By Malice Intended

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, A benevolent Lex Luthor from an alternate reality asks the Justice League to aid him in ridding his world of evil version of the Justice League known as the crime syndicate.  Superman (Mark Harmon), Wonder Woman (Vanessa Marshall), The Flash (Josh Keaton), Green lantern (Nolan North) and Martian Manhunter (Jonathan Adams) agree to assist Luthor in his campaign.  The alternate earth they encounter is one that has been bullied into submission by a network of villains who function as a super powered Mafia. 

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is ambitious in scope.  Considering the scale of its plot and concepts, one can imagine it turning into a bloated and labored affair in less assured hands.   As envisioned by producer Bruce Timm and directors Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths straddles the line between ambition and tradition.  It offers us exactly what we came for with a bit more depth than is required for a product of this type.  

The character designs continue in the tradition established by earlier Bruce Timm productions.  They are balanced and symmetrical, running the gamut of body types and suggesting the personality traits of each of the characters.  The musculatures are exaggerated but not to the point of looking like caricatures.  They maintain a slender look and feel, bounding through the frame with a certain grace.  The usual budgetary constraints are apparent, but the production overcomes them by getting the most out of its resources.

The fight scenes feature “choreography” to rival that of any live action blockbuster.  Moves are executed and countered with speed and clarity.  Elements of MMA are incorporated.  The action sequences make sense from a tactical standpoint. We don’t simply see a dazzling array of outlandish powers being thrown back and fourth by the combatants.  None of them are overly long or extraneous.  The pace is frantic but never impossible to follow.  It all comes together to replicate the fluidity of organized comic panels.

Writer Dwayne McDuffie offers clean, straight forward storytelling that never gets mired in complexities or plot machinations.  As a result the potentially confusing story unfolds very smoothly.  The dialogue offers the expected quips and puns, but all are firmly in keeping with the characters.  A sense of consequence underlies the proceedings.  We never get the sense that things are happening just because, or simply to move the plot along.  Every event and encounter has a purpose. 

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths deals with some very ponderous and complex themes considering its short running time.  Among them are duality, the consequences of choice, and futility.  Amazingly, it manages to see each idea through to a satisfactory conclusion without pretending to have the ultimate answers.  It does so without an abundance of expository dialogue that would bore and confound viewers.  It never slows down for us to catch up, but never throws more at us than we can handle.

The only area where Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths falls a tad bit short is the voice acting, namely that of William Baldwin as Batman.  He is satisfactory enough not to be distracting, but he lacks the robust vocal delivery of Kevin Conroy.  The same goes for Mark Harmon as Superman.  He is adequate but no substitute for Tim Daly.  James Woods, however, is right at home as Owl man.  His flat delivery suggests a man whose adherence to logic goes beyond all reason.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is Bruce Timm’s best effort yet outside of the ongoing animated series he’s been involved with.  It’s also a shining example of what superhero cartoons can be when they are firing on all cylinders.  With each new feature, Bruce Timm’s team comes closer to perfecting an already satisfying and dependable formula.  That they consistently manage to do so is nothing short of astounding.  They don’t have much room for improvement, as Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is as close to perfection as one could imagine.

Out of 5

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