The Flash: 7 Things That Season 1 Has Done Right (And 3 It Hasn't)

2. Special Effects

The Flash is a show designed for spectacle, and it could have very easily gone straight for camp in the effects department. Audiences going into a CW program about a hero in a red unisuit who can run super fast probably would have not have been shocked by a few seams showing. It's not a particularly serious premise, and if we're already suspending the heck out of our disbelief anyway... Surprisingly, the special effects and CGI on The Flash are actually pretty great. The lightning on Barry's heels whenever he launches into warp speed looks believable rather than cartoonish, and the moments when he really lets loose can be breathtaking. The scene in which Barry races to save a civilian from a blast from Captain Cold's freeze gun (and fails) is effectively elegant, and Barry's later redemption as he saves the passengers of a derailed train is so realistic that we can be lost in the moment without stopping to ponder the physics. The Flash undoubtedly does not have the budget of its comic counterparts (both Marvel and DC) on other networks, but the money spent on special effects has brought such a higher level of overall quality that even adults don't have to be sheepish about watching.