Arrow Season Three: The Brave and the Bold

They should team up at least once a season now

I know I am still reviewing season one of Arrow but since this is Part II of the Arrow and Flash crossover I feel like I just have to review this one now

The episode begins with Arrow and Arsenal checking out the hideout of Digger Harkness AKA Captain Boomerang however it is a trap and the place is rigged with explosives. A.R.G.U.S agents then turn up which means they have an interest in Captain Boomerang as well, we then have a Flashback and Oliver is ordered by Waller to interrogate/torture someone who has planted a bomb in the city. Cisco and Caitlin arrive in Starling City and Felicity takes them to the Arrowcave while Diggle is at A.R.G.U.S headquarters to get more information from Lyla however the place is soon attacked by Captain Boomerang. Arrow and Arsenal arrive to fight him and The Flash even shows up so Captain Boomerang retreats, Team Arrow then hide Lyla at the Arrowcave for the time being. Turns out Captain Boomerang was a member of the Suicide Squad three years ago however during a mission that went bad Lyla made the decision to explode all the member's neck bombs however the one in Captain Boomerang must have malfunctioned and he wants revenge.



"Who needs guns when I got these!"

Arrow and The Flash team up however The Flash soon regrets this after Arrow tortures one of Captain Boomerang's contacts for information but Arrow argues that this is Starling City not Central City, we then have a Flashback and the bomb has gone off because Oliver went easy on the torture. In the present Arrow, Arsenal, Diggle, Cisco and The Flash follow a lead however Captain Boomerang arrives at the Arrowcave while most are gone (tracing a phone they took earlier) and seriously injures Lyla before escaping. After Barry says to Oliver that none of this was his fault they then track Captain Boomerang to the train station however he has planted five bombs throughout the city. Arrow defeats Captain Boomerang while The Flash disarms the bombs with the help of the rest of the team, Captain Boomerang is later sent to the same island prison as Slade Wilson. Diggle and Lyla then decide to get married, Oliver gives Barry his own costume space in the Arrowcave and Oliver is given a stronger costume by Cisco and we then get a Flashback to Waller giving Oliver a second chance at torture. The episode ends with Arrow and The Flash facing off against each other in an empty warehouse, wanting to know once and for all who would win in a fight.

You now have a place of honour Barry

What a awesome Part II to an awesome crossover of two great shows! This crossover has been a huge success because it had everything I wanted to see and it just worked really well. It is hard to decide which episode of the crossover was better but personally for me it would have to be this episode just slightly mainly because of Captain Boomerang. He is one of my most favourite members of the Suicide Squad and villains of all time and I think Nick E. Tarabay did a fantastic job and he played a more important role in the plot than Rainbow Raider did who felt underused in the second half of Part I. The fight scenes involving Captain Boomerang where just so good as well, with such great choreography and the skill with throwing those boomerangs. I mean that fight scene between Captain Boomerang, Arrow and Arsenal was just so epic; a two on three fight and Arsenal brings out those cool nightsticks, again just epic! I'll just mention this about Season One is that moments like this was rare in it because it felt so grounded; a fight that looked as great as this and a more comic book like villain. Of course this all changed in Season Two with additions like Deathstroke, Brother Blood, Mirakuru, League of Assassins and just more comic book stuff all round.

"You won't be throwing any Boomerangs for a while"

Of course Team Arrow and Team Flash worked together well again with some great scenes of dialogue. For example when Barry was against the use of torture and Oliver replied something like; "This isn't Central City where it is always sunny." and then continues by mentioning the deaths of his mom and Tommy. This is further elaborated with Cisco and Caitlin saying that since they face Meta Human who use powers it all feels less real to them. All of this great dialogue between the characters really show the difference between the two cities and even though Team Flash does have Meta Humans, Starling City is a lot more dangerous because of the darker themes and events that have taken place in the Arrow episodes.

"If only you could bring yourself to cut a few fingers off this wouldn't have happened"

I also enjoyed just about everything else in this episode from the Flashbacks which influenced Oliver to how he operates in the present (I haven't been liking the Flashbacks in Season Three so far, seem really slow so far but this episode was alright) to Barry being the one to tell Oliver that he still has his humanity and giving each other equipment. I really liked those moments because it proves that Arrow and The Flash are starting to rely on each other more and Oliver is realizing that he is hero and not someone to be feared. I also liked at the end that Captain Boomerang is now a cellmate of Deathstroke and it makes me wonder if the two many escape and team up in the future? It also opens the possibly that the current Suicide Squad may make a reappearance again soon (hopefully) and with Team Flash's help the murder of Sara may be solved soon.

Awesome!

Overall this was simply an awesome episode and I can't think of anything wrong with it because I enjoyed watching every second of it. Plus really liked the Rocky III reference at the end!

