Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Tags: psychedelic, violence

Plot synopsis:
In an alternate universe where the roles of the heroes and villains are reversed from their counterparts in the mainstream DC Universe, heroic analogues of Lex Luthor and Joker (called the Jester) are stealing a device called the "Quantum Trigger" from the headquarters of the Crime Syndicate. When an alarm is tripped, the Jester sacrifices himself to allow Luthor to escape and kills J'edd J'arkus and Angelique (alternate versions of Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl respectively) with a bomb. Luthor is nearly captured by the remaining Syndicate members (Ultraman, Superwoman, Power Ring, Johnny Quick and Owlman) but escapes to the Earth of the heroic Justice League by activating a dimensional travel device.
Luthor locates a police station, but is mistaken for the evil Luthor and ends up strip-searched. The Justice League is summoned and Superman's x-ray vision confirms Luthor's reversed organs indicate that he is from a parallel Earth and that the evil Luthor is still incarcerated at Stryker's Island. The Justice League take the alternate Luthor to the Watchtower, where they learn of the Syndicate threat. As the Justice League debates the matter, Luthor hides the Quantum Trigger on the satellite. With the exception of Batman, the rest of the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Martian Manhunter) travel to Luthor's Earth.
Arriving at the parallel Justice League's base, the heroes attack Syndicate targets. After a successful series of raids in which they capture Ultraman, the League confront United States President Slade Wilson, who releases Ultraman and explains that acceding to the Syndicate's demands saves millions of lives. His daughter, Rose, however, regards him as a coward. Martian Manhunter inadvertently reads her mind and explains that as a military man her father actually holds life more dear than others. Martian Manhunter later foils an assassination attempt on Rose, and the pair fall in love.
Owlman has developed a weapon, the Quantum Eigenstate Device or Q.E.D., which the Syndicate intend to use as the equalizer to the threat of a nuclear reprisal. When pressed by Superwoman, Owlman reveals that he's secretly planning to overthrow Ultraman and take control of the Crime Syndicate. He also admits the weapon can destroy entire worlds. Believing there are many parallel Earths, and that each one develops from the choices that each person makes, Owlman becomes obsessed with the idea that nothing he does can possibly matter, as there will always be parallel worlds where he explored another option. As a result, he searches for Earth-Prime, the very first Earth from which all other universes originated, intending to use the Q.E.D. to destroy it and spark a chain reaction that will erase the entire multiverse, as it is the only action that would not result in the creation of another universe. Superwoman agrees to help him, as it would give her the power to kill everyone who's ever lived. Owlman sends Superwoman with three of her lieutenants to the League's dimension, and on the Watchtower they battle Batman, Aquaman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Firestorm, and Red Tornado. Superwoman and one of her lieutenants escape with the Quantum Trigger, but are followed by Batman.
Batman defeats Superwoman and summons the League. J'onn and Rose bond, and Rose decides to learn the location of the Syndicate base to allow the Justice League to confront them. The League arrive at the Crime Syndicate's moon-base with the captive Superwoman, and eventually battle the Syndicate. Owlman fights off Batman and takes the Q.E.D. bomb to Earth-Prime, finding it to be uninhabited and lifeless, having suffered an unknown cataclysm that caused it to leave solar orbit. Luthor speculates that a speedster might be able to vibrate and match the temporal vibration of the teleported Q.E.D. device and open a portal. Flash volunteers but Batman states that he isn't fast enough, only Johnny Quick is. Johnny agrees and opens a portal.
Batman pursues Owlman to Earth-Prime and engages in a brutal battle with his doppelganger. Batman manages to teleport Owlman and the Q.E.D. device to another uninhabited Earth, and triggers the Q.E.D. Seeing what is about to happen, Owlman simply says "It doesn't matter." The bomb destroys the alternate Earth, killing Owlman in the process. Batman returns to the Syndicate's Earth, where the strain of acting as a vibratory conduit has aged Johnny Quick to near death. Before dying, Johnny correctly deduces Batman lied about Flash not being fast enough and knew what would happen. Despite this, he shows no ill will toward Batman, dying with a smile. Martian Manhunter returns, accompanied by President Wilson and the U.S. Marines, and together they arrest Ultraman, Superwoman, and Power Ring.
Wilson thanks the heroes. Although Rose asks Martian Manhunter to remain with her, the group return to their dimension. Batman and Superman later discuss a membership drive with the five heroes summoned previously greeting the Justice League.

Review: 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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...
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).
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.
The JLA counterparts are part of the nefarious Crime Syndicate (Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick Man and Power Ring), while Lex Luthor and the Joker are the self-sacrificing heroes.It is very good to see the various guest appearances of other superheroes in this movie, like the Black Canary, Aquaman, as well as evil analogues of Green Arrow (in red) and the Elongated Man. It is good to see my favorite character, the Martian Manhunter, also have a featured part, and even a love interest!
