Note: The following review contains spoilers. Reader beware.
Little known fact. Several years ago, I was replaced by a multiverse version of myself who, thankfully, proved to be somewhat smarter and better looking. Still no good at math, but until another version of me shows up from a mathy universe, this version will have to do. True story. So I know from multiverses. And so does DC. In DCU: The New World, a documentary accompanying Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Dan DiDio waxes nostalgic about the Identity Crisis miniseries from 2004:
“At the end of the day, if we had a seven-issue miniseries that was able to stand the test of time… That is able to give a layer of depth to the heroes… And had some ramifications that played out in the DC Universe, that would be great.”
Unfortunately, it’s those elements that are missing from this latest animated feature from DC. Saving the world has become so de rigueur in comics, movies and TV shows, that unless there’s a real personal connection with the characters involved, it just feels like the same old story. With a script by Justice League scribe Dwayne McDuffie and direction by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery, Crisis certainly had a lot of potential. In a parallel universe, the lone survivor of Earth’s Justice League, Lex Luthor, travels through other-world dimensions to join forces with our own Justice League in a desperate attempt to save his world and its people from the Crime Syndicate, controlled by Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman.
With so many characters, there’s no shortage of fight scenes. In fact, Crisis indulges in every conceivable match-up between its characters, filling scene after scene with grunting and property damage. The fights in these films are certainly a draw, and I’m sure there’s a large fan base for that. However, I started to lose interest pretty quickly, mainly because the threat lacked personal stakes for the characters. The heroes decide to get involved in the parallel Earth’s problems because it’s “what we do.” I needed something a little more personal than that.
Familiar voices are also missing from this production. Longtime favorite Kevin Conroy has been replaced by William Baldwin. While Baldwin admirably resists the urge to do a Christian Bale impersonation, his Batman lacks gravitas. Also, Brian Bloom‘s Ultraman is little more than yet another Italian mafioso stereotype. An anti-Superman would have been more chilling in his similarities to Superman, not in his differences. Stealing the show, however, are James Woods as Owlman and Gina Torres as Superwoman. The subtlety and subtext in their delivery make them the most interesting characters on display. In fact, Owlman’s philosophical ponderings about the futility of free will are infinitely more interesting in terms of motivation than anything the heroes have on their side.
All that said, the production itself looks great. The animation is fluid and vivid, and the score and sound are top notch. I just wish I cared more about the end of the world. Or cared more about the characters caring about the end of the world. The other unsettling aspect of this feature is the rewriting of Batman’s code of justice. With no remorse, Bats kills not one, but two of the parallel Earth’s bad guys. A bizarre shift for the character, to say the least.
Accompanying Crisis is a short featuring The Spectre. Dressed up like a 70s exploitation film, overexposed and washed out, with dust and grain marring the quality, the short delivers the right mix of pulp and supernatural vengeance. It was just the right length, too, considering the stylistic choice. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these kinds of shorts in the future.
I’d still recommend the film, especially if you’re just in the mood to see a bunch of heroes and villains punching each other. But, if you’re looking for a little more, you might want to wait for the next DC release.
I thought it was flawed by enjoyable. There were, however, some major characterization problems (Batman’s lack of adherence to an almost universal moral code being the most glaring). The biggest problem, however, was that it would obviously have worked better as the original Worlds Collide concept to bridge the JL & JLU. I walked away liking much but feeling like it could have been much more.
Janarrah 02/25/2010 10:06 am
I watched this movie and I just thought it was an epic fail. It was boring and the whole Crime Syndicate thing has been done TO DEATH. I agree that the hook was lacking, but even then.. the Crime Syndicate seemed idiotic and ineffective. They just didn’t act all that villainous except the psycho Owlman and that was lame. Owlman, himself, was rather weak in my opinion. Instead of being a true genius vs. Batman’s own genius, he’s a man in a giant robot, more Iron Man than Batman. It just didn’t work. I also don’t know why they included the Martian Manhunter esp in his more alien appearance without having a Crime Syndicate version of him for him to face.
