his father survived becoming Batman. Aquaman. War has broken out between the Atlanteans and Amazons, with much of the rest of humanity as collateral damage. Only Barry Allen knows that things are wrong and wants to set it right.
What we get is both a Justice League story and a Flash story. There are so many characters from the DC universe that show up here it’s hard to keep track. It is nice, however, to hear some familiar voices in roles (such as Tim Daly as Superman) that fans have come to rely on over the years.
The story is very dark. And violent. Lots of people are killed, and on screen. Brutally. And often many of the character you have come to know act in ways that are very different, which can be rather shocking.
Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox is clearly not one for the kids. Plenty of adult themes and images as well as turning the accepted notions of how heroes behave on their heads. This is a gritty story, sort of dystopian alternate universe that is explored, and while there are results and after-effects for the main continuity, this does largely exist as a completely separate and disconnected story. Sort of.
At 80 minutes the film feels too short. For such a major event in the DC universe, and for a story that has an many characters and moving parts as this one does, at times Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox feels like a highlight reel. Everything happens too quickly or conveniently, and while it could be to draw comparisons to the main hero at the center of the story, it really is a disservice. At times certain things only become clear in hindsight with little setup, and that’s not good. If Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox had been another half hour longer certain subplots could have been expanded, plot points clarified, characters expanded upon and more.
Special features are alright, kicking off with two featurettes that last about 20 minutes each. One looks at the real-world theories of time travel and how that connects to The Flash. The other is about the rogue’s gallery, Flash’s main villains. The audio commentary is worth a listen as well. It contains director Jay Oliva, writer Jim Krieg, producer James Tucker and longtime Flash comics writer Geoff Johns (the man behind the original Flashpoint storyline).
To me, an excerpt from a comic book or episodes of cartoon series are not bonus features. Especially that comic excerpt. A low resolution copy of at least a full first issue, if not the whole story arc, that would be a special feature. The included DVD copy, however, is an actual bonus.
Fans of the Justice League certainly will want to check this out, as well as those who like comics in general. As a fan myself, I knew about the storyline, at least a little bit, but large swaths of details I didn’t know. This was a great way to get caught up and enjoy a good story in the process.