Rent Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 1 (2024)

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part 1 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Trying to adapt Crisis on Infinite Earths into a movie was a prospect that was sure to garner the same reverence of Watchmen as an “unfilmable graphic novel.” Unlike Watchmen, however, Crisis was more of an issue with its overly complex intrigue relating to all DC Comics timelines than some nuanced commentary on politics and vigilantism. For this animated adaptation of the comic book, however, it takes just enough liberties to find a more compelling narrative. It also serves the same function as the comic by trying to clear the air of the cluttered DC Comics Animated Movie Universe.

The premise is more or less the same deal. Various universes become threatened by an all-destroying entity, and it’s up to an ensemble of familiar heroes to prevent the destruction of all things. Key to stopping this threat is The Flash, and this animated version of Crisis focuses specifically on him. This is a smart move, considering how much power Flash wields and how much devastation he witnesses. To simplify this film, however, his relationship with Iris is the centerpiece. While Barry “The Flash” Allen is flung across different timelines, we get to watch as his romance with Iris develops. From their first encounter at a diner to their final moments amid stopping a multiverse-ending apocalypse, the full range of their love is present throughout the film, rather than posing Iris as another standard superhero love interest worth fighting for.

It’s surprising how there’s a clearer narrative present for a film that jumps all around in time. That said, some crowding elements here revert the film back to the lesser stagings of bland DC Comics animated movies. The plot with Amazo becoming the android villain-turned-ally has its moments, especially for how the programmed robot better understands his creator, Doctor Ivo, and how Lex Luthor manipulated him. But then there’s the less interesting subplot of Flash stumbling into Earth-3, where the Justice League turned evil by becoming the Justice Lords. As in most iterations, these villains are bored with their ultimate wins of crime, and their inevitable fall to the time-destroying wave comes off more awkward than shocking. Watching their homeworld get obliterated is not as profound for a world where they willingly destroy buildings, and their big plan for stopping the matter-obliterating wall of nothingness is to punch it.

While not as dense as the original comic book run, Crisis still draws from many DC Animated Movies. So if you haven’t been keeping up with everything from Man of Tomorrow to Warworld (and even the films before that which led up to Apokolips War), many callbacks and references will slide over your dome. For example, Kara shows up and relates to her time spent with the Legion of Superheroes. Wonder Woman shows up, and there are references to when the Justice Society fought in World War II. Constantine pops onto the scene as an ominous figure, and unless you watch his transition from Apokolips War to the reboot universe of the DCAU, his presence is baffling. Even more complicated is the appearance of Spectre as the more vocal ominous voice, which is a reference that will only resonate for those familiar with the comic book run. You can practically see the asterisks over each referenced character, citing which movie or comic they’re drawing from.

I’m mildly impressed that the first part of Crisis on Infinite Earths doesn’t get as lost in the muck of the comics or the past DC Comics Animated Movies. It works well enough when Barry and Iris are together, and thankfully, we get a lot of them and their chemistry. The sad part is that the film is still locked onto the track of ensuring that this remains more of a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie than a Flash movie. It’s a contentious balance and, much like the film's finale, the conflicting forces nearly cancel each other out, making for a passable superhero picture. I appreciate the retooling, but this film requires more chiseling to make it feel like more than a lukewarm Infinity War-style event movie.