#jay olivia

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

"Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox" was made ten years ago and is a prime example of how to do a multiverse story right.

Barry Allen stops Professor Zoom once again with the help of the Justice League. As Professor Zoom is being escorted to prison, he tells Barry that he's still not fast enough to save those who truly matter. This affects Barry as he goes to run his feelings off. The next morning, Barry is shocked to see that his late mother is alive and well. This confuses him at first, but then he's more confused to find out his powers are gone. Barry starts noticing big differences in his world and he has to figure out what's going on before the war between Amazonians and Atlantians destroys the world.

In the last ten years, multiverse stories have caught on like wildfire. Movies like "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" and "Everything Everywhere All At Once" have changed their respective genres in big ways. Movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Flash" have allowed old faces to return, much to the delight of many fans. It's crazy to think that "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox" did this before it was trendy. Even television shows are dipping their toes into the multiverse idea like "Loki" and "Fionna & Cake". The thing is, I think this 2013 movie got the multiverse idea right and only a handful of movies nowadays understand why. There are so many multiverse movies coming out that people are starting to get 'Multiverse Fatigue'. I think this problem is very similar to the Superhero Fatigue most people are experiencing. Sure, these genres are oversaturated, but I think the fatigue comes from the oversaturation of low-quality productions rather than the oversaturation itself. I guarantee that people wouldn't be complaining nearly as much if all of the multiverse movies coming out now had heart and were telling good stories. The reason why these new multiverse movies seem soulless is because alternate versions of characters are glorified cameos. The most soulless example is the distastefully reincarnated CGI abominations from 2023's "The Flash". Multiverse stories are at their strongest when alternate versions of characters serve as foils for our main characters. They have to serve a function in the story that's higher than just cashing in on nostalgia. I think "Spider-Man: No Way Home" struck a fantastic balance between the two. Of course, fans were hyped to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield come back as Spider-Man. I was one of those many fans. But, they served as mentors for Tom Holland's Peter Parker because they had history. The same can be said about the alternate versions of the characters in "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox". Barry spends the whole movie thinking that bringing his mother back would fix everything and make the world a better place, but is proven wrong. We learn how grim things would've turned out if things had gone just a little differently. It highlights how lucky Barry's original universe was to have so many great heroes. These dark versions of the heroes we know and love highlight the truth that Barry's life is great already. They're not in the story because they were once famous in the role a decade or two ago. They're in the story because they matter. I'd love to see more multiverse stories because it's a topic that still fascinates me, but I'd like to see them done right, and a good way to ensure that is to learn the lessons from this brilliant movie.

★★★★★

Like with Son of Batman, I was not a big fan of Batman vs Robin when I first saw it. I didn't hate it or anything, but it definitely wasn't a standout. Court of Owls, along with Zero Year, were among my favorite new 52 Batman stories. Court of Owls basically launched Batman in the new 52. So I was always interested in this movie. This film isn't a literal adaptation of that. Its more a father/son story between Bruce/Batman and Robin/Damian, with the court of Owls as the backdrop. I was not a big fan of how they adapted the Court of Owls because its a thrilling storyline in the comics, but in retrospect, I do like the more intimate aspects of the story about the father/son conflict.

The film is essentially about the back and forth between Bruce and Damian. Bruce doesn't fully trust Damian not to revert to his base killer instincts and Damian resents being trapped in the house and having to follow Bruce's instruction constantly, when he considers himself to be a fighter capable of handling things on his own. The film sets up that conflict from the very beginning with the opening sequence as Robin steals the Batmobile to track down dollmaker and the kids he has kidnapped and we see Bruce admonishing him for that. The Dollmaker is actually really creepy and what he does with some of the kids is downright disturbing. The film also sets up Talon as someone who is a counterpoint to Batman, in that he's encouraging Damian's baser instincts. The film's essence is a fight for Damian's soul between Talon and Batman. This part of the film is interesting. Because both sides do have a valid point. You see that Bruce struggles to be a parent and he has a tough time trusting Damian. But he also has valid reason to not trust him and he does have a protective fatherly instinct to not let him roam around after he almost gets killed by Court of Owl assassins. Similarly, Damian also has a valid reason to be angry because he's someone who is trapped indoors, not recognized publicly by his father, does not have the trust of his father despite following his teachings, and has no freedom at all. So when we get to the titular fight, his frustrations are valid and yet you see Bruce trying not to hurt Damian, even as they fall through the glass and he is desperate to connect to Damian and stop him from becoming a monster that he sees in his visions. His instinct is to protect Damian from injury. Talon is also a reasonably well fleshed out character. He's not a one note villain because we see that he is not too dissimilar from Damian and he actually develops a bond with him and even turns against the Court for him.

However, while the stuff dealing with the internal conflict for Robin's soul is good, the adaptation of the Court of Owls is not very good. In the comics, the Court was a powerful group, and while the assassins are a tough physical opponent, the Court themselves are disposed of rather easily and they don't feel like a substantial threat. The film also diminished Batman and Nightwing at several points. Nightwing gets a welcome supporting role but he spends the movie getting his butt kicked, either by Damian, the assassins, or by Talon. Batman too gets beat by Talon, which was disappointing. And again, Damian is overpowered as he gets to defeat Nightwing, Batman, and Talon in a fight. It does get a little ridiculous on this front.

Man of Steel Storyboards to Film

Preview of Zack Snyder's Twilight of the Gods

In a mythical world of great battles, great deeds, and great despair, Leif (Stuart Martin), a mortal king, is saved on the battlefield by Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks), an iron-willed warrior with whom he falls in love. On their wedding night, Sigrid and Leif survive a wrath of terror from Thor (Pilou Asbæk), which sets them — and a crew of crusaders — on a merciless mission for vengeance, against all odds. This heroic story of love, loss, and revenge, is a journey to hell and beyond … across fantastical lands, battlefields fierce and bloody, and wars waged against deities and demons.

The Man with the Deathstroke