| Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Jeff Wamester |
| Screenplay by | James Krieg |
| Story by | |
| Based on | Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Matt Bomer |
| Music by | Kevin Riepl |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One is an American animated superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League. Based on the DC Comics storyline "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (1985–1986) by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the film is directed by Jeff Wamester from a script by Jim Krieg. It is the eighth installment in the Tomorrowverse, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise that began with Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020) and is the first part of a trilogy of films.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One was released on January 9, 2024 with two sequels scheduled to be released throughout the rest of the year.
The film was dedicated to comic artist George Pérez, who died on May 6, 2022.
Plot
An elderly John Constantine[a] sends Barry Allen on a "time trip" to key moments in his life, from gaining his metahuman abilities to a fight against the power absorbing android Amazo created by Dr. Anthony Ivo to his wedding with Iris West.[b]
During the fight with Amazo, Superman gets injured and is aided by Barry and Green Arrow and is brought to Bruce Wayne for medical help.[c] In response, Bruce suggests to form a team with Barry, Clark, Oliver, fashion model Mari McCabe, and John Jones, who is now living on earth as a private detective. However, they fail to recruit Green Lantern.[d]
During a press conference to unveil the Justice League headquarters,[e] Amazo attacks the Justice League, as its original primary function to improve human life has been altered by Lex Luthor to kill anyone that is not human. With the League unable to defeat Amazo due to its ability to absorb and copy their abilities, Batman opines that an airstrike is the only way to destroy Amazo, but the others reject the idea. The Flash goes to Ivo, who reveals he has contracted a disease that ages him rapidly, and has been researching quantum energy absorption with Luthor to create Amazo using extra-terrestrial technology in hopes to siphon metahuman abilities using them to find a way extend human life. Ivo sacrifices himself by having Amazo give up all the absorbed metahuman energy to Ivo. Batman deduces Luthor gave Ivo his disease to prompt his experiments which causes Amazo to turn against Luthor. With Luthor arrested by the police, Amazo returns the stolen powers to Superman, Vixen, and Manhunter before shutting down.
Meanwhile, Barry is sent by Constantine to a parallel Earth known as Earth-3. After a brief confrontation with his Earth-3 doppelgänger, Johnny Quick, he is captured by the Crime Syndicate – tyrannical criminal doppelgängers of the Justice League – and is taken to their Hall of Crime, where he is interrogated by Superwoman's lasso, confirming their deceased Luthor's theory of the Multiverse and resulting in the Syndicate, who have grown bored with ruling their Earth, deciding to plot a Multiversal takeover. Suddenly, an anti-matter wave threatens Earth-3 and, despite the Syndicate attempting to halt it, it manages to destroy the world. Quick sacrifices himself to allow Barry to tap fully into the Speed Force and escape Earth-3 before its destruction. Constantine soon explains to Barry that he witnesses the parallel Earths being destroyed as his punishment and that Barry shares the same guilt.[f]
On the day of Barry and Iris's wedding that was attended by Lois Lane, Harbinger recruits Barry, Oliver, Mari, and John Stewart / Green Lantern to a space station, where other heroes and super-powered people are gathered. Flash reunites with the Justice Society of Earth-2 who are old except for Wonder Woman, Superman, and a reincarnated Hawkman as he mistakes the Aquaman of Earth-146 for the Earth-2 version, but the latter corrects him as he is from an Earth that is completely flooded by the oceans and he has a harpoon for a hand, long hair, and a beard. Batman meets Robin of Earth-2 and learns of his counterpart's Earth-2 history as Robin of Earth-2 also introducing his Earth-2 counterpart's daughter Huntress whom he had with Earth-2's Catwoman. Superman meets his Earth-2 counterpart and learns of Earth-2 Superman's relationship with Wonder Woman after his Lois Lane died. Each one is here based on their skills, strength, and speed from across the Multiverse and have been gathered by Harbinger as ordered by the Monitor, an ancient Multiversal being. The Monitor explains that an anti-matter wave, which is capable of destroying an entire universe, threatens the multiverse. Barry's time-tripping inspires the Monitor to create massive vibrational towers on the remaining Earths that will allow them to phase through the wave and survive. However, the wave rapidly spreads before the towers are completed.
