Liga da Justiça: Crise em Duas Terras

One of the things that makes these DC animated movies, specifically those as of late (with very few exceptions) so strong thematically is that they take the foundations of the characters from the comics and the TV shows, keep them strong, and build upon them as their own forms of mythology. We see this in Superman: Doomsday with the concept of 'Can Superman be taken down?', to even a slightly lessor film like Wonder Woman, which asks, simply, 'Is this a man's world, or is there some I Am Woman Hear Me Roar too?'

While the best of the lot, Justice League New Frontier, is hard to get eclipsed in its storytelling, this new direct to video release, Crisis on Two Earths, does its best to come close. At first it might appear to be a simple bizarro-world story (or Elseworld tale as it can be called, i.e. Superman: Red Son), where the Justice League is visited by Lex Luthor(!) from the other world, who is actually battling the bad-guy versions of the JLA, and they have to stop them- specifically the mastermind Owlman- from destroying possibly both worlds... or all.

What makes it richer is how the writers and directors build upon the tropes and even add some philosophy to the mix - the way Owlman looks at all of the worlds, the nihilism present, and his disgust of free will, is rather morbidly fascinating for the few minutes its given light in what would be otherwise a "kids" movie - and keeps fans happy. I wouldn't say this is a good place to start for newbies to these characters; not so much for a complex story, which is isn't entirely, but that some of the characters are already so well established and that some of the smaller ones may just float by without much consequence (I, who has been catching up on the Justice League animated show, didn't recognize some of the characters unless named). It really is made by fans of the series (the directors are also well-established with these films, practically covering all of the recent ones for better and worse), for fans, as a rock-em-sock-em elseworld story.

While some small parts do frustrate a bit (how Owlman is so set in his path towards the end... and then proceeds to go and beat up Batman anyway seems rather redundant), it gives us some great moments in DC animated history. That one line from Batman especially to Owlman, "The difference between you and I - we both looked in the abyss, and you blinked", is a keeper, and some of the quips given by Superwoman and the Flash (yes, the Flash) are really funny. And though the overall outcome of who will triumph and so on can be called practically from the outset, the fun and danger comes in the instances of uncertainty between character fights and the intensity of one-on-one action, or just unexpected moments (the 'Green Arrow' in the elseworld is basically painted Red and made into the Batman villain Deadshot) that delight.

One last note - the voice acting here was surprisingly good. It's tricky not having the standard voices for Super/Batmen (I'm always wary hearing Batman not as Kevin Conroy), but William Baldwin actually didn't do too bad, and same for Mark Harmon. Best of all were Gina Torres as the femme fatale in Superwoman, and James Woods dialing down his usual hammy bad-guy acting for Owlman, who sounds so cerebral one wonders why he has that big suit of armor.

Though this is not the first animated movie based on the DC comics Justice League characters, it sure is the better one. Compared to the previous "Justice League: The New Frontier", Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths benefits from a more action driven storyline and mature writing that hearkens back to the style of the award winning Justice League animated TV series.

Where New Frontier felt a bit squeezed and underdeveloped, Crisis on two earths gets the story pacing just right allowing for a fair mix of subtle character drama and high flying superhero smash-ups. The film starts on a pretty "typical" note as we see Lex Luthor and a Joker look-alike called the "Jester" break into a top secret facility and steal some device called the "Quantum trigger", prompting the DC superheroes to stop them. However things are not as it seems as apparently this is all taking place in an alternate reality where Luthor and the Jester are the good guys and the "heroes" are actually the "Crime syndicate", a corrupted bunch of super powered beings vying for world domination. The Jester is brutally dispatched as Luthor escapes to another alternate reality to enlist the help of our favorite super hero team, the Justice League.

By now, this show is sure to remind long time fans of the Justice League episodes "a better world" in which the Justice League encounters evil alternate versions of themselves. Crisis on Two Earths carries that theme but that's where the similarities end. Dwayne McDuffie manages to craft a story that stands out on its own while carrying all the elements of what made the DCAU. Most DC animation fans would have heard the rumor that this movie was supposed to be set in the same time-line as the DCAU Justice League and justice league unlimited series. Aside from the great looking new character designs (Superman looks way handsome and Wonder woman has never been hotter) and the new voice cast, these are the same characters we know and love. It might take a while to warm up to the new voices for Superman, Batman and the rest but once past that, you'll realize that the cast does a wonderful job of fleshing out their characters to be both familiar yet fresh. The Crime Syndicate is a bunch of extremely interesting villains, the perfect foil for the heroic justice league, with James Wood's Owlman stealing the show with a perfect performance.

