‘The Flash’: Five Things I Liked about the Movie

It’s about time I wrote this review, and it’s a bit late just like Barry Allen usually is (See what I did there?). The story of ‘The Flash’ was based loosely on FLASHPOINT penned by Geoff Johns which was a huge crossover event over at DC when it first came out. By now a lot of things have been said about how ‘The Flash’ has done badly at the box office. I saw it before the box office returns, and I had an enjoyable experience watching it. So, this review will focus on the parts that I like about the film. If you are up to that, then read on.

Batman in Cruise Control

The first story element that I like from ‘The Flash’ is the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. For those of you who are unaware of it, Keaton last played the roll of Batman in 1992 with ‘Batman Returns’. He hasn’t really lost a step when it comes to playing the Dark Knight, and had some familiar lines reminiscent of his time wearing the cowl in the 90s. He’s a sight for longtime DC fans, and his appearance there adds a lot of nostalgia to a modern superhero film.

The Flash

I also enjoyed the use of the Speed Force in the film. The Flash is the fastest man alive, and using the Speed Force to explain his time traveling abilities is very apt. Even though Mark Waid wasn’t mentioned in the credits for the movie, the Speed Force is an integral part of Flash lore. It’s also the reason why he needs to eat a lot to recover his lost energy (though this is something that is more taken up with Wally West’s version of The Flash). And, yes, the Speed Force allows to do some crazy things with his speed including time travel.

Batman, Flash, and Supergirl

There is also some ‘farewell’ appearances from the Snyderverse Justice League. There are a lot of arguments for, and against Zack Snyder’s iteration of the league. Personally, there are a few films that I like with his handling including his four hour cut of ‘Justice League’. This is probably the last time we’ll be seeing these iterations of Batman, Wonder Woman, and even Alfred together. If you’re a fan of these characters (for me it’s Wonder Woman), then this the chance to send them off to comic book movie history.

Batman, The Flash, and Supergirl

Fourthly, I loved seeing the DC Multiverse through the Speed Force. There’s a lot of nostalgia there from old DC properties including one iteration by Nicolas Cage of Superman that never came to be. What these glimpses of alternate versions do is stress that these iterations of iconic DC superheroes are around somewhere in a multiverse of timelines. Where will the multiverse take us next? I suppose that’s up to the regime of James Gunn, and company.

The Flash, Supergirl, and The Alternate Flash

Finally, and this is probably the only element taken from the Flashpoint comic book, there is Barry’s going back in time to change history. Barry decides to save his mother from murder. By doing so, he hopes not only to save his mother, but to also save his father from imprisonment. As he does that, the timestream starts to unravel the multiverse, and Barry doesn’t really get the outcome he wanted. It was not executed as grandly as it did in the comics (which led to the New 52), but it has a valid point that hits home to many who can relate. By movie’s end, Barry realizes that there are parts of your past that define you, and if changed will affect who you are: good, and bad. It’s such a nice message to move forward in spite of past tragedies to build a better version of yourself. Barry learns that the hard way.

These are my thoughts on the ‘The Flash’. Agree with me? Disagree with me? Let me know in the comments. ‘The Flash’ is now showing in theatres.

My Journey Through ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ D&D Lore

As a long time tabletop roleplaying gamer, Dungeons and Dragons was my first love. When ‘Honor Among Thieves’ came out, I had my fill of D&D lore that made me giddy as the school boy who first discovered the game. Note that there are A LOT of references in the movie. Below are the references I choose to focus on. It’s time to go on an adventure into Dungeons and Dragons lore.

Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon

One of the first rumors that came about when ‘Honor Among Thieves’ showed was the presence of a particular group of children trapped in a fantasy world given strange magical artifacts in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. The ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ cartoon was the series that exposed the game to a wider audience who might have not even heard of D&D. This included me. This was isekai before isekai became a revolution in Japanese anime. So, when I got to see these kids running around the maze of Neverwinter along with Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and the rest of his band, I was taken back to the time of my childhood watching a cartoon that was way ahead of its time. The animated series never ended properly. However, if you know where to look, you can find information on the final fate of Hank, Venger, and even Uni on the internet. It’s sad however to find out that after all these years these children are still trapped in the realms. Speaking of realms…

A Partial Map of Faerun

Watching the initial trailers of ‘Honor Among Thieves’, I got an idea which campaign setting the the movie would take place. This was confirmed when Edgin, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) were incarcerated in Icewind Dale. I’m not surprised that the movie decided to use Faerun its landscape. Faerun or the Forgotten Realms is the primary adventuring world in 5e. As much as I would have preferred this to be Krynn in the Dragonlance setting, it makes sense that this is the campaign world of choice for ‘Honor Among Thieves’. However, particular places stand out to me which include not only Icewind Dale, but also Neverwinter, Baldur’s Gate, and even Waterdeep. Why? Because these locations were central to three of my favorite RPG video games: Icewind Dale, Baldur’s Gate, and Neverwinter Nights. And during times when I could not find a Dungeon Master to guide my adventures, I turned to these games to do the DMing. Perhaps in the future we might see Edgin and his band run into Elminster, and even Drizzt Do’Urden? We can only hope.

