Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010 Video) User Reviews

Familiar yet Fresh. An all new Justice League tale that blows away the competition(I'm looking at you Marvel)

[xamtaro · 8/10 · 26 February 2010]

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).

Yet another excellent movie!

[rjvdsteen · 7/10 · 15 February 2010]

Ever wondered how Superman would act if he was evil? Or have you ever wondered how our favourite superhero's would use their powers if they were evil? Than this is a film for you!

Dwayne McDuffie did a great job writing the scenario for this film. Although similar stories have been used in previous comics/animated films, he still manages to make it unique in appearance.

The same kind of premium quality as the previous Justice league films/series we've come to expect from DC.

Although everyone likes seeing hero's go toe-to-toe with their own alternative (evil) selves. But this film adds more than just "twin on evil twin" action. There's even a little present on the DVD/Blue ray, an exclusive short film featuring The Spectre.

I highly recommend it to anyone that is even remotely into the genre.

A Different Justice League

[work1113 · 8/10 · 23 February 2010]

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.

Any feature that can throw in both a Star Wars joke & a Star Trek joke is okay in my book

[DarthBill · 7/10 · 27 October 2010]

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. But who is the greater threat - the thuggish Ultraman (an evil version of Superman) or the cold, cruel calculating Owlman (evil version of Batman)? This was originally planned as being part of the DCAU Justice League/JLU continuity, bridging a gap between the end of Justice League and the beginning of JLU, but for a variety of reasons it never quite came together as it was originally envisioned, so Dwayne McDuffie reworked his own script and turned it into a stand alone feature for the direct to DVD line that DC and Warner Brothers have been working on for the last few years.

For the most part it is an entertaining action adventure with some clever twists on familiar characters and a strong voice cast. James Woods of course is chillingly brilliant as the nihilistic Owlman, with Gina Torres complimenting him as a thoroughly unlikable and sadistic Super Woman (she was also Vixen on JLU). Chris Noth is equally good as the heroic Lex Luthor, and it's a shame he didn't get more recognition for his voice work in this (much like how Aaron Eckhart's work as Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight" was sadly overlooked in favor of the admittedly brilliant turn by the late Heath Ledger as the Joker). William Baldwin takes a little getting used to as the voice of Batman and probably won't make anyone forget fan favorite Kevin Conroy, but he throws out a decent enough performance. 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. They could have done more to show the Justice League being disturbed by their evil parallel selves - Superman in particular should have been shown to be appalled by his evil counterpart Ultraman. On that note, I was disappointed at not getting more of a smack-down between Sueprman and Ultraman during the climax, but I guess they felt Superman's fight had to take a backseat seeing as how they had just done "Public Enemies", which was basically an hour of Superman kicking all kinds of ass left and right. They also could have done more with the working relationship between Superman and the heroic Lex Luthor. Batman saving the day near the end was predictable, but I'll let it slide seeing as how he was mostly absent from the first act and he actually got beaten up quite a bit here by the super-villains and was shown needing to call for help, which is a nice change of pace from him triumphing over more powerful enemies by way of "prep time".

Overall, I give this a 7 out of 10.

Personal Favorite Justice League film up to now.

[tankace · 9/10 · 12 August 2017]

Crisis on two Earths is about the main Justice League going after another Justice League , from another universe in which they are the bad guys. 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.

Also the portrait of Martian Manhunter was pitch perfect and I still look forward for him to take a live-action treatment.

Over all a very enjoyable film ,I recommended to every DC fan.

By far the best DC superheroes animation

[darkmax · 7/10 · 18 February 2010]

Story/plot: Good. In fact better than some real life movies Voice Actors: Good. Professional quality.

Artwork/Animation: Good. This is the US standard without becoming CGI.

Length/Run-Time: Good. It isn't too short and isn't too long for my kid.

