 While many comic book franchises have stumbled on their way to becoming
live-action blockbusters, few have been so consistently troubled as DC Comics
long-running superhero mash-up Justice League. Hollywood has been trying
to bring this most super-of-superhero crews together for years, and there's been
no end to the drama (and cancellations) that the various animated television and
home video projects have faced. Such was the face with the last animated
effort, the rather mediocre Justice League: New Frontier that was
released a few years ago. Apparently, Warner Bros Animation felt the same
way, and have outdone themselves with the excellent, action-packed Justice
League: Crisis on Two Earths. Finally, this is the team that I've been waiting for,
and definitely worthy of the name.
The story starts when Lex Luthor (Chris Noth of Sex
in The City and Law & Order) from a parallel earth arrives on our Earth seeking
the Justice League’s help in fighting back against the evil Justice League from
his world called the Crime Syndicate. Of course Superman doesn’t like the
idea of helping Lex, even if he's a doppleganger version from an alternate universe. But the League decides
to help, being the collection of heroes they are, and you can imagine all sorts
of action and intrigue follow as this united front try to save both worlds from
destruction.
I love how Warner Bros went all out on this film, with an incredible mix of
action and a truly compelling storyline that brings everyone together in one
exciting package. The action sequences alone are worth watching out for,
and writer Dwayne McDuffie (a true Justice League treasure if there ever was
one) handles a storyline that's both funny and dramatic when it needs to be,
really bringing out the best in each character's personality. The artwork is detailed and extremely well animated, thanks to
great direction by longtime handler Lauren Montgomery (Wonder
Woman, Green Lantern), with help
from co-director Sam Liu, does really great work here.
The real joy of any good Justice League adventure is seeing so many familiar
heroes (and villains) together in one space, and Crisis on Two Earths only
doubles the fun. Just collecting Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder
Woman, and other DC Comics favorites would have been good enough for most fans,
but having their universal counterparts like Ultraman, Owlman, Power Ring, and
Olympia join the party almost approaches nerd-nirvana. It's fairly obvious
that much thought and consideration was put into crafting a storyline that cared
about their various interactions, and while this may make the film impenetrable
for some newcomers to the franchise, it does allow longtime fans to jump in and
enjoy the established history of Justice League.
While fans are sure to debate some of the voice-over casting decisions, I
thought Mark Harmon (NCIS) did quite well as Superman, and while William Baldwin
(of the Baldwin Brothers) played a fine Batman,
I did miss Kevin Conroy's work. Vocal fans will be delighted to hear Nolan
North (the Uncharted games) voice Green Lantern, and the rest of the cast is
usually spot-on. James Woods is particularly impressive as Batman’s
evil counterpart Owlman, who is even more powerful and detached than Batman, easily
making him one of the greatest foes Batman and the League have ever
faced.
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is definitely
my favorite Warner Animation movie so far, and that's big praise considering
their considerable output recently. It’s not perfect by any means,
but I enjoyed seeing the old gang back together since the Justice League series.
The pace moves nicely, the action / fight sequences are well done, and the story
is big in scope without being overly complicated. Perhaps one day we’ll
finally get
to see the live-action Justice League movie that’s been in the works forever.
Until then, we'll always have the animated films to enjoy, and this one will
certainly appeal to comic fans and those looking for something cool to watch.
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