Mordenkaine during D&D 3/3.5

Speaking of famous personalites, there was one famous wizard mentioned in ‘Honor Among Thieves’ that made me slow clap upon his mention: Mordenkainen. Though he doesn’t reside in Faerun (he is a resident of the Flanaess in the World of Greyhawk), one of his most powerful spells was mentioned: Mordenkainen’s Arcane Seal. For those of you unfamiliar with Mordenkainen, his character hails all the way back to the early days of D&D when Gary Gygax (our lord and savior!) was still running things over at TSR. He is a member of the Citadel of Eight, and is one of the most powerful (if not the most) wizards in all the D&D multiverse. He is one of a few spellcasters (mostly from the World of Greyhawk) who have spells named after them including Mordenkainen’s Arcane Seal. Whenever I run a campaign as DM in the Flanaess I always make it a point for my players to run into at least a rumor of Mordenkainen—who is to me fantasy RPG royalty.

Going back to Faerun, two important organizations stand out to me were mentioned in ‘Honor Among Thieves’. One is The Harpers,and the other is The Red Wizards. The Harpers are known in the Forgotten Realms as keepers of knowledge, and defenders against evil. Edgin was a former member of this organization, while the paladin Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page) is a standing member. On the hand, the Red Wizards is a cult of magic users led by Szass Tam who makes an appearance in the film. The two organizations play a central role to the plot of ‘Honor Among Thieves’ which also properly reflects their influence in Forgotten Realms campaign world for D&D. Is it any wonder then that these two groups are used in a movie set in Faerun?

The Mimic

When it comes to monsters used in ‘Honor Among Thieves’, there are several used that are very iconic. I’ll focus on two, and I’ll start with the Mimic. I can only think of two other creatures that strike fear into the hearts of adventurers as the Mimic does: Disenchanters, and Rust Monsters. Disenchanters eat the magical properties of magical items. Rust Monsters eat metal including magical metal. Far worse than these two is the Mimic which disguises itself as a treasure chest…among other things. So imagine yourself as an adventurer who has defeated all the monstes, and you find yourself faced with your reward, the treasure chest. Later you find out that your reward wants to eat you instead. Disheartening? Absolutely. It can also result in the death of a character who lets his/her guard down searching for treasure instead of a monster. Now extend that to Mimics that disguise themselves as doors, walls…you get the idea, right? Paranoia, and trust issues abound. I’ve had players who would just decide to blow up chests, and get the treasure that remains because of a traumatic experience with a Mimic. Don’t believe me? Ask Edgin, and his friends.

Themberchaud

You really didn’t think I’d talk about a Dugeons and Dragons movie without mentioning dragons, did you? Well here’s one. One of the biggest (fattest?), and baddest denizens of the Underdark: Themberchaud. In Forgotten Realms lore, Themberchaud is a wyrmsmith who helps duergar (gray dwarves) in their forging of metalic crafts. In ‘Honor Among Thieves’, this overweight dragon nearly had our heroes for a snack. Laugh if you would at his size. Themberchaud is no joke. Dragons never are. And this is one other detail in D&D lore that ‘Honor Among Thieves’ takes note of when our hero-thieves enter The Underdark.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

There are many more references to see in ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’, but I’ll leave the rest for you to discover. If anything, ‘Honor Among Thieves’ has shown me just how much I love D&D. I’ve been playing since the basic editions to AD&D, and now all the way to 5e. The movie will immerse you into the lore of Dungeons and Dragons which will benefit seasoned, and new fans alike. What are you wating for? Enter the realm of Dungeons and Dragons.

‘The Suicide Squad’ Movie Lives Up to Its Title

How do I start talking about a movie based on a comic book team I utterly love to death? There are only two comic book super hero groups that I hold close to my heart. The Titans are one of them, and the Suicide Squad is the second (with the Legion of Super-Heroes a distant third). That being said I have decided to change my regular approach to reviews I make. And with the way this movie was made, I cannot help but spoil myself. So…WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. You have been warned to proceed expecting there would be no spoilers would be….SUICIDE.