Comment: I wish there were more animations on the justice League. DC is doing much better than it was with its animations over the past decade. The story is simple with a touch of complexity and the moral is made clear enough that even my 5 year understood. The depiction of alternate Earths can lead to bigger expansion in the near future. Overall I would recommend this to other parents for their children

Really well-written animated super-hero fare

[bribabylk · 10/10 · 6 April 2010]

I've seen a lot of these animated super-hero movies and this is in my opinion by far the best. It's no coincidence that it was written by Dwayne McDuffie, who also penned the wonderfully absorbing story arcs in Cartoon Network's JLA and JLU. I won't recount the plot, others have done that before me, but suffice it to say the script is intelligent, mature, doesn't talk down to the viewers, yet is also accessible to people of almost any age. There's a preponderance of action over story here, but when the characters do settle down for some exposition, McDuffie makes the most of it. The characterization, especially of the villains, never seems two dimensional. The nihilistic Owlman, especially, is fascinating and well-handled; I also think that James Woods probably gave the best voice performance in the feature among many very good ones. McDuffie has fun drawing parallels between the way the team of super-villains organize their crime empire with the real life Cosa Nostra, in one scene going into quite a bit of detail that you wouldn't necessarily expect from a cartoon kiddie show. Another standout scene has the JLA discussing the philosophical implications of taking on powerful crime figures in a parallel dimension where they have no jurisdiction, and the hardship this may place on its native inhabitants; they can stop the bad guys in the immediate present, but what happens when they leave? Are they willing to stick around forever to prevent retaliation? Are they willing to kill to make sure there isn't any? And I've become convinced no one writes better, more well-choreographed action sequences than McDuffie. An early one makes good use of suspense as two characters are fleeing pursuit through a series of massive doors that come together and lock behind them, and the sounds they hear as their pursuers batter the doors down just out of eyesight. My favorite mix-it-up action fight scene has to be the one that takes place in in a stormy sky involving several characters that fly under their own power and a sophisticated fighter jet. It really engaged a feeling of wonder in me, and envy, to be one these gods who can zoom around and play in the cloud banks. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention McDuffie's wonderful ear for dialogue; he can make the discussion of fantastic elements sound so natural. A good example is when Wonder Woman brings home an invisible plane from the alternate dimension:

Flash: I can't believe you kept that thing ...

Wonder Woman: Spoils of war!

Flash: What do you even need it for? You can fly!

Green Lantern, to Flash: You drive a car ...

Flash: That's completely different!

Don't you think that's probably the kind of things super-folks would say if they were real? Ah, to be a member of that club ... well, I can't, and neither can you, but you can do the next best thing and watch this film.

Another Excellent JLA Adventure!

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 16 September 2010]

I really like Justice League adventures, since they espouse the spirit of cooperation among the DC superheroes which I grew up with. My favorite DC comics in my childhood were my JLA comics. I really liked the recent revival of the JLA on TV. And now, I welcome these new mature animated JLA movies.

Crisis on Two Earths is exactly what the title tells us. There are two Earths in this movie. This Earth where the JLA lives in, and a parallel Earth where the characters are reversed. 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!

As with several other JLA adventures, the Batman had the meatiest part, together with his alter-ego, Owlman. Toward the end, the future of the two Earths actually lay in their philosophical and physical entanglements. This scene, as well as the rest of this movie, was very well-written and set into animation. The voice acting was sensitive and very well-done.

An excellent DC movie...

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 23 August 2012]

I did enjoy Justice League: New Frontier, but between this and that, I consider this the slightly better movie. My only real reservations actually was two members of the voice cast. William Baldwin does what he can, but lacks the mystery and darkness of what I associate Batman with. Mark Harmon is also too monotone for Superman. My other reservation was Superman and Luthor's relationship which I think could have been expanded more. However, most of the voice acting is great. I think Chris Noth brings a great deal of heroism to Lex Luthor, and while underused Nolan North is both heroic and sinister. The best are Gina Torres, who gives Superwoman a great femme-fatale edge, and especially James Woods, whose Owlman is just superb. The animation is atmospheric and detailed with some funky character designs like with Wonder Woman and the music is haunting. The writing is mature and sharp, more so than New Frontier, Superwoman and Flash's quips are especially funny without jarring, and the story has an edge and urgency to it. I found the romance arc heart-warming with Martian Manhunter as well. All in all, I found A Crisis of Two Earths excellent. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Another well made movie by DC...

[JWick23 · 19 December 2020]

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..

Really Lackluster Once You View It Twice

[gigan-92 · 6/10 · 31 December 2010]

I somewhat enjoyed "Public Enemies", and "Under the Red Hood" is by far the best feature ever, but this edition really could have used some work. It has the same problems as a lot of its predecessors, delivering solely action and a pretty basic plot outline of the much deeper graphic novel. This was pathetic to me, because the premise was pretty promising. Not only that, but Batman spends 90% of his time in the movie getting his ass handed to him, which was insulting really. Chris North, Mark Harman, and William Baldwin, all were decent, but nothing compared to Kevin Conroy or Tim Daly. Although give credit where credit is due concerning James Woods, who did pretty damn good throughout as Owlman.

