fireb

Writers seem to love alternate universe type shows which allow them the creative flexibility to play with the mindsets and motivations of our beloved character as well as kill characters off with impunity knowing that they will rise again once everything is "reset". These type shows have been executed with varying degrees of success. "The Flashpoint Paradox" is an example of doing this well. "Gods and Monsters" follows in its footsteps as an example of a well executed parallel universe movie.

The characters are fleshed out enough for us to become attached without going into so much "origin" as to affect the pacing of the episode or to ruin the opportunity for future exploration of the characters. The show is violent but the violence is not gratuitous as there is purpose to it in the movie. That being said I would not show this to very young children. The ultimate gauge of how well this type of shows succeeds is whether or not we want to return to this reality to see what happens next after the final credits roll. It can also be judged by how well it stacks up against the "normal" reality as in the TV show "Fringe" which created an alternate setup which became at times more engaging than the "normal" reality.

"Gods and Monsters" does this successfully and I hope we can revisit this alternate universe sometime in the future with subsequent installments. A few caveats: If you don't like liberties taken with your characters or your idea of an "alternate" universe is that Flash's lightning bolt is green instead of yellow, but that he is fundamentally the same character and/or will come around to being the same character you are used to then this is not the show for you. If you can let go of some of your preconceptions about the characters then you will find this an enjoyable excursion.