Within the home release of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One, the featurette “Crisis Prime(r)” lays out how just how long the plan for Crisis on Infinite Earths had been in the works, detailing that each film in the series designated as part of the Tomorrowverse was a building block, an elongated preamble for this three-part animated event. Now, with Part Three available to purchase, home viewing audiences can finally get a sense of the greater picture at play and just how far back the plan goes. Though it plays more as a conclusion to the entire DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) rather than its own film, Part Three delivers a satisfying adventure with more than a few surprises.
In Part One, audiences followed Barry Allen/The Flash (voiced by Matt Bomer) as he journeyed backward and forward through time, instrumental in forming the Justice League and bringing about humanity’s salvation (at the cost of his life) when a massive anti-matter wave not only came for his Earth, but countless others in the newly-discovered multiverse. In Part Two, audiences followed the intersecting stories of Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (voiced by Meg Donnelly) and Charles Halstead/Psycho Pirate (voiced by Geoffrey Arend) with the Monitor (voiced by Jonathan Adams) as they defined the victories and losses that will determine how much time the heroes have in trying to out-wit the oppositional being they call the Anti-Monitor. Now, in Part Three, everything is on the line as the remaining Earths exist in a space outside time and between universes in a bid to buy time to figure out a way to stop the Anti-Monitor from wiping out all existence. But with resources and hope running low, a way out doesn’t seem possible until John Stewart/Green Lantern (voiced by Aldis Hodge) mentions a pariah he met who seemed to know more than anyone else, a magic-wielder who could fight off the Anti-Monitor’s shadow creatures with relative ease. If they can find the pariah, a man called John Constantine (voiced by Matt Ryan), maybe there’s a chance for some version of survival.
No matter how much an audience wants it to be different, adaptations are inherently tricky when translating from one medium to another. From Part One, audiences knew that this version of Crisis on Infinite Earths was not going to follow the source material or any other versions previously if for no other reason than it was taking place within the Tomorrowverse and not the continuity of the comics. If that bothered you in the slightest, there is a reason for all the choices made here and it is laid out quite neatly by the end of the film. Doesn’t mean that you’ll like it any more, but knowing that returning trilogy director Jeff Wamester and returning trilogy writer James Krieg didn’t just pull things out of thin air should help reduce any inflammation the first two films created with you. This is a great positive for the film as it may inspire viewers to continue their exploration of the WB Animation DC Comics catalogue, which is filled with plentiful options that are often far more satisfying than the live action adaptations. But if you’re looking for a beat-for-beat recreation of the 1985-1986 storyline created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciled by George Pérez, you’re out of luck. Wamester and Krieg have a very specific sandbox to play in, so elements contain echoes of the source material, but things will be executed in a manner that befits the Tomorrowverse and established continuity. Certain things are fixed points (see: the cover of the home release) and must occur. It just means that the method by which they occur is different, kind of like Psycho Pirate manipulating Kara to kill Monitor at the end of Part Two versus the Anti-Monitor doing the influencing. Different approach, same outcome.
Speaking of this, one of the reasons why the losses and victories felt so propulsive to the original story is that readers knew who these characters were and that the editorial and writing staff of DC Comics spent a great deal of time warming people up for it by seeding their stories more than a year in advance of Crisis starting. The creative teams have had since Superman: Man of Tomorrow released in August 2020 to prepare audiences for what they’ve been doing, but has that been enough time?
While the loss of Barry Allen comes across as a mighty blow (Bomer’s take on the character is not only strong, but the character is pivotal throughout the Tomorrowverse) and the death of the Monitor signals a turning point in the salvation of all life, what transpires in Part Three is harder to feel anchored in due to how much extra information one needs to have. If you possess it, such as reference to a prior Green Lantern adventure connected here through Hodges’s John Stewart, you may find yourself a bawling mess like this reviewer. If you know what they’re referencing, like a non-verbal sequence between two characters whose last moments are of affection, you may discover you’re clenching your heart in your hand. If you understand why Earth 2003 matters, such a reference to a rollercoaster may have you yelling “Go!” through gritted teeth. But if you don’t, if you don’t hold the information in the pop culture storage of your physical experience, then these moments, while significant in one way or another to the larger narrative, are merely references for the sake of references, hollow moments feeding the nostalgia-hungry. Thankfully, this isn’t the only means of emotional conveyance within Part Three as it does its level-best to balance fan favorites (such as the final portrayal of Batman by voice actor Kevin Conroy) with the Tomorrowverse characters we’ve come to know. When the balance feels right, the emotional strength established in Part One which really can rattle audiences returns in full blast in Part Three.
Due to a known mastering issue with the audio on the physical release, this home release review is based on a screening link provided by Warner Bros. Pictures that does not include the bonus materials. As such, this reviewer is unable to offer the usual thoughts on the on-disc presentation *or* included special features. Additionally, there’s no way to confirm whether the special features listed below are accurate to the physical and/or digital release. Though they were incorrect for Part One, Part Two was represented appropriately. Purchase with caution at this point. WB Pictures has put the digital-only featurette “An Epic Challenge: Crisis in Comics and Animation” available to view (not sure if in full) on the WB Entertainment YouTube Channel, so that can be explored whether you own the film or not.
What the three-part Crisis on Infinite Earths series does do incredibly well is what the source material did: it’s a massive reset and simplification for what comes next, while also a significant reminder of all the stories out there to explore. As long as series like Super Friends (1973 – 1985), Batman: The Animated Series (1992 – 1995), and Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2011 – 2013), or all the preceding films to the Tomorrowverse like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Constantine: City of Demons – the Movie (2018), and Justice League Dark: Apokolips Wars (2020), continue to be available, then audiences can always go back to see what once was before Part Three concludes. The value here is that, however one feels at the end of Part Three, there’s still plenty to experience that can make subsequent watches of the full Crisis event richer. Ultimately, for the story the Tomorrowverse sought to tell, Part Three satisfies and leaves one looking to the horizon for the next adventure.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three Special Features:
Physical/Digital
- A Multiverse of Inspiration
- Jon and John: Stewart and Constantine
Digital Only
- An Epic Challenge: Crisis in Comics and Animation
Available on digital July 16th, 2024.
Available on limited edition 4K UHD Blu-ray steelbook and Blu-ray July 23rd, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Warner Bros. Pictures Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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