If you're around 10 this will be the best thing you've ever seen, but if you were born in the 90s or older then it will pass off as mediocre.

the Justice League flies high and goes up against... the bizarro world of themselves!

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 24 April 2010]

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.

Above average telling of a classic JLA story

[son_of_cheese_messiah · 7/10 · 31 May 2014]

Cote, although ably written by the great Dwayne McDuffie, inevitably pales by comparison with "A Better World" a two part episode of JL series and one of the finest moments in superhero broadcast. Cote actually goes back to the roots of "A Better World", a 1960s comic-book classic called "Crisis on Earth Three" although Owlman's desire to destroy the multi-verse gives a very big nod to 1980s story "Crisis on Infinite Earths".(Sorry if all these crises are confusing) The story is largely very close to the comic book original. On a parallel dimension, a gang with powers very similar to the JL are using those powers for evil and so call themselves The Crime Syndicate of America (as in the original comic. This differs from " A Better World" since the CSA are NOT the JL whereas in ABW The Justice Lords ARE the JL who have taken a different path.

This is a good premise, and indeed in the original comic was an outstandingly novel and exciting idea. However, it must be said that after seeing AB, the idea has been somewhat blunted. ABW was actually going to be a literal reworking of the original CoET story before they hit upon the richer idea of the Justice Lords.

Having decided to belatedly adapt the original story, I must say they do a pretty good job, although Batman's keenness to sacrifice Johnny Quick leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Justice League Crisis on Two Earths: Paint by numbers DC effort

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 19 December 2017]

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. It looks okay, sounds okay, everything is exactly that.......okay, but nothing more.

Voice actors for this one include Mark Harmon, William Baldwin & James Woods who are really quite poor. 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 story

The Bad:

Baldwin's voice doesn't suit Batman

Proceeds to make Batman look remarkably weak

Things 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

Enjoyable Justice League shenanigans

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 25 February 2012]

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. That's about it for plot, other than that Owlman, the evil Batman equivalent, is so nihilistic that he becomes driven by the notion that by eliminating the original earth, he can eliminate all of them and commit a kind of suicide which involves destroying all reality. Which seems a bit much to me, but then I'm not a nutjob super-villain.

Character design and animation are about what one would expect for this kind of animated feature. Voice casting isn't bad, with James Woods' Owlman taking the top award. Owlman could so easily be an over the top character: instead, Woods underplays him to the extent that his lack of histrionics is far more chilling than a more flamboyant display would have been.

I enjoyed this.

another great DC effort

[disdressed12 · 8/10 · 28 February 2010]

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

Surprisingly good

[mkh2099 · 7/10 · 27 April 2010]

This is one of the few of DC's animated movies that I have watched and I will say that it was a positive experience. The plot was alright and the story flowed nicely, meaning that the movie did not become boring at any point. The story certainly had something of a darker edge to it that more adult audiences should appreciate.

I do feel like I might have enjoyed the movie better did I not suffer from a lack of familiarity with DC's characters. I don't think I could quite appreciate the similarities/differences between the characters of the two Earths. Of course it isn't possible to give each character the time they would deserve and tell a good story at the same time. That is not to say I felt terribly confused by anything either, just that I think that had I known the characters better there would have been a certain layer of depth added to the story. Then again that same lack of familiarity with DC will of course make me overlook some possible inconsistencies that the plot might have.

All in all I would say that the movie is definitely worth watching, even if you don't happen to know too much about DC.

Fantastic

[www1125 · 10/10 · 12 March 2023]

What can I say, this is by far my favorite Justice League movie. The story, while not exactly original, is excellent. The idea of evil duplicates of heroes in other universes is a really fun concept. I do wish we'd seen more of Jester. Batman having to work with a heroic version of Joker would be a lot of fun. The theme music, holy crap, its amazing and epic, and I love that they reused it for Justice League Doom. The Crime Syndicate is well played, and Owlman especially is a memorable villain. He discovers dimension hopping, and his only decision with it is to murder every living Earth creature in every dimension because "it's the only action that would serve any purpose." Damn!

