Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Blu-ray Review.
The Justice League meets their evil counterparts. You can guess what happens next.
Those who want to see the seeds of that connection between Crisis and the television incarnations of the Justice League won't have to look very
hard. The character designs are similar, and although the lineup of heroes is slightly different, it begins with a small, core team working on the
satellite that will eventually become the base of operations for a larger cast of characters. The main cast includes Superman, Wonder Woman,
Batman, Flash, Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern (Hal Jordon, not John Stewart, as in the TV series). There are also cameos galore,
including some characters we already know and their evil alter egos from a parallel world (who are fun to figure out if you know anything about the
DC Universe).
To further distance this story from the others that have come before, there have been some voice cast changes as well. The new voices take some
getting used to, and in some cases it's tough to get over the image that goes along with the voice. But once the well-animated action kicks in, you'll
start to see Batman instead of William ("Billy") Baldwin, Superman instead of Mark Harmon and Lex Luthor instead of Chris Noth. Not to be
outdone, the villains also have some marquee names to their credits, with none other than James Woods providing the subtly sinister voice of alt-
universe Batman, known in his world as Owl Man, and Gina Torres sounding at once seductive and strong as Super Woman, an evil counterpart
to Wonder Woman.
Taking inspiration from the storylines of the comics -- Crisis on Earth-Three and JLA: Earth 2 specifically -- the movie finds the Justice League
clashing with their evil counterparts in the Crime Syndicate after a desperate, alt-universe Lex Luthor arrives in our world to seek their help. In his
own universe, he's not only a hero, but the former leader of the Justice League, and its sole remaining member. With no one left to stop the Crime
Syndicate, Lex fears that his world is doomed to fall into chaos. It takes some convincing, but eventually Superman (Harmon), Wonder Woman
(Vanessa Marshall), Flash (Josh Keaton) and Martian Manhunter (Jonathan Adams) join up. So pretty much everyone except Batman (Baldwin)
agrees to come and help him save his world.
The Crime Syndicate is run much like the mob (or at least how the mob is portrayed in movies and TV), with a handful of captains managing their
own crews, consisting of legitimate super-powered criminals and "made men," or underlings who are given powers in exchange for their loyalty and
service. The upper echelon of villains includes Ultraman (alt-Superman), Owl Man (alt-Batman), Superwoman (alt-Wonder Woman) and Johnny
Quick (alt-Flash). They have become so powerful that the authorities look the other way, but the standoff is quickly disintegrating and there are
fewer and fewer individuals with the power or the will to stand up to them. When they acquire enough firepower to tip the balance, it's up to the
heroes of our world to stop them. But it's not just their own world they're out to destroy.
Wonder Woman director Lauren Montgomery teams up with Planet Hulk director Sam Liu, bringing the best of both of those projects (two of the
best to come out of their respective company's direct-to-DVD lines) to the screen. The animation is impressive, fluid and detailed, with a scale that
seems to stretch far beyond the small screen. There's a lot of action in this too, ranging from intimate one-on-one fights to major conflicts between
dozens of characters. Both are handled equally well, and with a playful sense of humor that screenwriter Dwayne McDuffie (a former writer for the
Justice League TV series) infuses in the film from the very first scene. There are also pop-culture references abound, from Air Force One to Star
Wars to Watchmen .
Whether you're a longtime comic-book reader, a fan of the television series or completely new to the Justice League franchise, there's something in
this for everyone.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Video and Presentation.
Like its predecessors, the Blu-ray presentation here is pretty impressive looking. Crisis on Two Earths is presented in 1080p in a VC-1 encoded
transfer that brings the bright, heroic color palette to life. Just as the primary colors are well represented, there are plenty of heroes and villains
alike clad in dark or black uniforms, which give the presentation a chance to show off some nice, inky black levels.
The animation is a step up from what you might see in the television series, but still not as thoroughly detailed as a theatrical feature. The lines are
crisp for the most part, and seldom suffer from ghosting or enhancement. We did notice a few instances of artifacting, but overall this is one of the
better discs we've seen from the Warner Bros. DC Universe series.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Languages and Audio.
Presented in Dolby 5.1, the soundtrack is probably the weakest aspect of this DVD. The action scenes fare the best, though they don't really pack
the punch you'd hope for a movie like this, and the lack of a lossless HD track is the most evident in those moments. The mix is balanced, at least,
and dialogue is always audible, even if the voices do seem incongruous with the characters in the beginning. There's little directional audio here to
speak of, though the audio is full and resonant, with bass that is present when it needs to be. Essentially, this presentation suffices by doing what it
needs to do without going above and beyond the call of duty.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Packaging and Extras.
DC Showcase "The Spectre" Bruce Timm Presents DCU Live-Action Pilots DCU: The New World A First Look at Batman: Under the Red
Hood A First Look at Green Lantern: First Flight A First Look at Superman/Batman Public Enemies Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess.
The two live-action pilots are exclusive to the Blu-ray, and they're filled with campy fun. The pilot for the 1970s TV series starring Lynda Carter is
here, in all it's cheesy glory. It boasts one of the worst-choreographed fight scenes between two women ever put to film. A must see, for the laughs
alone. Smallville fans will also appreciate the Aquaman pilot, originally intended to follow in the footsteps of the young Superman series on the
CW. It's only been available as a poor-quality Internet download up until now, and though the quality here isn't much better, it's still interesting to
watch and judge for yourself whether those who were upset that it wasn't picked up have any reason to complain.
Bruce Timm Presents is really just a collection of bonus episodes from the Justice League television series. Here you get two two-part stories that
also deal with the theme of alternate realities -- "A Better World" and "Twilight." They're decent episodes, but bear only a tangential thematic
connection to the main feature on the disc.
With the exception of the featurette titled "DCU: The New World," which focuses on the comics themselves, the rest of the features play like
commercials for DC's other titles and series. The best of them is the first look at Batman: Under the Red Hood , which looks like it might be pretty
cool, although that's just the impression these kinds of sneak peeks are meant to give, so we'll have to see.
The lack of a commentary and any behind-the-scenes content would normally be an egregious omission, but the other stuff that's here makes up
for it.
Score: 8 out of 10.
The Bottom Line.
One of the best DC Universe direct-to-DVD animated films to date, this movie hits the right balance of quality content and great audio and video.
Definitely worth a spot in your collection.