I also hated the Crime Syndicate JLA Detriot. Why do they have powers they don’t have on Earth-1? And what is with villains having to dress up like rejects from a hair band or KISS? I mean seriously, who thinks that an evil Elongated Man is gonna have a MOHAWK? And Vixen with all that fur, she looked more like Sabertooth than Vixen. I realize that McDuffie has a rather massive dislike for the Detriot Era (as it seems many in DC do as seen with the constant jabs in the current Justice League), but come on.. they’re not that idiotic.
I also wanna say while I LIKE Gina Torres, her voice doesn’t scream Superwoman to me. It screams well… tall gorgeous African American black woman with an amazing seductive power. Superwoman is more.. psychopath than seducer and I just didn’t think it worked for me at least.
I wasn’t really looking forward to this movie and well the movie lived up to my horrible expectations. I’m not a huge fan of Dwayne McDuffie as it is and this movie just highlights that he’s not that great of a writer or thinker. I’m sure if he could, he would have thrown in his beloved Milestone characters.. In fact, I’m surprised he didn’t find a way to sneak them in since that seems to be something he loves more than anything else.
arklight 02/24/2010 09:42 pm
OK, everybody’s a critic! LOL
I liked it, maybe it had a few flaws, but what doesn’t? William Baldwin…well, ok, he did screw up the voice…he just isn’t Batman.
But overall I liked the movie and it was interesting to see some things ...like Ultraman’s voice…never thought of his voice like an Italian Mobster. But Woods and Torres did do a great job…it was fun to watch…It’s worth a watch. (even though I bought it…LOL)
Honestly, Gina Torres is enough for me to watch almost anything, but I saw the trailer for this and yawned through it. Not a good sign. I think Marvel handles parallel earths a whole lot better, and none of this “world where everyone is evil and has a goatee” stuff can compare to the classic “Cross-Time Caper” from “Excalibur” in the 80s. But that’s just my opinion.
Review: Crisis of Infinite Yawns
By Chance
February 24, 2010 at 3:41AM EDT
Note: The following review contains spoilers. Reader beware.
Little known fact. Several years ago, I was replaced by a multiverse version of myself who, thankfully, proved to be somewhat smarter and better looking. Still no good at math, but until another version of me shows up from a mathy universe, this version will have to do. True story. So I know from multiverses. And so does DC. In DCU: The New World, a documentary accompanying Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Dan DiDio waxes nostalgic about the Identity Crisis miniseries from 2004:
“At the end of the day, if we had a seven-issue miniseries that was able to stand the test of time… That is able to give a layer of depth to the heroes… And had some ramifications that played out in the DC Universe, that would be great.”
Unfortunately, it’s those elements that are missing from this latest animated feature from DC. Saving the world has become so de rigueur in comics, movies and TV shows, that unless there’s a real personal connection with the characters involved, it just feels like the same old story. With a script by Justice League scribe Dwayne McDuffie and direction by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery, Crisis certainly had a lot of potential. In a parallel universe, the lone survivor of Earth’s Justice League, Lex Luthor, travels through other-world dimensions to join forces with our own Justice League in a desperate attempt to save his world and its people from the Crime Syndicate, controlled by Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman.
With so many characters, there’s no shortage of fight scenes. In fact, Crisis indulges in every conceivable match-up between its characters, filling scene after scene with grunting and property damage. The fights in these films are certainly a draw, and I’m sure there’s a large fan base for that. However, I started to lose interest pretty quickly, mainly because the threat lacked personal stakes for the characters. The heroes decide to get involved in the parallel Earth’s problems because it’s “what we do.” I needed something a little more personal than that.