It's also cool that this was originally written to bridge Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and with some exceptions(Hal Jordan among some others), it still can. I always watch it in-between the two despite the few differences.

The movie does have a few issues, but nothing that hurts it. Ultraman could have had a bigger presence. He really just comes across as a thug with Superman's powers. No real motivation for his evil pursuits other than being a jerk because he can. Superwoman is a psychotic killer, but she also is obsessed with power and wealth. Her going along with Owlman's plan makes no sense considering she has to die in the plan. There's no way she could misunderstand. He's very clear in his intentions. She's too obsessed with power to think dying is a cool goal.

The voice actors are great, though I would have loved having the original voices from the Justice League cartoon as at least the League, if not their duplicates as well. Can you imagine Kevin Conroy delivering the "We both looked into the abyss" line, or a more sinister Conroy as Owlman explaining his views of life being meaningless? Would have been amazing. But, as I said, the voices we got are great.

Always enjoy this little masterpiece of animated superhero goodness. It's nonstop thrills from start to finish

-- Wes Wall.

Good story, terrible voice acting choices

[luke-73755 · 7/10 · 20 May 2021]

Story is a simple but not used storyline in film, one I hope dc uses again in the future, with movies not television. But the two main voice actors, William Baldwin and Mark Harmon fail as Batman and Superman. Hamil does an okay job, but it feels like he dodnt give it the same feel you feel like youd get from "Leroy Jethro Gibbs" and William Baldwin just fails at batman, it's like nails on the chalkboard. This would not be the biggest deal except the main conflict of the movie is Batman vs his alternate earth counterpart so you hear his voice constantly.

Action Packed Comic - Book Goodness

[Angelus2 · 10/10 · 27 April 2010]

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.

Batman or Owlman!

[sukhij25 · 6/10 · 29 July 2010]

After seeing many Anime cartoons like Naruto and Bleach, American cartoons just doesn't seem to cut it for me anymore. Of course these cartoons are based on the numerous superheroes that we have loved when we were kids, like Superman, Flash, Batman… Those days we would be crazy about a movie like this and would have enjoyed this very much. But after watching toons like Avatar, Devil may cry and Naruto all those WB cartoons do seem to miss that certain something. I think it maybe the lack of moves. I mean the ability of the anime artists to come up with a fight scene with wonderfully awesome moves that tempt us to repeatedly to watch the scene, seems to lack in the creativity of the American cartoonist. Nevertheless they seem to overly have the ability to make sexy cartoon characters. 10/10 stars for Superwomen! And also the dialogues aren't exactly awesome compared to anime ones. Not to mention the music! People who have watched Avatar: the last airbender will know what I am talking about. BTW This movie is special cause it has a good degree of violence making it more, kind of, awesome. Favorite Quote : "Humans are a cancer, and I mean to cut out the disease" – Owl man Finally I must add Batman is the most awesome Superhero of all time. Period!

Takes a Cliché and does something interesting

[JoeB131 · 8/10 · 6 March 2010]

One of the biggest clichés in comics is the notion of the parallel world where the villains are heroes and the heroes are villains, and characters from our world have to go over and sort it out. Comics have done this to death, really. So has Science Fiction. (Just stop it already, Star Trek!)

But DC Animated group took this cliché and actually made it work. In a parallel Earth, equivalents of our Justice League have formed a crime syndicate, lead by a Superman-clone who sounds like the rocket from Krypton landed in New Jersey instead of Kansas. 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. We also get a subplot with a romance between the president's daughter and J'onn J'onz, the Martian Manhunter. "In our universe, she's probably evil!"

Overall, fun to watch.

Generic formula, but has enough new elements

[KineticSeoul · 7/10 · 13 February 2015]

I thought this movie was actually quite kickass of a time. It's entertaining from start to finish. So the plot about superheroes going up against there evil versions has been done to death. But the story adds certain elements that is actually intriguing and cool. Mainly because of Evil Batman, with his plan, methods and insanity. The other evil versions of the heroes from a parallel universe didn't really stand out as much. A bit interesting, but lame at the same time. But Evil Batman and his methodical and insane ambitions and motives that is over the top crazy but you can still get a gist of what makes him tick. So yeah, the plot is about the heroes going up against the opposite versions of them, including Lex being the leader of the Justice League in the parallel universe. Overall it's a pretty good DC effort that has enough new elements going for it. Despite it having that generic superheroes formula that has been done before about fighting against their evil selves. The movie actually makes you sort of ponder with it's dark elements as well. So yeah, it's a DC animated movie that is most definitely worth a watch.

