Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Runtime: 95 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Digital – April 23, 2024
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Synopsis: Based on DC’s iconic comic book limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, join DC Super Heroes from across the multiverse in the second of three parts in DC’s new animated film Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two, which continues the trilogy that marks the beginning of the end to the Tomorrowverse story arc.
An endless army of Shadow Demons bent on the destruction of all reality swarms over our world and all parallel Earths! The only thing opposing them is the mightiest team of metahumans ever assembled. But not even the combined power of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and all their fellow superheroes can slow down the onslaught of this invincible horde. What mysterious force is driving them? And how do the long-buried secrets of the Monitor and Supergirl threaten to crush our last defense?
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two features returning popular voice cast members: Jensen Ackles as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Emmy winner Darren Criss as Superman & Earth-2 Superman, Meg Donnelly as Supergirl & Harbinger, and Stana Katic as Wonder Woman & Superwoman. Aside from the returning voice cast, the star-studded ensemble voice cast includes Jonathan Adams as Monitor, Gideon Adlon as Batgirl, Geoffrey Arend as Psycho Pirate/Charles Halstead & Hawkman, Troy Baker as Joker, Zach Callison as Robin, Darin De Paul as Solovar, Ato Essandoh as Mr. Terrific & Anti-Monitor, Keith Ferguson as Dr. Fate & Atomic Knight, Will Friedle as Batman Beyond & Kamandi, Jennifer Hale as Alura & Hippolyta, Aldis Hodge as John Stewart, Jamie Gray Hyder as Hawkgirl, Erika Ishii as Doctor Light/Dr. Hoshi & Huntress, David Kaye as The Question & Satellite, Matt Lanter as Blue Beetle, Liam McIntyre as Aquaman, Lou Diamond Phillips as Spectre, Matt Ryan as Constantine, Keesha Sharp as Vixen, Harry Shum Jr. as Brainiac 5, and Jimmi Simpson as Green Arrow.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two is produced by Jim Krieg and Kimberly S. Moreau and executive produced by Butch Lukic, Sam Register, and Michael Uslan. The film is directed by Jeff Wamester from a script by Jim Krieg. Casting and voice direction is by Wes Gleason. The film is based on characters from DC and the graphic novel Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.
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By James Harvey
Despite its best efforts, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two is a shaky, unsure middle entry that fails to keep pace with this three-part animated adaptation’s strong opening chapter. The lack of a focal point, similar to Barry Allen in Part One, robs this second installment of its drive and results in a movie that comparatively feels a little aimless. Still, there’s some legit surprises and twists here, along with solid character work, that should hopefully keep most viewers on the hook for Part Three later this year.
Even with The Flash’s sacrifice in Part One, a crisis still remains as an endless army of Shadow Demons bent on the destruction of all reality swarms through all parallel Earths! The only thing opposing them is the mightiest team of metahumans ever assembled. But not even the combined power of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and all their fellow superheroes might not be able to slow down the onslaught of this invincible horde.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two has a lot of plot to string out in this second chapter of the animated trilogy adaptation, but the movie struggles to make it an engaging thread. Part Two drags itself through long exposition dumps and frequently disappointing action sequences, though bits of fun and brilliance do frequently squeak through. Also hurting the film is its decision to essentially split the movie primarily between Batman, Supergirl and Psycho Pirate, which pulls the movie in one too many directions and makes it all feel a little unfocused.
Please note that while spoilers will be kept to a minimum here, as usual, there will be mentions of specific scenes and events.
After an extended fight scene between Batman, a multiversal Bat-Family and some of his notable foes, Part Two wastes no time diving in deep, detailing Pirate’s origins and revealing a previous encounter between Supergirl and the Monitor. It’s not all backstory, though, as Part Two also follows the universe’s greatest heroes as they continue to search for a way to permanently stop the anti-matter waves still ripping through the galaxy. However, the heroes soon discover there’s much more to these waves than they originally believed. There’s a bit more to Part Two than that, including some neat cameos and surprises, but that’s really this middle chapter in a nutshell.
There’s a lot to like here, especially the effort put into making Pirate come across like a legitimate, frightening threat. Director Jeff Wamester and writer Jim Kreig do superb work in making the character come off as the creepy, perverse foe he is, and the portions of Part Two covering his origins are arguably the film’s strongest. The flashback to Supergirl’s previous meeting with Monitor also makes for some good character work between the two, albeit slightly clumsy, and provides the crucial ammo for the Part Two‘s dramatic climax.
Unfortunately, Part Two‘s chunky pacing does the film no favors as it lurches from moment to moment in a fairly lop-sided and disconnected manner. It doesn’t help that on top of spending nearly half of the film’s run-time to unloading assorted backstories, Part Two also tends to drop said info into large chunks with very little connective tissue or smooth segues to other events in the film. The story is told in a pretty loose manner that seems barely held together, which can make the jumping back and forth in time feel a little random. Part Two really needed something akin to Barry and Iris’ story to make things feel a little more cohesive and complete.
