The first season of the CW television series The Flash was a highlight of the last TV season, and this week, The Complete First Season of the show containing 23 episodes + a ton of extras arrived on Blu-ray and DVD. Here’s our review.
The Episodes: If you’re a DC Comics fan, you’ll love The Flash. If you’re not as well-versed with the comics, you’ll still love The Flash. Grant Gustin plays Barry Allen as a likable hero and he’s surrounded by a talented cast. For the diehards, it’s thrilling to see characters like Captain Cold or Firestorm; for the non-comic book folks, there are exciting situations involving fun characters. Somehow, The Flash manages to take the geeky stuff but present it in a way that’s not alienating.
If you’re reading this, you probably know what Season 1 is about. Fastest man alive, there’s a mystery with Harrison Wells, and then there’s Iris, the woman Barry has been in love with since he was a child. The show was a spin-off of fellow CW-DC show Arrow, and there are some fun crossovers within. Really, if you haven’t seen it yet, see it. It’s good. I promise. In the Blu-ray format, the show looks even better, if that’s possible.
The Extras: There are a lot of extras here. There’s a great featurette on the “Tricksters” episode which brought back Mark Hamill from the original Flash TV series. There’s a “chemistry of Grant and Emily” screen test bit spotlighting Grant Gustin’s first casting, that becomes more of a feature about how Grant was perfect for the role. The “Night of DC Television” 2014 Comic-Con panel is present, as are deleted scenes and bloopers. There’s audio commentary on the show’s first episode. And, there’s a feature on the Flash character in general and why the producers love that character, and a feature on bringing that character to life. Fun stuff.
What’s missing, though, and I mentioned this in my Arrow review: It would have been nice to include the Arrow crossover episode as a bonus. The two episodes of Arrow that introduced Barry Allen would have also been a welcome addition for those who didn’t get the Arrow Season 2 set who might want to see where Barry Allen’s TV story began. Although it’s not the same continuity, I also wish the two episodes of the classic Flash series featuring Mark Hamill as the Trickster were included, to give the younger generation a taste of what came before. No such luck, though it can be bought cheap on Amazon.com right now.
Packaging/Art: The cover art looks cool though the individual discs – at least on Blu-ray – look very blah with only one color. The DVD’s may look better.
Is It Worth It? YES. The Flash might’ve been my favorite broadcast TV series last year. With great characters, good acting, fantastic special effects, and a love for the source material, you can’t go wrong, and this set has extras that any fan would enjoy.
Order The Flash: The Complete First Season from Amazon.com and support this website!
