Every other blogger has already commented on the trailer for next summer’s Flash movie, but I finally got around to watching it and thought I’d throw in my two cents (even though I probably won’t be seeing it anyway.)

The beginning, with Barry (Luke Wilson) telling Iris (some actress I’m not familiar with), “Superheroes only exist in comics, Iris.” is a nice homage to Barry’s comic-book origins, but also a a portent of what’s to come. The quick cut of the lab accident seems okay, and soon we get to the meat of the story: Barry discovering his new abilities. The “waitress about to drop something” scene is pretty time-worn, but it’s still shocking when Barry is able to run to her with a paper towel before the spilled coffee spreads too far on the floor. And we see the extent of his new abilities when we see him in the gym, on the treadmill (nice allusion to the Cosmic Treadmill) saying, “The fastest speed a man has run is 27 miles per hour. According to this, I just ran 14 miles per hour. That’s much faster than I think I’ve ever run in my life!”

As for the villain, Flash’s enemies have always been over the top, and it’s probably best that their powers are toned down as well. Captain Boomerang and Dr. Alchemy may play well for comics fans who are used to such things, but mainstream audiences would be put off by their ridiculous costumes and powers. So I have no problem with transforming Captain Cold into just a guy who shoplifts, albeit during an unseasonably cool August. It lets us explore other facets of the character. Let’s face it, you’ve already seen Captain Cold create glaciers with a freeze-ray, but having him swipe a bag of Cheetos is an interesting new spin on him.

Of course, a bright red spandex suit looks great on paper but it going to look kind of dumb in real life, so the maroon shirt with the yellow collar (see what they did there?) is a good enough indicator that Barry is now “the Flash, the fastest man nearby.”

All in all, it looks like it’s going to be a good movie — an interesting one, which pushes aside the exaggerations of the comics to get at the real characters and relationships beneath them. This is no kiddie comic book move, it’s a mature movie, grounded in reality, an one that will force mainstream audiences to take comics seriously as an art form.