7.5/10

Weird casting and tired out "parallel universe" theme

[snsh · 2/10 · 12 June 2016]

Every fantasy and sci-fi show does an alternate/parallel world episode. "Let's make the good guys act like bad guys, and the bad guys act like good guys. The normal good guys cross over into the alternate- reality and defeat the new bad guys. While we're at it, let's put two of the good guys (who are now bad guys) into a romantic relationship." It's the sci- fi version of the sitcom "bottle episode" and is rarely well done.

This variation of the theme is worse than most, and for Justice League fans, the randomly chosen set of celebrity voice actors makes the whole production just seem fake - i.e. good superman and bad superman both sound wrong. Alternate-world episodes usually seem to be driven by actors who want to dress up and "act" differently. But in this case the unfamiliar voices of the characters only works if the script is exceptional (like in Flashpoint Paradox), but in this case the story and script and very bland.

The entire movie just falls flat.

We're Good, They're Bad, We Kick Their Butts, End of Story

[mligorio · 6/10 · 2 June 2011]

In an alternate reality, the Earth's heroes turn out to be villains and, conversely, villains become heroes. 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. Superman's evil side is selfish, insensitive, and domineering. Wonder Woman's evil counterpart is an egotistical sadist with a penchant for senseless destruction. Batman's dark side is a perfection seeking nihilist who wants to destroy the world.

At first blush, it looks like another brainless Punch 'n Judy festival, with the good guys getting in the last punch, as per usual. However, there is an effort to develop and interesting theme.

It turns out that there are not just two alternate realities, actually there are an infinite number. An infinite number of planet Earths where the perennial power struggle between Good and Evil continues indefinitely. Sometimes Good wins, sometimes Evil does, and in the end there is no end, no definite victor. How then does one establish some concrete sense of definitiveness from and endless labyrinth of different possibilities and alternate realities? The answer seems to lie in the difference between Life and Death.

It is Batman who must weigh the costs of the fight for Good. It is he who bears the burden of choosing who lives and who dies. His personal struggle with his evil counterpart, Owlman, will ultimately play the deciding role that determines the fate of humanity for all time. Owlman believes that eliminating the human race altogether will restore balance in the cosmos. In other words, 'Blow it all up and everything will come out perfect.'

Personally, I was not happy with the story, because our heroes are confronted with few intellectual challenges. Batman's tough choice is really a no-brainer if you think about it. And, since there is little question of who is one who's side, thanks to a Martian that can read people's minds, the rest of the Justice League can safely put away their chessboards and get on with the knee-jerk reflex task of kicking the bad guys' butts. Mundane, really, since we know who is going to win from the very beginning.

The story does however raise a few interesting theoretical questions. Is there any absolute difference between Good and Evil? Do the evil counterparts of our heroes win on the alternate Earth simply because they are stronger than Lex? And, when the Justice League finally wins in the end, do they do so because Good is stronger? If Lex Luther can be good in an alternate reality, can we justifiably show mercy to the evil Lex of our world? What value does humanity have? Are we worth saving, or would it be better if were all dead?

I find it remarkable that the superhero I identified most strongly with comes from Mars. Being the last member of an extinct race, he had a human female as a counterpart who turned out to be good. Watching him 'mind-meld' with her was fascinating, but nothing new for Star Trek fans.

Wonder Woman was a big disappointment. Despite the showy costume, she comes off as a typical all-muscle, no-brain character by the name of Ralph. She never has to stop once to reflect on what she is doing. Its easy, if you wear a black T-shirt she kicks your butt. If you wear white she throws herself on a grenade to save you. Easy for her to talk about selfless altruism since she can't die anyway. At least her evil counterpart, Superwoman, had some sex appeal, but she turned out to be an even bigger 'air-head'. "So you're gonna blow the whole world up Owlman, and everyone will die? Hey, that means we'll both die too! WOW that'd be sooooooooooo cooooool. Yeah babe, lets do it! I'm psyched!!!"

So to sum up my disappointment, the conflict between Good and Evil takes place on the football field, fine, but I think they should have competed at least to some degree on the chessboard as well, they didn't. Furthermore, I see nothing interesting in a contest when I know who is going to win, even before the game begins.