I have to say these stories are some of my favorites for makes you think you heroes in different light and not taking for granted that for instance that just the experiences of Batmanturned him into the hero we all know and love.In general the story is very interesting and I really like the dynamic of the parallel world as it shows something which I have to see it since Injustice and the episode Justice League "A Better World" ,the Justice League is a force which can rule the world and their good intentions is the reason why they don't.
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.
'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' Synopsis: A good version of Lex Luthor from a parallel Earth comes to the Justice League's dimension for help to fight their evil counterparts.'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths' runs for 73-minutes & despite its limited length, it more than utilizes its potential.
When a good Lex Luthor from a parallel universe travels to see the Justice League they are forced to face their equals in a battle that truly could mean the end of the world should they fail.Featuring all your favorites and a few additional names making little more than cameo appearances this follows on from the Justice League television series though is a tad darker.The story is great, the execution however is exactly what you'd expect.
James Woods who plays Owl Man sounds bored through the entire thing and Baldwin simply isn't Batman material.If you enjoy DC animations you may enjoy this but this is certainly not one of their strongest outings.The Good: Interesting storyThe Bad:Baldwin's voice doesn't suit BatmanProceeds to make Batman look remarkably weakThings I Learnt From This Movie:If Batman and Owlman are the same person from different dimensions why do they have different voices?Superwoman is not PG.
I'm sorry, but William Baldwin's Batman lacked the same weighty volume as many of the other actors who has taken on the role the years, and that just kept hanging as a reminder through out the movie.But if that wasn't the case, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths had been a 10, because the other voice actors did amazing jobs with James Woods' Owlman and Gina Torres' Superwoman being the highlights..
This time the plot centers around Lex Luthor from another Earth must seek help from the Justice League lead by Superman along with Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Martian Manhunter to help save his world from the Crime Syndicate lead by Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, J'edd J'arkus, Power Ring, and Johnny Quick.
That's what DC Animation films do very strong with is making stories that will hold your interest and make you respect the writing staff for their effects and in this film they did a good job.Plus with a voice cast as this how could you go wrong?William Baldwin as Bruce Wayne / Batman Mark Harmon as Clark Kent / Superman Chris Noth as Lex Luthor Gina Torres as Superwoman James Woods as Owlman Brian Bloom as Ultraman Jonathan Adams as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter Josh Keaton as The Flash , Aquaman Vanessa Marshall as Princess Diana / Wonder Woman Bruce Davison as President Slade Wilson Freddi Rogers as Rose Wilson James Patrick Stuart as Johnny Quick,The Jester Nolan North as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern,Power Ring Jim Meskimen as Captain Super,Red Archer Kari Wührer as Model Citizen,Black Canary Bruce Timm as Uncle Super Captain Super Jr. Carlos Alazraqui as BreakdanceSecret Service Agent Cedric Yarbrough as Firestorm/Black Lightning Richard Green as Jimmy Olsen / BlockbusterAll of them brought the film to life with the voice acting being superb and with the writing for the film it help the actors bring these characters to attention and make them believable plus they reference other films in this movie that you have to watch to believe it gives you the impression that the voice actors and actresses really enjoy making this film and it shows in their work because they did a superb job The music in the film is top notch and it helps bring the movie together as each piece of music helps tell the story of each scene Plus the animation in this film is some of the best in a long time and good that they went with the hand drawn style because I always love hand drawn animation this film really deserves a medal for it's art because the characters look very believable and the backgrounds are superbI should warn you that the film does feature language not much but enough to warn you in advice it just not often you would have an animated film with language also the film does have some moments that make you go serious in a animated filmBut none the less this is a film worth your timeOverall if you're a fan of comic books and enjoy animation films you'll enjoy this one because it just a lot going for it so give it a shotI give Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths an 8 out of 10.
I knew the new Justice League movie was going to su#k because Man of Steel was boring as $hit, Batman V Superman was garbage, Suicide Squad was a joke, Wonder Woman was a "C" movie at best plus there are heavy rumors that DC pretty much gave up on things after Suicide Squad.
PLOT IN A NUTSHELL: When a heroic version of Lex Luthor arrives from another universe to ask the Justice League for help in battling the Crime Syndicate on his world, our favorite heroes find themselves locked in a life and death struggle against evil dopplegangers who'll stop at nothing to get what they want.
