After being teased in Arrow nearly a year ago, The Flash finally makes his debut on his own show. And it was so worth the wait.
Grant Gustin stars as Barry Allen, an assistant forensic scientist with Central City Police Department (CCPD), whose life is turned upside-down (even more than it already has been) when he is struck by lightning after S.T.A.R. Labs’ particle accelerator explodes during its public opening.
Much of the pilot episode surrounds Allen adapting to his new ability of being able to run really quite quickly, as well as attempting to adjust following a nine-month stint in a coma following his accident.
Fans of Arrow will recognise the tone and style of The Flash, with the balance between light-hearted and serious spot on, in the same way it was on Arrow to begin with. Although Arrow took a darker turn not long into its first season, it seems less likely that Flash will follow the same route due to the almost supernatural nature of the show and the fact that Gustin is adorable, making it harder for it to be a show as serious as its sister show.
This is not to say that Gustin can’t do serious when called upon, proved wonderfully during the climactic scenes, but for the show to go as dark as Arrow? Seems unlikely.
Sadly, as good as the acting is, especially by Gustin and Jesse L. Martin (Detective Joe West, Barry’s superior and father figure), the show is let down by some extremely poor CGI. This is especially notable during Barry’s first test run of his capabilities, when a shot shows our titular hero head-on and it just looks bad. For a show of this scale and popularity, it needs to simply do a bit better and make it more believable.
Despite that, the overall episode was a great introduction to the D.C. hero for fans and newcomers alike and it is a very strong start from a show that was under pressure to perform as soon as it was announced.
VAVEL USA Rating: 9/10
