Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter make their way to Blu-ray for the epic new release of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths! Every DC fan knows that when the word "crisis" is in the title of a story, big things are bound to happen…and this new DC Universe story maintains standard with ease. When a Lex Luthor from a parallel Earth appears in our reality, our favorite heroes find themselves embarking on a stunning adventure that will take them across universal boundaries. Now they must travel to a world where villains are heroes and heroes are villains. Can the Justice League win against the Crime Syndicate?
If your world was in danger and you were its only hope, what lengths would you go to in order to save it? The story begins with Lex Luthor of Earth-2 making a last ditch attempt to get help from a parallel world to stop the evil beings known as the Crime Syndicate. He is able to escape from his pursuers, (Ultraman, Superwoman, and Owlman) and arrives on our world only to realize that this is a world where he is indeed the villain. He attempts to find the heroes of this new world and turns himself in to the police and is introduced to the Justice League. Superman quickly acknowledges that Luthor is who he claims to be, and takes him to the Justice League Satellite being assembled in orbit. After careful deliberation, the League (minus Batman) agrees to help Luthor and they travel to Earth-2, but before they leave, Luthor leaves behind a capsule of unknown power on the station. Upon arriving on Earth-2, they are quickly introduced to their counterparts and a massive battle ensues. Owlman is able to retrace Luthor's trip to our world and takes reinforcements with him to retrieve Luthor's device. Batman, prepared as always, calls in backup and teleports Aquaman, Firestorm, Black Canary, Black Lightning, and the Red Tornado to the station. Unfortunately, Owlman is able to escape with Luthor's device and sets out to unleash a device that will destroy not only his world, but all alternate worlds! Can the Justice League stop Owlman before all of creation is lost?
Highlights:
-The Voices- Andrea Romano really knows how to pick them. She has been the Voice Director for all of the DC Direct to DVD Features as well as Batman, Superman and Justice League: The Animated Series. For these movies, she has reached out to different talent to fill the big shoes of our favorite characters and she has truly outdone herself with this feature. James Woods as Owlman was hands down my favorite casting in this feature. He comes off as being truly evil and cunning without missing a beat. Josh Keaton (best known for his work on The Spectacular Spider-Man) does a fantastic job as the Flash. William Baldwin as Batman, Gina Torres as Superwoman and Chris North as Lex Luthor also stand out throughout the story.
-Batman/Flash interaction- One of my favorite scenes from this movie is the opening interaction between Flash and Batman as they test the new teleporters on the Justice League Satellite. While Batman having a sense of humor might be a little offsetting to some, I found it hilarious. Just make sure you watch Batman closely throughout these moments.
-Cameos- This movie definitely took advantage of the DC Universe as a whole and really did a great job using every character that they could. When Batman needs help he calls in Aquaman (in his classic look), Black Canary, Red Tornado, Black Lightning, and Firestorm and many of Justice Leaguers…and it is one of those fantastic moments that makes you stand up and cheer. On the otherside of things, Slade and Rose Wilson play large roles in Earth-2 and they are handled with care and ease. The creative team on this movie also gave us alternate universe versions of Black Lightning, Elongaged Man and other smaller heroes that you wouldn't expect to show up.
-For everyone who was a fan of the Justice League television series, it should be noted that this script (written by Dwyane McDuffie) was originally intended to be the bridging story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. If you replace Jon Stewart with Hal Jordan, you would have all of the key players needed for this story. Hawkgirl is missing because this story would have taken place right after the Thanagarian invasion in Season Two of Justice League. The new space station is being built to replace the old one destroyed in that episode as well. So even though this is meant to be a stand alone story, I highly recommend going back and watching the end of Season Two of Justice League before watching this movie, and then watching Season One of JL: Unlimited right after as it was meant to be seen.
Special Features:
–DCU: The New World– From Identity Crisis forward, DC Comics raised the stakes with talented writers, editors and artists. Pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a modern-day super hero.
-First Look: Batman Under the Red Hood– Exclusive Featurette- Remember how in the late 80's Batman had replaced Dick Grayson with a new Robin named Jason Todd? Remember how fans hated Jason so much that fans called into a 900 number to vote if he lived or died? Remember how when they wanted him dead the Joker not only beat him to death with a crowbar, but also blew up the building he was being held in? Well that story was called "A Death in the Family" and is one of the most visually defining moments in Batman's career. A few years ago, DC decided to not only bring Jason back from the dead, but return him as the new Red Hood. This dark and gritty tale in the Batman Universe will focus on Jason's death and his return. Do not miss this feature!
–DC Showcase Presents- The Spectre– This is the first Direct to DVD to feature DC's new animated shorts series. The Spectre features Gary Cole in the title role as the Spirt of Vengence, working to uncover the murder of an ex-girlfriend's father. This gritty, tarantino-eque, animated take on the character is definitely something new and adds a great new element to these Direct to DVD releases. The short lasts about 11 minutes but is action packed and leaves you wanting to know more about this mysterious character.
-Bruce Timm Presents 4 Bonus Justice League Episodes and the Aquaman and Wonder Woman Live Action Pilots
Overall:
I was truly blown away by how much fun this movie was. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing and I just didn't know what was going to happen next. The creative team pulled out all the stops on this film and did an outstanding job bringing us one of the best interpretations of the Justice League yet. While I did point out that it could take place in the DCAU, I would still like to see more tales of this version of the Justice League. Each of these Direct to DVD movies just keeps getting better and better and with Batman- Under the Red Hood the next feature on the list, the future of these films is looking bright indeed.
ComicsOnline gives Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths 5 out of 5 classic tales of the DC Universe.
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