Review
LEGO DC Comics Superheroes:
The Flash
"LEGO DC Comics Superheroes: The Flash" is the sixth movie in a line of Direct to Video movie collaborations between LEGO, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. In 'The Flash,' the Reverse-Flash travels to the present and manipulates the Flash into helping ruin his own name, take away his own powers, and end the Justice League -- all so the villain can take the title of the best speedster in history.
As the title suggests "LEGO DC Super Heroes: The Flash" puts the Flash in the starring role with the rest of the Justice League, Super Pets, a Green Lantern you wouldn't expect, and magical duo of Dr. Fate and Zatanna along for the ride. The movie is a very enjoyable all-ages story filled with humor, surprises, increasing scales, and a valentine to the Flash's origins from the comic books. The movie uses the modern classic Flashpoint with a dash of the classic comedy "Groundhog Day" as jumping off point and sets the Reverse-Flash as the main villain and Flash ends up on a quest to gets his powers back then branches off into it's own unique, brand new introduction to the super hero.
It all begins innocently with Ace proving how awesome he is at obstacle courses to Cyborg's chagrin while Batman and Superman tour the Hall of Justice with a new recruit, the Atom. The festivities are broken up by the Joker and his "vacation" to Metropolis. The Flash takes detours to Gotham and Star City to get doughnuts and milk shakes, ends up stopping Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang but is late to helping the League --- yet, he still knocks out the Joker to end the caper. The Reverse-Flash arrives and manipulates the Speed Force to trap The Flash in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day over and over again. After going to fast, he loses the connection he never-knew-he-had to the Speed Force and becomes powerless. To make matters worse, he realizes he jumped five days into the future and he's being kicked out of the League for causing pranks he didn't commit.
Reverse-Flash reveals himself and owns up to his scheme. Luckily, the Atom is there to hear it all but he's stuck in his shrunken form. He uses Flash's phone to lead him to Dr. Fate and his protege Zatanna. The Flash is witness to a groovy musical interlude and learns all about the Speed Force, the true source of his powers. Meanwhile, the Atom has his own amusing arc of trying to get to the Hall of Justice with only his wits. The Flash is guided to the Speed Force where he undergoes a quest involving several puzzles that happen to incorporate the advice Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Atom tried to give to him early in the movie but he was too busy being super fast and super impulsive. The Reverse-Flash becomes the world's only and most loved hero then takes it over. Ace and Krypto return to the Hall with Green Lantern Bd'g just as Atom arrives. Together, they reunite with the League while on the run from the Cybots, the Hall's reprogrammed security system. They head to Aquaman's plush quarters and summon his seahorse ally Stormy to lead them to the Batcave. Flash completes his quest but Reverse-Flash stills the nexus and increases his powers even more. Luckily, Flash figures a way to use the Speed Bricks from the Speed Force Zone to save the day. Flash uses part of Reverse-Flash's own scheme and tricks him into losing his own powers. With the day saved, doughnuts and milkshakes for all!
"LEGO DC Super Heroes: The Flash" is for the younger fans in your family but, writers Jim Krieg and Jeremy Adams and director Ethan Spaulding throws in a lot of comic book references for the older crowd from Joker's Killing Joke outfit (yikes) to Zatanna's band called the Sentinels of Magic. Reverse-Flash is a decent villain with his own motivations and roguish charm. It was fun to see a wide swatch of DC villains cameo like Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Cheetah, and Penguin. Even one cameo sets up Reverse-Flash's final comeuppance. Dr. Fate, Atom, Firestorm, and Bd'g are a bunch of cheeky scene stealers but ultimately, this is a Flash movie and certainly exceeds the fun factor of any of the past movies in the LEGO DC Super Heroes direct to video line. There are no special features other than trailers of the LEGO Ninjago movie before the menu screen then for its video game and LEGO Scooby under the Trailers section. It would have been a nice treat to get an extended version of Dr. Fate and Zatanna's "It's Magic" but the limits of CGI animation budgets strikes again.
"LEGO DC Comics Superheroes: The Flash" is a fun for all ages action adventure for children and love letter to the scarlet speedster's mythos. A strong story, action, jokes, a light tone, a big cast that elevates but doesn't hog the screen, and an amusing finale, "The Flash" is a highly recommended purchase for the family.