Familiar voices are also missing from this production. Longtime favorite Kevin Conroy has been replaced by William Baldwin. While Baldwin admirably resists the urge to do a Christian Bale impersonation, his Batman lacks gravitas. Also, Brian Bloom‘s Ultraman is little more than yet another Italian mafioso stereotype. An anti-Superman would have been more chilling in his similarities to Superman, not in his differences. Stealing the show, however, are James Woods as Owlman and Gina Torres as Superwoman. The subtlety and subtext in their delivery make them the most interesting characters on display. In fact, Owlman’s philosophical ponderings about the futility of free will are infinitely more interesting in terms of motivation than anything the heroes have on their side.
All that said, the production itself looks great. The animation is fluid and vivid, and the score and sound are top notch. I just wish I cared more about the end of the world. Or cared more about the characters caring about the end of the world. The other unsettling aspect of this feature is the rewriting of Batman’s code of justice. With no remorse, Bats kills not one, but two of the parallel Earth’s bad guys. A bizarre shift for the character, to say the least.
Accompanying Crisis is a short featuring The Spectre. Dressed up like a 70s exploitation film, overexposed and washed out, with dust and grain marring the quality, the short delivers the right mix of pulp and supernatural vengeance. It was just the right length, too, considering the stylistic choice. Hopefully, we’ll see more of these kinds of shorts in the future.
I’d still recommend the film, especially if you’re just in the mood to see a bunch of heroes and villains punching each other. But, if you’re looking for a little more, you might want to wait for the next DC release.
Comments
I thought it was flawed by enjoyable. There were, however, some major characterization problems (Batman’s lack of adherence to an almost universal moral code being the most glaring). The biggest problem, however, was that it would obviously have worked better as the original Worlds Collide concept to bridge the JL & JLU. I walked away liking much but feeling like it could have been much more.
I watched this movie and I just thought it was an epic fail. It was boring and the whole Crime Syndicate thing has been done TO DEATH. I agree that the hook was lacking, but even then.. the Crime Syndicate seemed idiotic and ineffective. They just didn’t act all that villainous except the psycho Owlman and that was lame. Owlman, himself, was rather weak in my opinion. Instead of being a true genius vs. Batman’s own genius, he’s a man in a giant robot, more Iron Man than Batman. It just didn’t work. I also don’t know why they included the Martian Manhunter esp in his more alien appearance without having a Crime Syndicate version of him for him to face.
I also hated the Crime Syndicate JLA Detriot. Why do they have powers they don’t have on Earth-1? And what is with villains having to dress up like rejects from a hair band or KISS? I mean seriously, who thinks that an evil Elongated Man is gonna have a MOHAWK? And Vixen with all that fur, she looked more like Sabertooth than Vixen. I realize that McDuffie has a rather massive dislike for the Detriot Era (as it seems many in DC do as seen with the constant jabs in the current Justice League), but come on.. they’re not that idiotic.
I also wanna say while I LIKE Gina Torres, her voice doesn’t scream Superwoman to me. It screams well… tall gorgeous African American black woman with an amazing seductive power. Superwoman is more.. psychopath than seducer and I just didn’t think it worked for me at least.
I wasn’t really looking forward to this movie and well the movie lived up to my horrible expectations. I’m not a huge fan of Dwayne McDuffie as it is and this movie just highlights that he’s not that great of a writer or thinker. I’m sure if he could, he would have thrown in his beloved Milestone characters.. In fact, I’m surprised he didn’t find a way to sneak them in since that seems to be something he loves more than anything else.
OK, everybody’s a critic! LOL
I liked it, maybe it had a few flaws, but what doesn’t? William Baldwin…well, ok, he did screw up the voice…he just isn’t Batman.
But overall I liked the movie and it was interesting to see some things ...like Ultraman’s voice…never thought of his voice like an Italian Mobster. But Woods and Torres did do a great job…it was fun to watch…It’s worth a watch. (even though I bought it…LOL)
Honestly, Gina Torres is enough for me to watch almost anything, but I saw the trailer for this and yawned through it. Not a good sign. I think Marvel handles parallel earths a whole lot better, and none of this “world where everyone is evil and has a goatee” stuff can compare to the classic “Cross-Time Caper” from “Excalibur” in the 80s. But that’s just my opinion.
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