The Flash: The Original Series is a fun enough superhero show that has all the hallmarks of the early 90s and before the subgenre was taken seriously. Still, John Wesley Shipp is wonderful as Barry Allen.
The Flash: The Original Series
(1990-91)
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Action, Drama
Warner Archive | NR – 1088 min. – $49.99 | June 25, 2024
Date Published: 06/24/2024 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Studios Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3½/5 |
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Synopsis: Barry Allen (JOHN WESLEY SHIPP) is a police crime technologist emdowed with sudden talents after a fluke lab accident. He pledges to use his new powers for good, powers that include ultra-speed reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly he can pass through solid walls. Tina McGee (AMANDA PAYS) monitors Allen’s accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Trickster (MARK HAMILL), Captain Cold (MICHAEL CHAMPION), The Ghost (ANTHONY STARKE), mad inventors: Central City is rife with criminals.
Quick Hit Review: The 1990 TV show The Flash was one I recall watching back in the day especially since it aired only a year following the colossal box office success of Batman in 1989. This one certainly has more of the goofiness closer to the Superman movies but there are some darker elements akin to Batman as well, though it’s more suitable for kids as well. ‘ Re-watching this after so many years, probably decades now, I definitely found it to be entertaining and for his part John Wesley Shipp, despite looking a bit old especially compared to someone like Grant Gustin, was a lot of fun as The Flash. There are some fun performances as well including Mark Hamill as the campy Trickster villain while Amanda Pays and Alex Desert do well as Barry’s allies. As far as the suit is concerned, it almost has a felt texture but moves well and looks decent on screen, though it pales in comparison to the 2014 show.
Now looking back, The Flash is a show of its era for sure and does have shades of something like Shazam (1974-77) but a bit more of an edge. Still, I think this is a suitable show for a younger audience to watch with their parents, although anyone older may be more cynical of the tone. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5 |
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This 6-disc set comes housed in an HD keep case (a bit wider than a standard Blu-ray case) but comes with no bonus material. |
VIDEO – 4½/5 |
| The Flash: The Original Series makes its debut on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and is presented with a 1.33 full frame aspect ratio as originally aired back in 1990. The transfer was restored in 4K from the original master by Warner and honestly I was very impressed. While some shots did show its age, the majority of episodes look great with the felt-textured red in the Flash’s suit coming through quite nicely and detail was sharp and nicely defined throughout. |
AUDIO – 4¼/5 |
| Each episode comes with a DYS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which showcases strong and clear dialogue and some of the action scenes do have some good depth with it being only a two channel track. |
OVERALL – 3½/5 |
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The Flash: The Original Series is a fun enough superhero show that has all the hallmarks of the early 90s and before the subgenre was taken seriously. Still, John Wesley Shipp is wonderful as Barry Allen. The Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. might have no bonus features but the video and audio transfers are both strong. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.