There’s a lot of great material in here, but the structure’s a little rickety and rough compared to Part One. Also a step down from the opening Crisis salvo is the animation, which is mediocre at best for the majority of the film’s run time, save for the odd flash of gorgeous imagery. Character movements rarely feel natural or look smooth, and action beats can be a little flat and appear rushed and jumpy. It’s a noticeable step down in overall quality, even from Part One, though it seems this can be (at least) partially attributed to the animation studio Maven Image Platform farming out chunks of Part Two to Studio IAM.
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On top of its frequently subpar animation and uneven story-telling, Part Two‘s inability to find its focus also greatly shortchanges the film’s cast of characters. When the movie isn’t focused on Supergirl or Pirate, it’s throwing faceless threats at the rest of the heroes to kill time until Supergirl, Pirate or Monitor are needed to push along the story. Watching Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the rest of the heroes slug it out with horde after horde after horde of shadow demons in scene after scene after scene gets really repetitive and really tedious.
For the film’s cast, both Superman and Wonder Woman get small moments here and there that hint at an arc, but they don’t have enough time to do anything except exchange a few bits of dialogue, most of it expository. John Stewart Green Lantern gets a crucial scene, but it happens late in the game and after Stewart hasn’t been seen on screen for an extended period. Lantern’s thunder is then immediately stolen by the arrival of a key character for Part Three in that same scene, but even that kinda fizzles out as we don’t get any more substantial time with either character for the rest of the movie.
Batman Beyond’s much ballyhooed appearance in Part Two ends up being a little underwhelming, even though it’s a kick to hear Will Friedle voice the character again (despite it clearly not being the original DCAU version). However, all Terry McGinnis gets to do here is spout a couple lines, fight with some of the Bat-Family and toss out some batarangs, and that’s it. Oddly, Friedle also voices Kamandi here in Part Two, and that character actually has a bigger role in the film’s story than the Tomorrow Knight.
“Our” Batman’s entire role in the movie is to seemingly just be a jerk to everyone around him. Whether it’s him nearly (and carelessly) killing his foes after barely (if at all) grieving the loss of one of his best friends, or getting into a truly immature fight with members of the multiversal Bat-Family over perceived slights, Batman here is thoroughly unlikeable. Even his comment about Dick Grayson’s fate rings a little cruel.
Part Two lacks the emotional investment of Part One, and that saps the movie of its intensity and makes things here feel a little pedestrian. Without The Flash, we don’t really have that guide to lead us through Part Two‘s time-jumping, non-chronological approach to how it tells its tale, or that character to really connect us to the story on an emotional level (like in Part One). It’s a bummer, but that doesn’t mean Part Two is not without its strengths.
There’s still a sizable amount of Part Two that does work well, outside of the aforementioned character work on Supergirl and Pirate. Getting a few quick peaks at the relationship between Earth-2 Superman and Wonder Woman was genuinely nice, as was John Stewart getting some well-deserved heroic beats (one of which is part of what should be the film’s biggest crowd-pleasing moment). Dr. Light’s shrill “I hate being here and you all suck” attitude continues to amuse whenever she sporadically pops up, too, and scanning the background for character cameos usually results in some amusing surprises.
What’s not a surprise here is the reliably excellent work from the film’s voice cast. There’s nary a weak performance to be found, but there are some takes that stand out. Geoffrey Arend puts in stellar work as Pirate here, perfectly bringing to life this eerie iteration of the B-level foe, and Matt Ryan’s pitch perfect-as usual return to the role of Constantine was a real treat. Jonathan Adams’ subtle work as the Monitor is also worth a nod, as is Will Friedle’s too-brief return to the role of Terry McGinnis.
Speaking of McGinnis, Kevin Riepl’s slick score here includes a nifty little nod to Batman Beyond, but that’s just scratching the surface of Part Two‘s epic soundtrack. Riepl again just nails the assignment and creates a genuinely exciting score to Part Two. There are tracks that sound exactly like something you’d expect to hear during the typical big-budget summer blockbuster, and that’s meant in the most positive way possible.
While unable to keep things on track after the animated trilogy’s solid kick-off, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two still manages to pull out a shock or two and create a few memorable moments. The inconsistent plotting and frequently sub-par animation really dampen the festivities, though there’s still a few commendable aspects that keep it watchable, especially when things pick up in Part Two‘s third act. The anticipation for this animated trilogy’s finale isn’t really weakened by this wobbly and ultimately unsatisfying entry, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if this installment did persuade some fans to just cut their losses here. Watch at your own Risk!
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Hold up, the review isn’t done just yet! Click the link below to take a look at Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two‘s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release!
Please note a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray copy of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two was provided by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment for the purpose of this review. The author also purchased an iTunes edition of the film for comparison and completion purposes.
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