In 2020, DC Entertainment kicked off what’s become known as the TomorrowVerse via Superman: The Man of Tomorrow, introducing a new animated universe centered on the introduction of the biggest hero of DC Comics, Superman. After, six more films would follow, each one introducing new characters, new worlds, new universes, seemingly standalone stories, but, to the observant, interconnected through Barry Allen (voiced by Matt Bomer), also known as the hero of Central City, the speedster called The Flash. Now, at the start of 2024, DC Entertainment and WB Animation reveal exactly what the prior seven stories have been building toward: a crisis of infinite proportions and dire consequences. Modeled after the famous 1985-1986 storyline created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciled by George Pérez, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One is brought to home video audiences by director Jeff Wamester (Justice Society: World War II; Green Lantern: Beware My Power) and screenwriter James Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight; Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox) as a story of such incredible size and magnitude that it requires three parts, each to be released in 2024, to accomplish it. Part One possesses the unenviable task of bringing all the characters together, setting the larger story in motion, and narrowing its focus down to a single character that connects them all, doing so with a level of grace and emotion that will surprise, even as it delights longtime comic fans.
For someone as fast as Barry Allen, the fact that he keeps slipping in and out of time, living a life in and out of order all at once brings about more problems than it solves. It reduces his memory of the moment, it instills confusion, and, yet, when everything is on the line, the Scarlett Speedster manages to pull through. This is a good thing for all of humanity and meta-humanity alike as a wave of anti-matter is sweeping across the multiverse, destroying all life everywhere and it can’t be slowed, can’t be punched, can’t be negotiated with in order to prevent total life annihilation. But if one were to harness time, a chance can possibly form, but at what cost?
Because this is a direct-to-video release and includes bonus materials, this home release review will start there because there’s some things that are worth knowing about that before offering thoughts on the film itself.
First, the release comes in four options — standard 4K UHD with digital code, standard Blu-ray with digital code, just the digital code, or a limited edition steelbook 4K UHD with digital code. The art for the standard editions are the same, while the steelbook has the same art on the front with a few planets depicted on the back and a film still of The Flash and other heroes aboard the Monitor’s (Jonathan Adams) ship printed on the inside. The steelbook seems to be available at select retailors, but it’s hard to tell which ones are chosen by WB Animation and which are re-selling. With the dissolution of Best Buy’s physical media department, most of the steelbooks seem to be available via Wal-Mart, so starting there may be your best bet.
Second, the press release indicates that there are two featurettes and one film clip included on the home release, though the clip is gatekept by the digital edition. The steelbook 4K UHD review copy sent by WB Pictures Home Entertainment included a digital code which was redeemed for MoviesAnywhere and, strangely, the clip is not visible/accessible via MA or via my connected iTunes account. It’s possible that the clip is also gatekept to a different digital service like Vudu, but I’m unable to confirm at this time. However, both featurettes are available on the physical and digital editions of the film.
Third, for those who snag the steelbook, heads up that the release info backing isn’t attached in any way, so there’s no reason to worry about adhesive residue, if you’re a collector.
If you haven’t been watching the TomorrowVerse films, I highly recommend watching the nearly-10-minute featurette “Crisis Prime(r)” first as it will help create some context for what you’re about to see. In MCU terms, it’d be like getting a rundown of all the films ahead of watching Avengers: Infinity War (2018) so that you understand who the purple dude is and his obsession with glowing stones. There’s very little in the way of spoilers, especially if you’re already somewhat familiar with the original Crisis storyline. That said, if you’re nor familiar with the original storyline, have not watched the ArrowVerse shows, or otherwise have no background with DC Comics outside of the recent live action films, you may be (a) spoiled on what’s to come and (b) highly confused by the primer and the film. If this isn’t an issue for you, this featurette includes clips from and interviews with Wamester, Krieg, Wolfman and others talking about the journey to get to this specific release and this total adaptation. That said, the second featurette, the eight-minute “The Selfless Speedster,” should be watched post-initial viewing of the film. This one focuses on exploring Barry’s storyline throughout the TomorrowVerse with a focus on Part One, as well as taking a look at Bomer’s approach to the variations on Barry, so you will get spoiled on what’s to come.