I’ll start with these two books. By now, it’s no secret that James Gunn shared one of his inspirations for ‘The Suicide Squad’ was the ‘Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special’. When that news came out I was wondering if he would copy the premise of this comic book. You see, if there was any one book that highlights what the Suicide Squad is like, it’s this book. It was a slaughterfest with only Rick Flag surviving the Task Force X unit that was part of the story. It also had the Thinker and Weasle in it, just like what was promoted in ‘The Suicide Squad’. Then the movie comes out, and this explains why James Gunn found inspiration in this book. It also explains why he had SO MANY villains cast: he wanted to kill them off. Most of them anyway. So here comes the film and BOOM, James Gunn has the audacity to do just that, even offing one of the staple of the Suicide Squad, Captain Boomerang, in the first act. Squad members fall like flies upon entering the fictional country of Corto Maltese, and the hits do not end there.

The second book is Suicide Squad 26 with Rick Flag on the cover. This is the issue where Rick Flag dies, albeit not by the hands of Peacemaker. Though he does die in a familiar place also mentioned in ‘The Suicide Squad’. This place is Jotunheim which is also used as an important location in James Gunn’s film. In fact, James Gunn blows Jotunheim up while Rick Flag dies in it. This is a blatant tip of the hat to this particular issue of the Suicide Squad. Speaking of blatant tip of the hat, take a look at logo of the comic book for Suicide Squad. The font used for the film completely mirrors the one used in the 1980s series penned by John Ostrander. James Gunn shows a lot of reverence towards Ostrander’s interpretation of the Suicide Squad enough to even cast him in the role of Dr. Fitzgibbon: the man who placed the brain bomb in Bloodsport’s head.

Next, I have two more books to show just how much detail James Gunn was in his casting and research. One of the beauties of the comic book series was its willingness to incorporate big roles to outlying characters. This was evident in the 1980s first issue of Suicide Squad. Writer John Ostrander did it by introducing John Economos in the very first issue. John is the jail warden of Belle Reve penitentiary. He is seen in ‘The Suicide Squad’ film as that bespectackled man taking and making bets as to which inmate would die on the assault of Corto Maltese. Suicide Squad is a series about characters, and James Gunn ingeniously incorporates that in his film. Also, here we find the first appearance of Jotunheim, and we already know what happened there. Fast forward decades later to the Rebirth era of Suicide Squad and he picks out another supporting character to round out his bevy of console jockeys who monitor the status of Amanda Waller’s Task Force X. This time in Suicide Squad: Rebirth #2, Gunn takes the character of Emila Harcourt. With Economos and Harcourt, Gunn provided a more layered set of characters to supplement the already strong character that is Amanda Waller within the confines of Belle Reve while her Task Force X does the dirty work on the field.

Speaking of characters, aside from Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn was one of the more important members of the Suicide Squad. James Gunn’s inclusion of her in his film not only provided star power in the form of Margot Robbie, it also gave the film pop culture power as Harley is one of the most popular comic book characters around. Harley Quinn became a member in the New 52 iteration of the Suicide Squad written by Adam Glass. Additionally, another important character who joins the team (and arguably THE breakout character of the movie) also makes his appearance here: Nanaue aka King Shark.

From what I’ve seen, James Gunn was willing to take from different itterations of the Suicide Squad, and incoporate them as his own. This worked to his advantage, and the result is one of the best movies, not just comic book movie, of 2021.

‘The Suicide Squad’ is a mix of grit, action, violence and comedy that pays homage to its comic book roots. Ten minutes into the film, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing and clapping my hands to the movies sheer beauty and spectacle. Yes, the movie is not for children. But, the Suicide Squad as a comic book tells its best stories with violence and villainy even among its members. Amanda Waller is manipulative and conniving. Harley Quinn is charming and crazy. Nanaue is your gentle man-eating monster. Bloodsport is your antiphero hero. These are just some of the characters with mismatched personality quirks. At their surface, they shouldn’t be able to work together. And yet, with James Gunn’s guidance, they complement each other and ‘The Suicide Squad’ benefits from it.

If you are expecting a film that follows the traditional super-hero trope, then prepare to be disappointed with ‘The Suicide Squad’. The movie is one big funny and bloody mess which justifies its ‘R’ rating. I don’t think you can make Suicide Squad into a proper film withou the rating. These are villains not the heroes. However, ‘The Suicide Squad’ introduces us to a completely different type of hero: one that comes from being the villain.

With the fate of the world in the balance, ‘The Suicide Squad’ shows that it is part of basic human nature to seek redemption. And, though our heroes are essentially villains, when it boils down to it, the call for redemption cannot be dennied. So, if the vilest of villains have a chance at redemption and make it, what more for the rest of us who are not so far off? To cite a critical scene in ‘The Suicide Squad’: even rats can play an important part in saving the world.