Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2009)

Director: Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu

Cast: William Baldwin, James Woods

Review Author: Shaun

The next port of call in our DC animated series is the first entry of DC hero’s teaming up together in 2009s “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths”. DC’s greatest hero’s team up to for the first time in the rebooted animated verse to face an overwhelming threat on a cosmic scale. The feature is based on the comic arc “Crisis on infinite Earths” and deals with  DCs multi-verse however in this case it’s scaled down to Earth 1 and Earth 2 – if I have lost you, its ok! I know it’s confusing but that’s wacky world of comic story lines for you, they explain it easier in the movie.

The word “crisis” within DC Universe is a very exciting term. It portrays the images of epic, cross-universe stories that have a major impact on the characters and can impact all DC franchises. So when fans see the title Crisis on Two Earths, there’s a reasonable thought that the story will be insane. It is important to note that this is a standalone title, bearing no connection to any other existing Justice League projects. That said, it’s still fun and filled with a good balance of plot, action and humour that ought to win over even the most sceptical fan.

The character designs are similar, and although the line-up of heroes is slightly different from the main seven, 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. There are also cameos galore, including some characters we already know and their evil alter egos from a parallel world (which are fun Easter-eggs for fans of the DC Universe).

Crisis on Two Earths takes inspiration from the story lines of the comics, Crisis on Earth-Three and JLA: Earth 2 specifically. The Justice League find themselves clashing with their evil counterparts, 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, Wonder Woman, Flash and Martian Manhunter  join up. So pretty much everyone except Batman agrees to come and help him save his world.

The Crime Syndicate is run much like the mob, 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, Owl Man, Superwoman and Johnny Quick. 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.

Overall the movie is a great experience and gives a good, simple take on one of DCs major comic arcs. The film is a strong outing for the Justice Leagues first entry into the DC animated movie universe and whether you’re a long time comic book reader, a fan of the television series or completely new to the Justice League franchise, there’s something in this for everyone. The next film we will look at next will be the sequel to this “Justice League: Doom”

Do you agree? Have you seen the film? Let me know what you think down below and we can get a little discussion going, I have been Shaun and thanks for reading!