Quick admission: of the TomorrowVerse films, the only one screened ahead of this review is the first film. Having grown up at the time of the original “Crisis” and being an avid reader during the second which brought about the “New 52” era, as well as a consumer/fan of the DC Animated Universe (Batman, Superman, the two Justice League series) *and* the veritable litany of other solo and non-labeled/generally accepted Elseworld tales, there’s very little about the original “Crisis” that I didn’t know, so coming into Part One is more of a tepid than totally cold.
Tepid is good because it allows the audience, in a film which features quite a few initial meetings and setups, to quickly get up to speed on what separates the TomorrowVerse from other versions of these characters beyond their classic-inspired animation design style (an aspect that shifts from a visual affectation to a specific language that these films as a connected story make solid use of). Smartly, the script is designed to get people in and setup quickly, so even if you don’t come with decades worth of baggage, you can still catch on with who’s who, what’s what, and get into things without much fuss. Of course, particularly after watching the primer, you may realize, as I did, that there’s a lot missed in terms of building emotional resonance, pay-offs for reveals, or other aspects of Kreig’s script here that can really only be appreciated to their fullest if one has seen all the films prior. That said, if one is at least partially aware of these characters, then the vocal performances from the cast will bring the rest of the emotionality home. Big credit to Jensen Ackles (Batman: Under the Red Hood; Supernatural), the voice actor for TomorrowVerse’s Batman/Bruce Wayne, for making believable The Detective’s emotional surprise upon meeting alt-Earth’s Robin/Dick Grayson (Zach Callison) and Huntress/Helena Wayne (Erika ishii), the audible pauses pregnant with intention despite the silence. Of course, so much of understanding Batman’s reaction in the moment comes from decades of being inside the cowl, so perhaps that’s a bit of Kreig utilizing intertextuality to drum-up an emotional response in the audience, but, when it comes to multiversal stories, one should expect intertextuality to play a major part in why audiences are invested. This is but one example that plays well within the film, though it’s really Bomer (Maestro; White Collar) who does the lion’s share, creating a version of Barry that’s at once commanding and authoritative as the hero The Flash, yet representative of the heart, the idealistic center of what is the Justice League. Though we watch Barry jump from era to era, world to world, seemingly at random, much as Barry starts to notice, there’s a reason for these jumps and, even with much of the story told out of order, it’s easy to follow and to reason why, for all its jumping, there’s a powerful and clear beginning and end for Barry.
For everyone else? Well, this is only Part One, so keep your expectations loose.
All in all, Part One is a solid one-off story that also sets the stage for Part Two, to be released TBD 2024. I suspect there are certain moments that would land with far more heft had I seen all seven prior releases before screening this one, but, thankfully, Max is coming to the rescue (for once) by having around four total of the TomorrowVerse available to stream. With luck, ahead of them adding Part One, they’ll add even more to help build this up to the event DC Entertainment wants the three films to be. It’s obvious in the scripting and execution of the story that a lot of care went into this portion and one can only hope that it continues moving forward, selecting someone to follow and use their connection to the others to drive the emotional center as we move from anti-matter particle wave to … well, spoilers.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Special Features:
- Crisis Prime(r): The filmmakers reveal in detail their intricate plan to create a comprehensive animated universe across seven films, concluding with the events of the three-part adaptation Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths. (9:39)
- The Selfless Speedster: Explore The Flash’s legendary role in the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic series, the creative process that brought him to life in the animated adaptation, and the vocal performance behind his heroic and romantic story. (8:02)
Digital Only
- Silent Treatment – Film Clip from Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two
Available on digital January 9th, 2024.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and limited edition 4K UHD steelbook January 23rd, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Warner Brothers Pictures Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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