Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
2010
75 minutes
rated PG-13
Available from Warner Home Video on DVD, Blu Ray, OnDemand, and iTunes on February 23rd.
Despite my decades-long interest in the DC Universe, I've never been a fan of the whole multi-verse concept. Of course, I don't like the use of alternate dimensions in general, and it's a big reason why I wasn't super crazy about the last Star Trek picture. At the end of the day, infinite parallel universes create the same problem in fiction as predestination creates as a real-life philosophy. Both remove the meaning from one's actions. With the existence of countless alternate Earths, the question becomes why should I, as a reader or a viewer, become emotionally invested in this one story about this one set of characters? After all, this said world is just one version amongst billions and is of little consequence in the broad scheme of things. What makes our version of Superman or Batman so special amongst the countless other versions of the same characters in any number of alternate timelines?
A token amount of plot - In an alternate version of Earth, the evil Crime Syndicate (evil dopplegangers of our world's Justice League) has wiped all but one of the alternate world's Justice League. Desperate for a solution to the super-powered tyranny, lone survivor Lex Luthor (Chris Noth) travels to 'our' Earth to recruit the Justice League we know and love in order to save his world. After a brief debate about the merits of inter-dimensional jurisdiction, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter decide to do what they do best and the battle is on. Batman is left behind to monitor 'our' Earth, but he too will be pulled into this epic conflict. Much like last year's Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, this newest DC Animated Universe feature is basically a clothesline for a handful of epic smack-downs between super-powered foes. In this case, we have DC heroes we know hammering alternate-world evil versions of themselves.
The film, written by Dwayne McDuffie (arguably the heir apparent to Paul Dini in the DC animated universe), was originally intended as a three-part episode of
Justice League Unlimited
and it shows. Batman onces again stays behind (at first) in order to let the other members shine, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman are close friends, and Flash is again the cocky, big-hearted comic relief. Alas, without the series as a prior basis, this stand-alone movie is woefully short on character development or all that much character interaction. The film's 75-minute running time is basically divided into 'three minutes of plot, ten-minute fight scene, lather-rinse-repeat'. There is a token subplot regarding the president of this alternate America being unwilling to challenge the superpowed villains, but the film is too short to truly flesh out the admittingly engaging idea. If you get off on seeing Superman pound away at an alternate-universe version of himself, then you'll get quite a kick (and a punch) out of
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
. However, the film lacks the rich character work and thoughtful narratives that defined the DC Animated Universe that Bruce Timm and company created back in 1992.
The film's lone saving grace is the character of Owl Man. Played with low-key menace by James Woods, this 'evil Batman' basically shares my disdain for the whole 'multi-verse' concept, for arguably the same reasons I do. The climax eventually boils down to the villainous Owl Man trying to do something, anything that has true consequence in a universe where his life is simply one version of himself amongst countless others on countless other worlds. And, without revealing too-much, the finale does contain some shockingly unheroic behavior by our true-blue Justice League-ers in the name of saving countless lives. Still, the film is far too concerned with fan-friendly smack-downs at the expense of character and plot. It's not boring and it's not the least-bit unintelligent, but it's also not very engaging beyond a surface level.
Per usual, this animated feature looks and sounds fantastic. The extras are sadly not up to par with prior titles in this series. Despite a cover that boasts 'four hours of extras', the actual content is pretty slim. In fact, there is not a single feature on this disc that deals with the making of this specific DCAU animated feature. Aside from the usual digital copy and previews of prior DCAU movies, most of the content is filler. Taking up two of the four hours of bonus content are the complete pilot episodes of the 1970s
Wonder Woman
television show and the unaired
Aquaman
pilot from 2006. The infamous
Aquaman
would-be premiere is pretty mediocre, but it does contain prominent supporting roles for Lou Diamond Phillips and Ving Rhames. Another 90 minutes are allotted to four episodes from the fantastic second season of
Justice League
. The episodes are"Twilight"
parts 1 and 2 and (ironically) "A Better World" parts 1 and 2. The latter two episodes are actually a far superior variation on the story being told in
Crisis on Two Earths
, in which the Justice League encounters a parallel universe version of the the league where they basically become murderous, draconian vigilantes following the death of the Flash. It's a rock-solid examination of the thin line beyond super-heroism and tyranny, and the effects of the episodes had longterm consequences for the remainder of the series.
The only other bonus content is a short film, a preview of the next DCAU feature and a 33-minute documentary ("DCU: The New World - From Identity Crisis Onward") that proclaims to be about the last several years of major events in the DC Comics universe. But the latter spends 80% of its time discussing the first of said events, Identity Crisis (to be a fair, a wonderful and powerful story) while barely mentioning anything that came after. The best feature on the disc is DC Showcase Presents: The Spectre. It's basically a ten-minute short film highlighting the lesser-known, but intriguing supernatural avenger of the DC Universe. It actually manages to construct a rock-solid film noir mystery into a very brief running time. More of these please... The thirteen-minute preview teases the next movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood, which is a direct adaptation of a Judd Winick arc from 2005. It was a cleverly written and exciting piece of storytelling, but it revolved around one element that... well I'm guessing if you're reading a review of a DC Comics original feature, you probably already know how said story turned out. Still, the preview makes the film version look quite good and promises a return to emphasis on character over slam-bang action.
So in the end, you have a lesser entry in the franchise, with extras that shed no illumination on the project while accidentally pointing out its weakness via inclusion of superior episodes of
Justice League
. If you're a fan, it's worth a rental. But it's not worth buying unless you own all of these out of habit.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.