So, I was waiting until someone here posted a review of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox first lest there was an embargo. As Josh Wilding has come forward with his review, here are my thoughts. Overall Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is one hell of a solid animated film. With a few tweaks away from the Flashpoint alternate reality in favor of the focus on the "mainstream" incarnation, I'd wager this take on the story might have made for a great live action Justice League offering. For those familiar with Justice League (and Flashpoint itself), the characters are at once recognizable and jarring when re-envisioned as their alternate reality counterparts. For those who've never read the comics, seen previous animated efforts, or even really bothered with DC but are used to the character tropes, this will definitely deliver something new with elements you won't see coming. Check this one out as it definitely provides the perfect springboard into what's likely going to come next in DC's DC Universe Animated Originals line.
Character drama is front and center here, but in no way does that mean Flashpoint Paradox lets up on the action. If not on par with it, this is absolutely the second most violent adaptation to date behind the two part Dark Knight Returns direct to video offerings. That said, the violence isn't cavalier and the brutality is not without purpose Fair warning Man of Steel haters, the Shazam kids, in the form of Captain Thunder, do fling pretty much half a large building at another character during the climactic battle. That's OK, though. The city is abandoned. I promise. Flashpoint, the story Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox was adapted from is itself a pretty dark and at times barbarous story. What the movie doesn't have time to do in words over months it strives to make up for with stark imagery and overall, director Jay Oliva succeeds. Fans of the comic version (I myself have grown to love it) will quickly spot the minor changes to allow for compression of time and to further the plot more directly. Yes, with that certain character nuance and subtlety is lost along with various subplots, but by and large both the core characterizations and the story remains intact.
Visually, while people may have been a bit put off by the design scheme of the characters themselves in still images, the actual animation is beautiful. The lines are crisp and the movement is fluid. Jay Oliva's direction is fantastic and that he's coming back to do the next animated film should be seen as good news. In terms of the voice casting, it's pretty much spot on. Kevin Conroy as Batman fits like a glove and provides the perfect contrast to Kevin McKidd's even more grim and vengeance driven incarnation. For fans of Tim Daly's animated Superman, Sam Daly isn't a huge departure from his father. He's a bit more "tenor" to his dad's "baritone", but manages to be all business while definitely down to Earth with that tongue in cheek bit of snark. He's not a cardboard cutout and it's makes his Flashpoint counterpart that much more tragic. Vanessa Marshall's Wonder Woman runs the gamut from ferocious to chilling to, at one point, genuinely heart breaking. Cary Elwes' soft spoken delivery of the pre-Flashpoint Aquaman gives way to a cold, merciless fury in the Flashpoint reality and Justin Chambers as The Flash is a natural. Chambers conveys equal parts intellect, stalwart heroism, cocky optimism and human warmth. I could write a whole article on how well Andrea Romano cast this one, and I'd be stating the obvious in terms of how awesome a delivery Nathan Fillion brings to both versions of Hal Jordan. Kudos to the entire voice cast from Michael B. Jordan (Cyborg) to C.Thomas Howell (Professor Zoom/The Reverse Flash) on down.
Now, there are two things done exceptionally well here. The first is the depiction of the dystopian present in the Flashpoint reality. It really is a darker, harsher realm than the world we normally recognize the DCU to be. You genuinely get the sense of a bleak world on the brink. Part of that may be helped by the shuffling around of certain core plot elements from the comic. Without giving anything away, here's one example of things running a bit cleaner. As fans may remember, the Brightest Day event was happening in the Green Lantern titles and across the DCU. They managed to find a way to acknowledge it within the Flashpoint reality in the comics, but they're not beholden to do so here. With that, the Green Lantern acknowledgment, and Hal Jordan's story, is slimmer, moves a bit faster, but is all the more poignant.
On the whole, without having to sustain the story over months and make sure plot points in the core story dovetail with what's happening in the supporting crossover titles, there's an immediate punch to many scenes. Once the "real world" has it's visual and emotional tone established (Batman in blue for the first time since the DCAU days) and we move into the Flashpoint, we pretty much dive in the heart of the story feet first and hit the ground running. I found the loss of those side elements a bit disappointing in Justice League: The New Frontier, but here it may actually serve the story better, with only a minimal loss of scale. Don't worry, there's another good trade off. It does allow the viewer to spend a bit more time with certain characters meeting in final combat and it gets mean!
Now as for the second thing done exceptionally well? Fans of The Flash WILL NOT be disappointed. You could almost mistake the opening for an extended version of those fantastic DC Showcase shorts focusing on The Flash himself with only a token appearance by the Justice League and the best part is, we don't remotely lose the focus on Barry Allen afterward. Those worried about this being "Flashpoint Batman and Cyborg: The Movie" guest starring The Flash can relax. He is done loads of justice here (no pun intended) with a surprising amount of depth given to Barry as an actual character outside of the suit. And those afraid they'd make Barry dull need not fret. Between the script and Justin Chambers' delivery, he's smart, charismatic and armed with a sense of humor that isn't handled in a lazy "let's write Wally West but call him Barry" kind of way. It's the kind of distinct style of characterization that I hope carries over into the writing beyond Flashpoint and into the next animated film (Justice League: War) and beyond. If there were a time to start adapting the hell out of Francis Manapul's body of work on The Flash, this is it.
In the end, while there are one or two moments of "we'll speak slowly for you" kinds of exposition that almost painfully spell things out, a few wonderful characters exempt for the sake of a smoother ride (fans of The Outsider may sniffle a bit), and some plot points that flesh characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman out beyond their core motivations, this is easily one of the best story adaptations to date. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is on par with fan favorites like Under The Red Hood and All Star Superman. For me, this is absolutely the best Justice League Direct to Video adaptation and (if you'll allow me to count both parts of The Dark Knight Returns as one story) in my top three "full length" stories put out in the DC Universe Animated Originals line. And while those expecting an in depth explanation in this version of Flashpoint as the miniseries regarding why the New 52 incarnation of the DCU (costumes and all) is about to take center stage starting with the next film may be disappointed, I'm hoping they're planning ahead. Perhaps it'll un-spool as a plot point within the DCnU centered films, connecting in more cohesive arcs to form a larger story.
Oh, stick around after the credits for a direct lead in to Justice League: War and then watch the preview featurette. Justice Leauge: The Flashpoint Paradox will absolutely prove to be time and money well spent. Definitely pick it up when it drops on July 30th.