Review of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) by John P — 31 May 2010

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS was better than I expected, although I did expect more than I did when I watched my first superhero animated film (PLANET HULK) recently. The fact that James Woods (Shark, Family Guy), Mark Harmon (NCIS) and Chris Noth (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City) voice Owlman, Superman and Lex Luthor, respectively, is both a plus and a minus for me. While I love that these actors were involved in one of these movies, it was also very distracting that they voiced several of the mail characters because of how familiar their voices are to me.

The plot of JUSTICE LEAGE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS centers on the idea of innumerable parallel universes in which the Earth and humanity exist (or don't) in various forms and manners. When travel between parallel universes becomes possible, the crisis on a version of Earth very similar to the one we know threatens to spill over into other universes. Lex Luthor, head of the Justice League on this parallel planet, is forced to seek the help of the Justice League in order to save his version of Earth from a corporation of superheroes bent on world domination and distruction.

The villains' plans go awry, however, when Owlman (the parallel universe evil version of Batman) and Superwoman decide to steal the explosive device that the villains create and seek to destroy "Earth prime", the version of Earth from which all other parallel universes originated. Such a move will cease all life and time as we know it, and neither the Justice League nor their evil counterparts want to go that far.

It's particularly interesting how each of the superheroes we know and love, as well as their counterparts, are portrayed in this movie. In particular, Batman (voiced by William Baldwin) is painted as what can only be described as a bit of an asshole. Batman is the first member of the Justice League to speak out against helping the people of a parallel universe, and his actions throughout the remainder of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS does little, if anything, to redeem his character. Personally, I like a darker, less altruistic version of the bat, but viewers that expect Batman to be the character portrayed by Michael Keaton or Val Kilmer will be disappointed.

Overall, the movie has some great fight scenes, although it is rather predictable. If you seek some light entertainment, then JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS is for you.