For those unfamiliar with the upcoming JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS DVD, or those that haven't seen the clip above, here’s a quick synopsis, straight from the jacket cover. “In a parallel universe, the lone survivor of Earth’s Justice League – Lex Luthor – travels through other-world dimensions to join forces with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and J’onn J’onzz in a desperate attempt to save his world and its people. But the villainous Crime Syndicate, controlled by Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman, will stop at nothing to maintain their domination. It will take wits, might, and a sacrifice to defeat these unforgiving enemies. The spectacular DC Universe Animated Original Movie has a stellar voice cast headed by Mark Harmon, James Woods, Chris Noth, Gina Torres, William Baldwin, Bruce Davison, and more. Two Earths, two Leagues and one epic battle collide for a thrilling experience that will leave you breathless!
You probably get the picture from the trailer and synopsis above, but it basically boils down to this: Lex Luthor is the head of the Justice League on an alternate Earth. The good guys, as we know them, are the bad guys and vice versa. To save his Earth, Lex travels to our Earth to recruit the Justice League into helping him save his world.
On the alternate Earth, the government and law enforcement have decided to turn a blind eye to the Crime Syndicate so that they may live a somewhat normal existence, all the while sitting within the Crime Syndicate’s shadow. The only thing stopping the Crime Syndicate from taking over the planet is the threat of nuclear weapons being unleashed upon them.
OK, enough of the background and story garbage, you just want to know if it’s worth watching, right?
If you’re a DC Comics fan, or you just like animated features, you’ll want to pick this up when it hits store shelves.
If you are specifically into the Justice League, you’ll get a kick out of it. While the core of the story focuses on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Martian Manhunter, other members do make brief appearances, including Aquaman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and one of my longtime personal favorites, Firestorm. There are more, but you get the idea.
The artwork, soundtrack and sound effects are good, but where the feature really shines is in the action sequences. The majority of the movie sticks with what we really want to see in a superhero flick, and that’s superhero on super villain fisticuffs. If JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS doesn’t fill you’re superhero violence cup to the brim, I’m not sure what will…
The story is pretty good too, although I’m not sure why they entitled it “Crisis On TWO Earths”… I don’t want to give anything away to those unfamiliar with the story, but you’ll know exactly what I mean when Owlman (Batman’s doppelganger) enlightens us regarding the known universe and the choices that each and every person makes on a day to day basis.
My only real complaint with the feature was some of the voice acting… James Woods and William Baldwin did great for Owlman and Batman, and Chris North was great as Lex, but I’m a BIG Superman fan the voice of Mark Harmon for Superman just didn’t fit… I thought he sounded like a total wuss, exactly the opposite of what Superman SHOULD sound like.
I happened to receive the 2-Disc Special Edition, and the features breakdown like this, which has the movie, a sneak peak at "Batman Under the Red Hood" (which looks VERY Promising), some comic story line information (“The New World – From Identity Crisis Forward”) and two bonus Justice League Episodes. There’s also an animated short for “The Spectre”.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS hits store shelves February 23, a little over a week away. If you like the Justice League, or some of its primary members, you’ll want to pick up a copy.
When you have a naked Lex Luthor trying to convince the Justice League to help him in the first ten minutes of the feature, you know you’re in for something special.