The Flash TV Show Co-Creator Danny Bilson's Opinion of the Film

[Kamdan]

Taken from Comics Interview #88

"I thought it had a great mood and the two characters were great. I thought the storytelling sucked. You know, they didn't let the audience root for Batman. He didn't do anything. The only scene that was really good was where he rescued Vicki from the museum and then he stops in the middle of traffic, gets out and walks and everything goes to hell. Hopefully in the sequel, it'll be a little tighter storytelling, but the certainly the mood and the way they played it straight was great."

[ShadowSculptor]

Well The Flash certainly embraced that mood from 89 he talks about. Though its very well done. id say the Flash TV show is one of DCs best adaptation, especially if your a fan of Keaton Batman and BTAS.

[Bobthegoon89]

Hmm not sure what planet that guys from. I certainly "rooted" for Batman in each and every scene he was in.

I certainly remember The Flash tv show. Here in the UK it was edited on video into movies for home release. The Trickster episodes became "The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster". Dying to see them again unfortunately no region 2 dvd yet. I thought the theme tune was absolutely fantastic. Why can't television shows make great theme music like this anymore?

[thecolorsblend]

The Flash show was fine at the time but it's aged like absolute hell.

B89 is has a fairly timeless look about it and aged as well as any movie and better than most.

But thanks for showing up, Mr. Bilson.

[riddler]

Maybe he'd prefer Batman and Robin with about 7 different storylines running concurrently?

This one was fairly linear; We had Bruce wayne emerging from his hermit life, the joker/jack napier, knox/vicky, and of course batman tying all 3 of them together towards the end.

I'm not sure who didnt root for batman. It was a classic situational irony where the protagonist is considered an antagonist by most of the characters in the film and the antagonist is considered the protagonist; Most of the film Gotham deems Batman as bad, joker as good.

[johnnygobbs]

I haven't seen The Flash tv show but I get the impression that its approach is far closer to what Burton did with Batman 89 than anything Nolan achieved, so I always find it rather bemusing and frustrating to read the makers of these types of shows which embrance the more outlandish, fantastical element of the DC universe slag off the Burton movies and reserve praise for Nolan's rather staid interpretation of the character (in this case I appreciate that the comments in question far predate the Nolan films but no doubt Danny Bilson would jump on the ultra-trendy 'In Nolan We Trust'  bandwagon were he being interviewed today).

[Silver Nemesis]

I only saw The Flash TV show for the first time a couple of years back. I rewatched the entire series earlier this year during the spring, and I think it holds up really well. The first half of the season is a bit slow. You can tell they were trying to downplay the fantasy/comic book elements. But it really gets going in the second half of the season with the Nightshade episodes, the one where he travels forwards in time, and the episodes featuring classic villains like Captain Cold, Mirror Master and, of course, the Trickster.

My favourite episode of all is the last one: The Trial of the Trickster.

By this point you can tell the show had really found its footing. The second season would have been amazing. I hear they were planning to introduce other comic villains like Captain Boomerang. And the season opener would have seen Captain Cold, Mirror Master and the Trickster teaming up to take down the Flash. That would've been fun.

It's a shame Bilson doesn't like the 89 Batman film. Without that movie I doubt The Flash series would ever have been made. There are definite stylistic similarities between the two: the sculpted costume, the Shelly Walker score, the murals on all the sets (see Grissom's apartment in the 89 film). They even had a scene in one episode where Barry walks past a cinema where Batman is being shown and we hear a few notes of the Elfman theme in the background. The two properties could easily exist in the same universe.

[greggbray]

I'm bummed to read that, but no matter.  Everyone has a right to their own opinion, no matter how paradoxical it may seem.  I use this word choice as 'The Flash' more so than any other DC property felt like it could fit in the same world of story as Batman 1989.  True, some of the elements (especially in the pilot) did not age very well.  Over all, despite a few weaker episodes, I think the show holds up well and is great fun.  My children enjoy it (ages 7 and 5) and I enjoy watching it with them.   

Spot on Silver Nemesis--I believe the second season could have easily improved on the first season, as they figured out which villains work, which new villains would be introduced--and there were rumors at the time that they were going to bring Iris West back in and introduce Wally.  Rumors that I'm half remembering 20 years later, so take some of this with a grain of salt.

[Bobthegoon89]

I haven't seen The Flash tv show but I get the impression that its approach is far closer to what Burton did with Batman 89 than anything Nolan achieved, so I always find it rather bemusing and frustrating to read the makers of these types of shows which embrance the more outlandish, fantastical element of the DC universe slag off the Burton movies and reserve praise for Nolan's rather staid interpretation of the character (in this case I appreciate that the comments in question far predate the Nolan films but no doubt Danny Bilson would jump on the ultra-trendy 'In Nolan We Trust'  bandwagon were he being interviewed today).

Yes and sadly a lot of the people who worked on the 1990's Batman series have now pledged allegiance to the Nolan regime including poor Tim Burton who felt Nolan's Batman's are a lot darker than he could ever attempt. Rubbish! Absolute rubbish! Batman Returns is still the darkest and bleakest of the lot by a mile. Roger Ebert who certainly knows his Batman's said Begins was the darkest but that film had a great uplifting happy ending that is severely absent in Returns. Ergo the bleak ballsy Batman is still Burton's. I wish Burton and co would argue more for their version. I'm always pleased to hear they like the new ones but I'd like them to defend the great stuff we also had back then and not join the bandwagon of regarding it all as trash.

I think Michael Uslan is sort of like this now which is a great shame. I'm sure he ranks Dark Knight Rises as a vastly improved movie on the early Keaton's. But I wish he could still be proud of his work back then.

[Bobthegoon89]

I only saw The Flash TV show for the first time a couple of years back. I rewatched the entire series earlier this year during the spring, and I think it holds up really well. The first half of the season is a bit slow. You can tell they were trying to downplay the fantasy/comic book elements. But it really gets going in the second half of the season with the Nightshade episodes, the one where he travels forwards in time, and the episodes featuring classic villains like Captain Cold, Mirror Master and, of course, the Trickster.

My favourite episode of all is the last one: The Trial of the Trickster.

By this point you can tell the show had really found its footing. The second season would have been amazing. I hear they were planning to introduce other comic villains like Captain Boomerang. And the season opener would have seen Captain Cold, Mirror Master and the Trickster teaming up to take down the Flash. That would've been fun.

It's a shame Bilson doesn't like the 89 Batman film. Without that movie I doubt The Flash series would ever have been made. There are definite stylistic similarities between the two: the sculpted costume, the Shelly Walker score, the murals on all the sets (see Grissom's apartment in the 89 film). They even had a scene in one episode where Barry walks past a cinema where Batman is being shown and we hear a few notes of the Elfman theme in the background. The two properties could easily exist in the same universe.

That Flash tv show is still so great. I will watch this later. It's so engrained in my memory I really don't care if they never make a Flash movie. Any feature could never top or erase the style and visuals of this show from my mind.

Has anyone noticed in this Trickster story there is a scene where Barry Allen is tied upside down in a Houdini water tank trap. In Batman the animated series exactly the same thing happened in the episode "Be a clown" in which the Joker (also played by Mark Hamill) traps Batman. Coincedence? Inspiration?