On TV, DC seems to dominate in terms of network shows. Arrow, the Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Gotham, and even somehow Lucifer have all gotten great reviews and have attracted many loyal fans that come back week after week. For some reason, they can't seem to strike the same chord with the films as of yet. Although I personally loved Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad I can see where they would have their critics. I have a strong feeling that is all going to change this year with Wonder Woman and Justice League.
Aquaman was recently given a release date, which tells us that the movie is moving forward with little to no speed bumps. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the upcoming Flash film. In the not too distant past the film has lost two directors, both fan favorite choices, Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa. While the star, Ezra Miller, has obviously stayed put, it does cause worry among the fan community. Many fans think, much like myself, why bother with a solo Flash film when the TV series is on the air and extremely successful?
He's no Stephen Amell, but he's still a good lookin dude . . .
Regardless of what we may say, Warner Bros is still gung ho about making a Flash film starring Ezra Miller. While I get it, he's a young talent and this film will definitely showcase that, the film will have some heavy competition with its TV counterpart. So if the film is going to go full steam ahead, I think there needs to be some rules in place to really set it apart from the show. It might look the same, but it will feel different. Here's how some suggestions from an ordinary Comic Junkie . . .
THE ROGUES
While the TV show has been giving us really cool twists on the Flash's rogues, part of me misses the classic Rogues from the comics. For example, Heatwave and Captain Cold are/were the heroes on Legends of Tomorrow. While I liked their transition and I love Legends a lot, part of me wishes that they would just be the bad guys again. Plus one thing the series never did was have a crap ton of the Rogues team up and fight the Flash. Sure we got Cold, Heatwave, and Golden Glider, and a few variations on that, it wasn't quite the same. The Rogues are a twisted group of dudes that think they're living the American Dream. Their job is to rob banks and get away with it and damn anyone that gets in the way. They might be the bad guys but they're not evil. I think seeing a proper Rogue treatment on film would be a good way to separate it from the series. I expected Cold and the Rogues to be mainstays on the show but instead they were put aside in favor of the Multiverse and Time Travel stories. Don't get me wrong, I love those stories and they've been great to see, there's still that side of me that wants Cold leading the Rogues into battle.
BARRY'S DAY JOB
One thing that the show is sort of lacking on is Barry's day job as a Forensic Analyst for the Central City Police Department. Every now and then they touch on it, but for the most part the show deals with how the team at STAR Labs is going to fight the Rogue of the Week as opposed to the police doing it. That works well for the TV show but I'm hoping we get to see more of Barry's quirky side doing CSI work for the police. It would also be fun to see him solve a crime involving metahumans with his CSI partners and fellow detectives. The CSI component is often overlooked in the comic books but to me, it should be an essential part of the The Flash's story. I mean, being a pilot is always talked about in Green Lantern and there's never a Batman story without Wayne Enterprises in some capacity. Except for Batman and Batman Returns . . . Seriously . . . But you get the idea! I think having Barry be a brilliant but awkward CSI detective will help make his film different not only from the TV show but from other superhero films as well.
BIG BUDGET SUPER SPEED!
Here's a few things that we can all agree on:
- The Flash, while having a TV budget, has done incredible things with the Flash's powers. Almost every episode features some sort of jaw dropping imagery.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past and Apocalypse have shown us really spectacular super speed sequences. They're visually exciting and very entertaining.
- The Flash's cameo in Suicide Squad was one of the best moments in the entire film.
Now . . . with those thoughts in mind let's think about how much fun a Flash live action movie could be! With a much larger budget, and keeping that brief Suicide Squad moment in mind, a super speed fight between Flash and Reverse Flash or Zoom or Black Flash or whatever could be extremely exciting! Like I said, X-Men made great use of Quicksilver in those films and I'd love to see something like that in a Flash movie. Except more than just one or two scenes. Like giant action set pieces that take place in the blink of an eye but we get to see it from the Flash's perspective. That would be amazing!
FLASHPOINT
I don't have many complaints about the Flash series but I truly think that their adaptation of Flashpoint was not handled well. I mean it was fine for what it was but considering that in the comic book Barry changed the lives of everyone around him and not just in Central City, it was kind of weak. I know they don't have characters like Batman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman to play with but it still could have been much more exciting than it was. It was all over and the ramifications of it are the driving force behind Season 3 as opposed to the actual event itself which could have been much more exciting.
In any event, since the TV show couldn't utilize all the other Justice League members, I'd love to see it tackled in the films at some point. Maybe it won't be the first Flash film but a sequel or later would be awesome. I mean, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been cast as Thomas Wayne already! It would be a no brainer to include him as a rough around the edges Batman! Even if that was the only thing that made it to the Flashpoint film I would be happy.
FLASH OF TWO WORLDS
I've said it before and I'll say it again - how great would it be if Grant Gustin got to cameo as an alternate Barry Allen in The Flash film? In the Flash season two, Barry traveled through the multiverse and saw a glimpse of John Wesley Shipp's original Flash TV series. That was a really cool moment for fans. It was a way to tie the two shows together without actually having to tie them together. I think the same thing should happen in the films. They should show alternate speedsters throughout the multiverse and one of them is Grant Gustin. It would be a great nod to the fans of the show and a way to kind of open the doors for a crossover at some point. Of course a crossover between the movies and TV shows is unlikely but it doesn't have to be impossible. I'd be willing to sit through that! That would be TV history just like they made TV history last month by having the mega crossover episodes! Come on! Let's do it!
These are just my ideas here. I don't know what's going to happen with the Flash movie. I am curious to see if Warner Bros decides to go ahead with the movie or not. If done right, it could be really exciting and very different from the TV show. I'm hoping that will be the case. Warner Bros doesn't have much good will left with fans. They better play their cards right!
Till Next Time!
JJ - the Comic Junkie!
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