TV Show Review: The Flash - Pilot Movie

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, characters, and effects

Cons: A bit slow and predictable, but it's a pilot episode

The Bottom Line: 

A good beginning

Definitely a pilot

But still fun to watch

Enjoyable Pilot

I recently learned from a friend that there was a TV series based on the superhero The Flash back during the 1990-1991 season.  He promised me that the pilot was good, and he was right.

The residents of Central City are being terrorized by a gang of motorcyclists.  They blow stuff up, rob, and kill people.  And the police seem unable to stop them.

Barry Allen (John Wesley Shipp) is a member of the police crime lab.  After the latest attack, he bags some evidence and then spends much of the night trying to use it to find some clue.  After sending his co-worker, Julio Mendez (AlexDesert), home, lightning strikes through a window in the lab, knocking Barry into some chemicals.

When he wakes up, he finds he has strange new speed and a strange new appetite.  He appeals to Dr. Tina McGee (Amanda Pays) for help.  Can he use his new powers to foil the criminals, especially when the fight becomes personal?

This was originally a two hour pilot for the series.  Now, it's an hour and a half without commercials.  You can tell they had a decent budget for it because the effects are pretty remarkable, especially for 1990.  You can believe that Barry, in his new identity as The Flash, is moving much faster than the people around him.

At the same time, you've got the typical issues of a pilot or origin story.  There is lots of exposition as it introduces characters and the premise of the series.  Frankly, I find those to be a little hard to get into because they are rather slow and predictable.  That's the case here, although they do a good job of keeping things moving so we get to the parts you expect rather quickly.

The acting is good here.  All three of the leads already seem to have a handle on their characters and make them interesting.  Meanwhile, the guest stars are also entertaining.

And on the fun side, there are the outfits.  This may have been fall of 1990, but the 80's aren't quite over.  Some of the clothes and even John Wesley Shipp's hair make it obvious.  But yeah, what do you expect?

This pilot movie was made available at some point on VHS.  I'm sure it's long out of print by now.  I watched it as part of the complete first season DVD set.  That's the way to try to get it today.

All told, this was a fun pilot that promises a good series to come.  And what else would you hope for?