'The Flash: The Complete First Season'
(Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanagh, et al / 4-Disc Blu ray + Digital HD / NR / 2015 / Warner Bros.)
Overview: CSI investigator Barry Allen is endearingly book-smart, somewhat awkward late and – as a result of a scientific experiment gone awry – the fastest man alive! He's The Flash, zigzagging through the action-packed new series from the creative team behind Arrow and based on the supersonic DC Comics character.
Blu ray Verdict: In truth, I'm not too familiar with the Flash's back-story. I was never really a fan. But even without all of that, you can tell that the plot was hatched from the mind of an eight-year old. I'm not going to be going off the original comics here, or calling what is cannon and what isn't. This is simply a tip of the hat to the men and women who will surely burn in the same level of hell as the Fox executives that canceled Firefly. The story is pathetic and the characters are lack-luster at the least.
As far as I'm concerned, the only original character or actor who is worth anything in the show is Barry Allen. And this is achieved through sheer force of personality of the actor. The script-writers should all be shot in the kneecaps. His performance alone carries the entire show character wise. Despite the fact that he is simply and emulation of Oliver Queen from Arrow, he manages to at least give his character a slightly more "I have no idea what I'm doing" feel.
However, my favorite part is his inability to be intelligent. Understand now, that this being a superhero show and thus prone to massive lapses in actual science, I have chosen to disregard most of those faults. Also, here comes the spoiler bit. It was mentioned, that along with his physical speed, his reaction time was increased. To this end, he was often shown to move at a normal speed while others moved in slow motion. And then he was often not. He is quite capable of "slowing time" to rescue people from a train wreck, but immediately afterwards loses the ability when a gun is pointed at him from a fairly reasonable distance.
Maybe he just didn't want his friends being shot? But when that bad guy turns and walks away 30 seconds later, he also seems unable to run. The man was on foot and he simply walked away. In the third fight with the tin man he easily moves out of the way of his punches, but ten seconds later, forgets how to let go of a pole and at the same time loses his abilities. That's all the continuity I'm gonna nitpick, on to the research.
When training with the cops partner, he is told to "Punch as if your aiming for something six inches behind the target." As any good boxer knows, this is precisely the opposite of what you should do. Minimizing the contact time is essential to delivering the most force in a blow. And Barry, being a rather smart superhero, should know this.
The writers have obviously never read so much as a paragraph on how to hit someone. Then there is the other things like police procedure no real precinct would ever allow, guns that fire too many bullets, a hummer that pulverizes two police cars and comes out with not so much as a dented fender, and other small things like that.
In conclusion, and to play Devil's advocate here, Grant Gustin is a perfect Barry Allen. Candice Patton as Iris West is brilliant and I'm excited to see her character evolve over the show. Cisco, Caitlin, and Harrison give the perfect foil for a way to discuss the sci-fi science of the superpowers and strategy without turning into a monologue. Caitlin is the soul of the team, and Cisco is the heart. They bring a wonderful balance to the entire show. Jesse L. Martin as detective Joe West is an absolute scene stealer in the best possible way. He makes me smile, laugh, and cry - usually all at the same time! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Behind The Story: The Trickster Returns!
The Fastest Man Alive!
Creating the Blur - the VFX of The Flash
Screen Test: The Chemistry of Grant and Emily
DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014: Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and Arrow
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
www.WarnerBros.com
Own it on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD September 22nd, 2015!