Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox Review
rating: 3.5
Normally its said, "the book is better than the movie", however with DC Entertainments Justice League Flashpoint Paradox its the opposite, which seems to complement its story. Based on the graphic novel Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert; Barry Allen wakes up in a timeline similar to the one he calls home, but quickly discovers several startling differences. For starters: his mother is alive, Iris his wife is married to someone else, and he is without his abilities. While the Justice League doesn't exist in this timeline; they are represented by different versions of themselves. In a world where villains are heroes and heroes are villains, the Flash will need to find help from unlikely "heroes" in order to restore the timeline, hopefully before the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman destroys the world.
Jay Oliva returns to direct Flashpoint Paradox, since the last DC animated feature film Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Parts 1 & 2, and with fan favorites returning such as Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Dana Delany as Lois Lane, and Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan this should be quite the production. Adding weight to the already impressive cast is Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) as Cyborg, Sam Daly as Superman (son of Tim Daly who voiced Superman in the animated TV show), and Kevin McKidd as the alternate Batman. This story puts the Flash center stage; Justin Chambers does a more than adequate job as the Flash, but some of his lines suffered from either weak deliveries or were just too ridged. However his opposite in the movie Professor Zoom is voiced by C. Thomas Howell, and he give a solid performance, even though most of the dialogue was lifted straight from the comic books. 
James Krieg wrote the screenplay and struck a nice balance adapting the five main issues while incorporating story elements from the additional 20 tie-ins. What we end up with is a well-constructed story; even if it feels abrupt (it's only 75 minutes). Considering this story could have been bogged down with too many characters and stories, the liberties Krieg takes not only flesh out the world but kept the story self-contained. The inclusion of Lex Luthor aiding Deathstroke to find the WMDs Aquaman possesses was a nice touch instead of the convoluted original Deathstroke pirate story. Whereas the Kraken was at least in one of the tie-ins and actually served as a better alternative to a gigantic amazon, but the addition of a Cerberus and a Minotaur feels more like an anime checklist requirement. 
The animation style is heavily influenced by modern day anime (think the Second Renaissance from the Animatrix) it isn't too distracting. With that said though it isnt very flattering for the alternate versions of Aquaman and Wonder Woman, but it does add to the already emaciated Superman. It also helps to detail the violence in the war between Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and "surface dwellers"; which might leave viewers feeling drained seeing a world without hope or heroes, and ravished by death. This might be a case of be careful what you wish for, because this movie is a departure from the kid friendly animated movies weve come to expect from the studio that brought us Batman: The Animated Series. Although its rated PG-13 it is unlike any other DC animated movie in terms of excitement, shock value, and violence, which at time could be distracting. As Jay Oliva set the bar for gloom and violence in The Dark Knight Returns and raised it in this film. What can audiences expect from 2014's Justice League: War? 
Overall the film does a better job telling the story than the graphic novel. It clearly defines the conflict the Flash has and adds suspense & tension to the decision he ultimately has to make. Where the graphic novel felt bland and even anti-climactic, the movie conveys the emotional and climatic moments in a more effective manner.