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A direct-to-video animated film produced by DC Comics
< read all 3 reviewsThe toughest battle against one's self, or... other self... in a different self... somewhere else...
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Apr 20, 2012
- by Madpenguin
- posted in Speech Bubbles: Comics & Graphic Novels
Rating:
Taking place on an alternate Earth, the leader of the Justice League, Lex Luthor, flees to the present day Earth. He contacts the Justice League for assistance to battle against an organization called the Crime Syndicate to save his Earth. The Justice League finds themselves in deadly battle against their opposite numbers. -summary
+4
When looking at these direct to DVD releases on the Justice League, it only furthers my point that the television series still had plenty of potential to produce some stellar stories. After all, it's based on a long running, still current, comic book series where the ranks are almost always changing and new threats are in constant rotation. Which brings me to the 2010 movie directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu Justice League: Crisis on Two Earth's. Not at all to be confused with DC's 1985 epic Crisis on Infinite Earth's, instead, it's based on the Silver Age story Crisis on Earth-3 as well as modern age story JLA: Earth 2.
The story follows the JLA lead by Superman as they take on Ultraman's mafioso style Crime Syndicate. Like the TV series, the movie focuses and delivers on the action. Each of the JLA has an opponent with their exact same abilities, with the only difference being their skill and killer instinct. And during the battle between Ultraman and Superman for example, it's clear that Ultraman is the killer between the two. The cool part about all this, is that Montgomery and Liu let their fan boy/girl juices flow as they introduce plenty of the JLA's other opposite numbers, as you will even see murderous versions of the female Vixen and even Hawkgirl.
The animation is done very well during the action segments. The fisticuffs are very fluid, and the animation remains true to the series by bombarding the screen with plenty of fist flying action. Everyone gets a chance to shine, as you will see the Flash displaying his high speed pugilist skills while running, and Green Lantern's swashbuckling style with his ring. Action fans will no doubt get what their looking for. The backgrounds have a couple of nice moments that come to memory, with one cool air battle in the gray-ish looking clouds, and another scene taking place on another alternate Earth. For the most part everything looks pretty. Now I have to admit that I'm not fond of the character designs at all. There's an obvious difference from the TV series, with the characters looking way too thin. There's barely anything super looking about Superman, while Ultraman clearly jacks Supes design from the animated series. I'm sure this stylistic choice was meant to depict Ultraman as the more intimidating figure, but when looking at who received more screen time during the fist scraps, I think it's safe to say that idea was pretty much wasted.
The BGM didn't really stick out to me like in the TV series, but I guess it's ok for what it's worth. The voice acting.... I really didn't like it at all. William Baldwin did not capture the darkness found in Batman the way Kevin Conroy always did. Conroy brought a natural seriousness to the character while Baldwin felt forced. It almost reminds me of Christian Bale's weak a** performance of Batman. And although I did not prefer Chris Noth as Lex Luthor, I think he was a good fit portraying a good guy Luthor. Clancy Brown has the sinister Luthor down, and he would've never had me sold as a benevolent soul. However, Gina Torres as Superwoman is the hands down showstealer. I enjoyed listening to her every word. James Wood as Owlman was awesome too. He truly felt like an evil version of Batman; cold, calculating, very ruthless, and merciless. I would've loved to see him as a recurring villain in the Justice League animated series.
The plot is actually pretty interesting when the fist aren't flying. We get to see how the Crime Syndicate have the government in a chokehold, with the president very intimidated by them. There's a pretty good political commentary going on here, plus we get a little drama in another side story taking place, that I don't remember seeing coming. My main issues are the small story inconsistencies; such as Superman playing the punching bag for characters who appear to be very strong, yet one is leveled by Aquaman later on, who is clearly weaker than Superman. I'm a little tired of seeing Superman portrayed as not being very super.
Crisis on Two Earth's is a very solid movie overall though with that awesome ending, and at the moment, it's my favorite Justice League movie. I enjoyed it more than New Frontier and Doom. It contains a fair amount of fan service for comic buffs, and I believe casual fans will find something here to grab their interest, and like the TV series, due to the brutal action and even moments of blood, parents should use caution if they're concerned on what their children watch. In any case, this is a good movie I recommend.
Pros:
-Animation and splendid action segments
Cons:
-Character designs didn't appeal to me, small writing issues
More JLA:
Justice League Season One
Justice League Season Two
Justice League Unlimited Season One
Justice League Unlimited Season Two
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KingreX32
April 23, 2012
I really want to see this one. But I cant find the DVD anywhere.
Madpenguin
April 24, 2012
You just might have to order it. I had to do that with Justice League Doom.
KingreX32
April 24, 2012
Dang and I hate buying from online. grr. thanks though.
Madpenguin
April 25, 2012
More than likely it's much cheaper online, especially on amazon.
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woopak_the_thrill
April 21, 2012
Yes, this was pretty good in a way. The only JLA movie I really couldn't get into was "New Frontier".
Madpenguin
April 24, 2012
I didn't dig New Frontier at all. I been planning on giving it a rewatch.
peterww
April 28, 2012
That's a shame. The New Frontier books (it's a two-part series, if I recall) by Darwyn Cooke are pretty goog.
Madpenguin
April 29, 2012
I might feel different if I watch it again. I'm giving it that rewatch some time soon.
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More Justice League: Crisis on Two ... reviews
Quick Tip by Madpenguin.
February 22, 2012
Not to be confused with Crisis on Infinite Earth's. This is a solid movie that was meant to give fans of Justice League a nice fix. The plot was ok at best, but like it should be, it's the who's who gallery of superheroes and villains duking it out, and you get a damn good amount of that. Highly recommended if you love animation or superheroes.
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First off, let me get this out of the way because I've read some confusing reviews (elsewhere): this is not an adaptation of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. There is an element of this story that bares a passing resemblence to some of the ideas presented in the DC Universe ground-breaking events, but it starts and stops right there: one idea of that story clearly inspired this story, so don't look to this short review to make any more hay out of that minor controversy. Besides, could anyone really … more
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About the reviewer
Madpenguin
Serious gamer and hardcore comic reader.
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About this topic
Essentially we have one Earth that has the Justice League that we know and love as a benevolent organization that is out to protect the citizens of Earth from foul play, and another Earth where the like powered super-powered denizens formed a group called THE CRIME SYNDICATE... which is a super-powered team of mobsters that have divided up the Earth and have been tormenting, extorting and killing all those that would oppose their reign. Meanwhile, on that planet - we have the former leader of the superpowered resistance, LEX LUTHOR - travel to an alternate Earth, with our regular heroes. He manages to convince them to come back to thwart the evildoers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_on_Two_Earths
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