Lego DC Super Heroes: The Flash - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Lego DC Super Heroes: The Flash

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
It seems that DC has different variations of their famous Justice League characters all over visual medium. We’ve got Grant Gustin playing Barry over on the CW land, Ezra Miller had his chance in the new live action Justice League film, and we have the various versions of the fastest man alive over on DC’s animated lineup. The Lego DC universe has taken off in a BIG way after the success of the self titled Lego Movie a few years back Warner Brothers and DC have found a veritable gold mine by pumping out these short animated kids flicks that are meant to be virtual babysitters while mommy dearest takes a nap. Luckily they are offensive like so many of these “kiddie” films nowadays (I’ll this a thousand times before going back to Monster High or Barbie), and are actually rather fun for the adults, as long as they don’t try to take them as seriously as some of the PG-13 DC animated films that WB is known for.

This time, it’s all about the Flash. Or at least it’s MOSTLY about The Flash. The Joker has come to Metropolis to start a new rein of terror after getting bored with Gotham, and while the rest of the Justice League is having a bit of a problem with the clown prince of crime, Barry is able to zip him up nice and tight in a matter of seconds. However, the fastest man alive is distracted by a mysterious yellow clad speedster who taunts him with the knowledge that HE is actually the fastest speedster alive. Zipping around at lightening speed, this “reverse” Flash (hint hint, he he) goads Barry to go faster and faster, causing Barry’s super speed to put him in a time loop. Each day the Reverse Flash comes to Barry, taunting him into getting faster until one day The Flash reaches peak speeds. A move that ends up shooting him FORWARD through time and effectively cutting himself off from the speed force.

With the Flash out of the way, The Reverse Flash is able to stand in the way as Earth’s mightiest super hero! Cleaning up crime in the whole of Metropolis is pretty easy with his super speed, and soon the rest of the Justice League are out of a job. Although, maybe not ENTIRELY. You see, we all knew the Reverse Flash had something up his sleeve, and as soon as the other superheros are out of a job, he is ready to take over the world. The thing is, there’s no one out there who can stop him. Linked to a super magical being known as Dr. Fate, Barry transports himself to the speed force, where he has to go through several trials to prove himself WORTH of being the fastest man alive once more.

Lego DC Super Heroes: The Flash, is a surprisingly cute little fluff film, and has a lot going for it. Humor, lots of action, and lego blocks are at the core of the movie, and it doesn’t try to be anything that it isn’t. The film is a kids movie at heart, and the DC animated flick stays close to the predictable character arcs that all of these Lego DC films have had so far. The Flash has to overcome some internal problems that he’s dealing with, and become part of a team in order to beat the Reverse Flash. Rinse and repeat the classic villains origin story, and the team gives each other a high five at the end of the film. Simple, tasty, and easy for the kids to digest without getting overly preachy.

The movie’s strong point is bringing in many of the side characters that were missing from the more adult animated films and live action movies/shows. We get to see Krypto, Bat Hound, some of Aquaman’s friends, Captain Boomerang, and some fun with Captain Cold. We can probably thank the CW DC shows for most of them, as well as Suicide Squad, as these are characters that have been LONG missing from the new 52 series, and adds a little bit of charm to the show. Voice acting is all around solid, and the 78 minute film just breezes by without feeling overly long, or not fleshed out enough. All in all, a fun little kids flick.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Colors colors colors! That’s the name of the game for this little animated flick. DC and WB have given it a really nice looking 1.78:1 AVC encoded picture, with lots of bright color saturation and primaries splashed everywhere. The Flash’s red, and the Revers Flash’s yellow suits just pop off the screen, but we have all sorts of lovely colors dotting the screen to enjoy. The Green of the Green Lantern’s suit, the bright blues and reds of the Atom’s outfit, and countless bright yellow speed force bricks create an amazing smorgasbord of pretty colors. Details are good for the low budget animation, with little to no issues to speak of. The one annoying (and recurring) issue is the age old banding problem. A problem that is pretty frequent, and sometimes a bit severe. Still, it’s a nice looking image that only has one major flaw to speak of, and will be a bright and shiny beacon of color for the kiddy winks.









Audio:

Warner’s 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is full of activity, with lots and lots of action creating an immersive track. The surrounds are used quite prominently during the action, with the swoosh and zoom of the fastest men alive zipping around the screen. Explosions roar and bellow, while the slamming thuds of The Flash in the speed force is met with some good intensity. Dialog is well placed in the center of the room, and is evenly balanced with the chaotic action. While it doesn’t have the roar and boom that the live action films enjoy, the low budget track is more than capable of anything asked and does so with a cheerful eagerness.








Extras:

• Trailers

Final Score:
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Lego DC Super Heroes : The Flash doesn’t try to be anything but a cute kids movie with legos, and succeeds at most every task that it sets out to complete. The characters are quirky and humorous, the action is quick and fast paced enough to keep kids attention, and the movie really is NOT a bad watch for adults either. I guiltily have to admit that I laughed along with the movie more often than I was expecting to, and the shiny animation is certainly some good eye candy. The Blu-ray comes wit ha nice set of packaging, but sadly the extras are nothing but a few trailers (though I don’t think most young kids are that interested in interviews with the cast and crew). Definitely a good fun watch for the kids.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kate Micucci, Kevin Michael Richardson, James Arnold Taylor
Directed by: Ethan Spaulding
Written by: James Krieg, Jeremy Adams
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: NR
Runtime: 78 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: March 13th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. We love the lego movies. Will catch this one.