Barry uses his speed powers to slow time for him and Iris, and they grow old together while completing Earth-1's tower with the help of Amazo. Upon completing the tower, the elderly Iris dies. The elderly Barry reverts to normal speed and activates the tower network by using a cosmic treadmill. The vibrational energy destroys his tower and Amazo, but causes the antimatter wave to pass through the various Earths and dissipate, apparently saving the day. Barry is soon approached by the Spectre. The Spectre claims that Barry bears responsibility for the Crisis, but that it is up to the Speed Force to determine his fate. Barry is then sent back to the moment he gained his powers, and has an epiphany. Barry then appears as a vision to Batman when he was trapped in the Warlord illusion of Warworld, telling him to go back to before "the beginning". Barry then vanishes, seemingly dying.
Back on the space station, the heroes celebrate their victory. However, Harbinger, who is revealed to be Supergirl, realizes that they might have changed history when she sees her friends from the Legion of Superheroes (including her lover Brainiac 5) begin to disappear, ending the first part on a cliffhanger.[g]
Voice cast
Production
The film was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2023.[2] An official trailer and the voice cast was revealed on December 5, 2023.[1]
Release
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One was released on digital in the U.S. and Canada on January 9, 2024, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray January 23.[1]
Reception
Rafael Motamayor, writing for Inverse, praised the film, writing: "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Finally Gets the DC Crossover Event Right", calling it "A worthy adaptation focusing on heart and character".[3] Mae Abdulbaki, in a review for Screen Rant, also gave the film a positive review, praising its faithfulness to the source material.[4]
Hayden Mears of IGN rated the film a 7 out of 10, with the verdict: "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One knows what it is and strives to do right by its source material. There's no depth, no moral murk, no optional profundity for the insight-hungry. Just good, clean, marginally sensical fun. The action and performances are nothing to shake a Batarang at, but it never loses sight of its stakes and (mostly) prioritizes character over plot".[5] Jennifer Borget of Common Sense Media gave it three out of five stars, praising its story but commenting that "The constant jumping between alternate Earths can make it feel like a time-traveling treadmill at first, and the action scenes might trigger a bit of déjà vu from other superhero tales."[6]
Sequels
Two sequels titled Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two and Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three are scheduled to be released throughout 2024 on digital.[1] Part Two will release on April 23, 2024, and is set to feature Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond with Will Friedle reprising his role.[7] Part Three is set to posthumously feature Kevin Conroy as the DC Animated Universe version of Batman who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series, having completed his voice work before his death in 2022.[8] It was later confirmed that the film would also feature Mark Hamill reprising his role as the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series after previously announcing his retirement from voicing the character following Conroy's death.[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ Who was the Homeless Man, John Stewart was saving from thugs in Green Lantern: Beware My Power.
- ^ As depicted on Earth during the events Justice League: Warworld (2023).
- ^ As depicted in the post-credits scene of Batman: The Long Halloween.
- ^ Hal Jordan later joined the Justice League some time before the events of Green Lantern: Beware My Power.
- ^ This was before the Watchtower was built in Green Lantern: Beware My Power.
- ^ As depicted in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2019) and the short film Constantine: The House of Mystery (2022).
- ^ The story continues in Part Two.
- ^ Credited as "Homeless Man".
External links
References
- ^ a b c d Vejvoda, Jim (December 5, 2023). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One: Exclusive Clip and Voice Cast Reveal". IGN. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ Hargrave, Sam (July 22, 2023). "DC Announces 2 More Superhero Movies Releasing In 2024". thedirect.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "DC Just Quietly Released the Best Superhero Crossover Movie of the Year". Inverse. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Abdulbaki, Mae (January 10, 2024). "Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part One Review – DC Animated Movie Is Superhero Royalty". ScreenRant. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Mears, Hayden (January 9, 2024). "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Review". IGN. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two Home Video Details Released". Movies. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (January 30, 2024). "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Isn't Kevin Conroy's Final Batman Performance". IGN.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (February 29, 2024). "Exclusive: Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker Will Appear Together One Last Time in Upcoming Animated Film". IGN. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
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This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 18:56