What I found interesting about Mark Harmon's Superman was that he gave the Man of Steel a more rural sounding voice, as opposed to previous voice actors such as Tim Daly (from the solo Superman series as well as Public Enemies and Apocalypse), George Newbern (Justice League/JLU), and Kyle MacLachlan (New Frontier) went for more neutral, region-less voices (though there are spots where he sounds a little like Newbern).Non-celebrity voice actors Vanessa Marshall (Wonder Woman), Josh Keaton (Flash), Jonathan Adams (Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onnzz) and Nolan North (Green Lantern/Hal Jordan & Power Ring) all do solid work - Adams at times sounds uncannily similar to Carl Lumbly, who voiced the Martian Manhunter on Justice League & JLU, which makes one wonder if he was cast based on that.
Nolan North though (better known for his voice work on video games and Marvel animation projects) is sadly underused in the double role of Green Lantern and Power Ring (the only actor in the cast to play both the heroic version and the evil doppleganger).
While fans disappointed by the lack of Hal Jordan in the DCAU will probably enjoy seeing him for a third time after New Frontier and GL: First Flight, Hal is more of a special effect than a character this time around, which is unfortunate given that North has shown in past roles that he clearly has the ability to play Hal's characterization right on the mark, but I guess after NF & FF they felt it was Hal's turn to merely be 'present & accounted for'.There were things that could have been done better, of course.
In an alternate world, Lex Luthor is the good guy battling to save his world from the evil Justice League, his fight takes him to the DC world, were the Justice League align themselves with good.And so a war between superheroes ravages through the different dimensions and worlds.The animation is fantastic as always, the action sequences are even greater, at times surpassing the 'Justice League' television series, the dialogue is witty and the storyline, flawed but forgivable....Yet one thing continued to pester me, the voice actors did not seem to fit, in their roles...Maybe it was because of my fondness for Kevin Conroy as Batman....But nonetheless a brilliant animation movie featuring DC's greatest..
I felt this movie really put into perspective for me what it means to be a hero, the justice league willingly decide to leave their world to another world, just because its the right thing to do, i do feel they could have been a little more skeptical, but that's what Batman is for.
Good Lex luthor has got to be the most likable character in the whole movie, maybe its his voice or his armor, because i never thought of him as the evil lex, and i like that despite asking for help from other heroes, he still gets things done, himself, and only needs the league for backup.
A lot of people will complain that batman didn't put up much of a fight as he usually does, but lets not forget, he was fighting freakin superwoman, who with one pinch broke one of his ribs, yes that is upsetting ,but also it shows that hes very much human even his suit doesn't give him any sort of artificial powers like lex's does, but what proves that Batman is the ultimate hero of all time is when he confronts owlman on earth prime as the nukes about to go off, he is very outmached physically and mentally, at first, whats very interesting is batman actually tries to help owlman at first, perhaps because hes his alternate self, but also probably because hes become a professional psychologist at this point, after all the fights with joker, of course after that fails, and he knows owlman is going to do it, he kicks his butt, teleports owlman with the nuke to an uninhabited world, while delivering one of the most bad ass batman lines ever, proving he is capable of anything, if it means it will save the world.
Yes the plot is simple, its mostly action, but the dialogue is memorable and so are the characters, and its all thought provoking about parallel earth, free will, the human race in general, but it also helps us to realize why the world is worth fighting for.
The late Dwayne McDuffie does a decent job scripting this animated movie, a variation on one of the early Gardner Fox / Mike Sekowsky JLA Crisis stories, whereby our familiar heroes are called upon to battle their evil doppelgangers on a parallel earth.
Lex Luthor, the last surviving hero, goes to Earth 1, and recruits its Justice League to fight the Syndicate.Meanwhile, this world's Batman counterpart has concluded that if they use their new terror weapon to destroy Earth Prime, all the other Earths will be destroyed as well.
In this parallel world, the evil counterparts of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, etc defeat the good counterpart of Lex Luther.
So, the Justice League travels to the alternate Earth to help the good Lex Luther recoup and prove definitively that the principals that the heroes/villains are fighting for are what count the most in the end.Each important member of the Justice League has a personal score to settle with his/her evil counterpart.
The heroic Luthor, however, brings Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter to his home dimension with a plan towell, it pretty much seems like the super-heroes are just supposed to beat the crap out of the super-villains until they give up.
Owlman and Superwoman have a nice relationship and Batman and Johnny Quick get to ride to the rescue, but Wonder Woman and Superman do little more than hit stuff, The Flash and Ultraman just stand around, while Green Lantern and Power Ring do even less than that.Instead of wasting time on awkward moralizing and melodrama, the main characters needed more to do and they should have shown a lot more of the evil versions of DC heroes.
Harmon sounds like he doesn't know what he's going and Baldwin's voice has none of the depth or menace needed for the Darknight Detective.Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths provides some entertaining comic book adventure and some treats for long time comic readers.
So the only superhero properly used is flash.But still if you are a Justice League fan the movie is good enough to entertain you from the start to the end, so go ahead and watch it..
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is (as usual with all the DC animated features) extremely well-done, action-packed, and beautiful to look at.