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: The interactions between Team Flash and Team Arrow
                   Captain Boomerang and the great fight scenes
                   Successful Part II to the crossover

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/  

Suicide Squad Film - My Thoughts

I know this is probably a little late in coming but I thought I'd just go over the cast of the Suicide Squad film and give my idea of a possible story. However before I start I just want to say I have seen the line up of announced DC films such as Justice League, Aquaman, a new Green Lantern etc. and I really think that it is about bloody time! DC is doing great with their Arrow and Flash TV series and they have Christopher Nolan's stand - alone Batman films but I wanted to see some films from them that are connected to each other like Marvel because they have a lot of great characters and storylines that I want to see on the big screen. This might contain MINOR SPOILERS but it is all going to be guess work and referencing the comics.

Also thought I'd mention that I am a big fan of the Suicide Squad; I have read some of their old comics and I have all of their recent New 52 ones.


CAST - CONFIRMED

Will Smith as Deadshot: We of course had to have Deadshot in the squad straight away because he is one of the major characters and in the New 52 is the unofficial leader of the squad. Deadshot is just the complete badass of the group; an expert sniper and gunfighter who cares only for himself and the mission. Will Smith was a good choice to play him because I think he is just a great actor with two of his best roles (in my opinion) being Independence Day and I Am Legend, and those who have watched I Am Legend know that he can play a really serious role when he has to. So no complaints here I think Will Smith will do good job.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn: Like Deadshot, Harley is one of the most famous members of the Suicide Squad, especially in the New 52 storylines. Harley is one of the few female characters I have seen in the squad and brings sexy and deadly all in to one package. She could also sometimes be a competent member but is usually torn for her loyalty to the Joker. Margot Robbie is also a good choice because well has everyone seen her in The Wolf of Wall Street? if not then shame on you and if yes then enough said here.

Jared Leto as The Joker: One of the most evil characters in the comic book world and I am glad he is being introduced so early in the new DC films. The Joker has never been a member of the squad but I think he will still play a major role (see below on my thoughts of possible storyline), especially with Harley. Now I know Heath Ledger gave a legendary performance as The Joker but I really hope in these new films he will be closer to his comic book counterpart; Ledger did of course but because of the realistic tone of Christopher Nolan's films he didn't have any of his gag weapons for example. I admit I barely know Jared Leto (he had a small role in Fight Club) but I have heard great things about him and everyone says he will be a great Joker.

Tom Hardy as Rick Flag: A good choice to have hear because Rick Flag was the first leader of the squad when they are out in the field. Unlike the villains who comprise most of the squad's members Rick Flag is usually a stand up solider with the original leading the group in WWII. It is great seeing Tom Hardy in another DC film because he was just perfect as Bane and actually in about any role he plays he is great.

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang: One of my favourite members of the Suicide Squad and probably one of the most untrustworthy. Like Deadshot he cares only about himself and from what I have seen in the New 52 really hates the sniper. I hope they do show off a lot of his boomerang skills because they look really cool in the comics and in his recent role in the Arrow TV series. I haven't seen Courtney in much except I, Frankenstein and A Good Day to Die Hard, and even though the films themselves where poor I think he was good in them.

Cara Delevingine as Enchantress: Don't know much about Enchantress or even the actress who plays her, what I do know is that Enchantress in a sorceress. This is good because it shows that these new films are sticking closer to their comic book roots.


MEMBERS I WANT TO SEE

Amanda Waller: Not an actual member of the squad but the person who runs it so we defiantly got to have her.

King Shark: The tank of the group and if it does stay closer to the comics then having a giant walking shark is possible.

Savant: I mostly know him from the New 52 and like Deadshot he is an expert gunfighter and rouge vigilante. 

Count Vertigo: A favourite Arrow villain of mine and I would like to see an incarnation of him where he has his powers.

Poison Ivy: Since the Batman vs. Superman film is coming out before this it would be great to see some more Batman villains.

The Unknown Solider: Quite a dark character here and I think he would just look really cool in live action.

Multiplex: For a squad with such few members sometimes taking on impossible odds I think Multiplex would be a useful addition to the team.


STORYLINE IDEA

Now since The Joker is confirmed but I really don't think he is a member but the possible main villain of the film and the Suicide squad has to stop him, maybe prevent a terrorist attack on Gotham. Since Harley is most likely going to be a main focus of the film this is where her dividing loyalties come into play. Now since The Joker is more of a leader/tormenter than a fighter I hope he teams up with another villain who poses a more psychical challenge for the squad such as Killer Croc, Clayface, Bane etc. Also if this film is set in Gotham and Batman isn't in it then I really hope we see Nightwing, not as a member of the squad but as someone who also wants to stop The Joker. Nightwing is one of my favourite Batman characters and I want to see him in live action. Also I hope they plot doesn't waste too much time with origin stories for it's characters because sometimes they are not needed. Take Tim Burton's Batman; Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne was already Batman for a while in the film and we only just got a few flashbacks into his past, that was a great way to do it.


Overall this is what I have so far on the film for characters and possible story. I am liking what I am hearing about the film so far however I do hope they don't tone down the violence too much because I do find that DC can be a lot more darker than Marvel. Maybe I might talk about a few of the other DC films coming or the Marvel ones.