No recent works of "Moi Animation" company comes to mind but their animation on this project happens to be the most fluid among all the DC animated movies so far. Every single scene has motion, even people in the background and in scenes of conversation where it would have been so easy to just settle with a few talking heads or a static matte painting. Not a single bit of "lazy animation" even down to simple walking. The level of detail in the artwork is maintained consistently and looks similar to the style of Green Lantern: First Flight and 2007's Wonder Woman; though one or two scenes could have been done better (for example, some scenes where walls are smashed. The part of the wall to be broken is obviously colored differently from the rest of the wall). Co-directors Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu combine their talents to bring out the best in every scene from the subtle drama to the hard hitting fights.

The best part about Crisis is that it works on both surface and a deeper level. Though the bad guys actually get more character development than the good guys, Martian Manhunter gets a well executed romance arc which comes across as very real and rather heart-warming (though it might seem a little uncomfortable at first). Among the well written script, straight forward narrative and human drama, Dwayne McDuffie manages to throw in some philosophy about free will, determinism and a theory on how choices give rise to alternate worlds (a driving force behind Owlman's insidious plot). Instead of just focusing on the main characters, the story also takes time to explore more of this alternate earth, the mindset of its people and the authorities that turn a blind eye to the deeds of the crime syndicate out of plain fear. Both this and Owlman's plot, as well as Luthor's determination to keep fighting the crime syndicate, all follow the running theme of rising up in the face of futility and attempting to challenge the unchallengeable.

Bruce Timm and the rest of his production team have definitely outdone themselves this time. For fans of old, this show fits snugly between the end of Justice League and the first episode of Justice league unlimited (it explains how Wonder Woman suddenly got her invisible jet and how the JLU recruitment initiative got started) so whether you choose to watch this as a stand alone movie or as a part of the DCAU Justice League series, both ways work. For new fans, if you had to try out just one of the DC animated movies, get this one. My only caution is to Batman fans as Batman kind of gets his butt kicked quite often here. (Guess that goes to show how human he really is since he's the only one on the League without actual superpowers hence forcing him to rely on smarts to take down his much stronger opponents).

I have to say I was skeptical when I reviewed the casting for this installment.

I enjoyed "Superman: Doomsday", and "Public Enemies". I really like the animated movie series installments that Warner Brothers has been releasing. Having withdrawal from "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Justice League", these new animated movies are just what the doctor ordered.

The main topic of discussion for this series will be why some of the main voice characters weren't cast.

If I don't say it now, I will regret it. Kevin Conroy, I hope your listening, no one does Batman like you - period.

I read around and didn't find a legitimate source on why you weren't cast as Batman, but I'm confident it has to do with the new "Batman - Arkym Asylum 2" that he is currently doing voice over work for. Warner Brothers is pretty set on the deadline of getting these series to the public, so I would conclude they made the decision to film this one with another cast of characters.

I won't spoil the movie, but this particular story arc is very similar to season 2 of Justice League "A Better World" with a little bit of a twist.

In short, If you liked the other installments - you will like this version. Yes it is a little different, and the mannerisms of some of the League members are different - but take it for what it is and enjoy the story.

I give it an 8.5 (-1.5) just for the simple fact Batman isn't played by Kevin Conroy.

DC keeps making hits after hits for DC animated movies and shows which Marvel cant compete in.

The story was good with a well done adaptation of a couple of different dc comic books which were the original crisis on Two Earths. And you know it was the classic villains vs heroes scenario. It was action packed the pace was nicely done but a bit too fast at times. A lot of funny and great dialogue especially by Batman. The voice acting was very good except for Superman and Batman. Superman's voice was a bit too monotone while Batman's wasn't that dark or brooding.

Overall a good animated movie by DC and probably one of the best DC animated movies back in the 2010s.

Memorable: No Rewatchable: Unlikely..

i gotta say, DC continues to impress with their animated offerings.i liked everything about this latest offering.not only was the story really good,but the voice acting was stellar in my mind.the fight scenes were spectacular,but they didn't overpower the rest of the movie.i also really liked the opening title sequence.i thought it really stood out.the movie also had a dark edge to it,which i really liked.definitely adult oriented,which suits me fine.all i can say is i hope they keep up the quality and make sure the movies continue to have the adult edge to them.as an aside,there's a great bonus short included called The Spectre,which i recommend watching as well.for me,Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an 8/10