JLA: Crisis on Two Earths.

[Guy Gardener]

Seen it.

Quite fabulous.

I hated the last one, Public enemies.

Here's the rub, Public enemies was wrote. That movie was lifted completely from the comics. A drab and dire uninspired lack luster comic... But here, this time, they got Dwayne mcDuffy, a bloke who from time to time has been truly inspiring to water down some massively fucked uppedness from Grant Morrison before he lost it. So a shadow of a good comic is better than literal exposition of dung.

All that, and Hal Just seemed so wrong filling in Poochie's shoes.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I saw it and was disappointed somewhat by it. Hated Ultraman's voice thought they made him sound too much of a gangster. I realize that this was what they were intending the Crime Syndicate to be...uber gang bosses. The animation though was outstanding. Hated Ultraman's costume design too. Owl Man and Batman were the best parts of this, I did enjoy seeing Slade Wilson as the President. For them to claim that this had nothing to do with Morrison's JLA-Earth 2 is quite ludicrous as Guy mentioned there were several elements that seem lifted from it.

 

[Christopher]

Here's the rub, Public enemies was wrote. That movie was lifted completely from the comics.

I'm confused. Do you mean it was rote, i.e. by the numbers, formulaic, uninspired?

But here, this time, they got Dwayne mcDuffy, a bloke who from time to time has been truly inspiring to water down some massively fucked uppedness from Grant Morrison before he lost it.

Actually this was a slightly rewritten version of McDuffie's Worlds Collide, a script for what was going to be a direct-to-DVD movie in the continuity of the DCAU Justice League animated series. It would've been written around 2003 or so.

 

[Admiral_Young]

With regards to it being a version of Worlds Collide...oh yeah it definitely has a Justice League feel to it and the ending would reflect that as well. It seems to also take elements from the original Earth 3 Crime Syndicate and Morrison's Earth-2 story.

 

[Silvercrest]

Here's the rub, Public enemies was wrote. That movie was lifted completely from the comics.

I'm confused. Do you mean it was rote, i.e. by the numbers, formulaic, uninspired?

Paging the "Notes From A Cranky Editor" thread...

 

[Chess Piece Face]

I liked it. Better than public enemies, not as good as new frontier. Not forgettable like the green lantern one. Not lame like doomsday.

ultraman's voice was too gangstery but I get it. Superman's was just unremarkable. Batman was decent and owl man was excellent even though you know who it is with every word.

Superwoman was excellent as well.

 

[TemporalFlux]

I liked it. Better than public enemies, not as good as new frontier. Not forgettable like the green lantern one. Not lame like doomsday.

But you forgot that Wonder Woman is the forgettable one.

 

[drychlick]

is it out now? i thought it was coming out feb 23 was i wrong?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Here's the rub, Public enemies was wrote. That movie was lifted completely from the comics.

I'm confused. Do you mean it was rote, i.e. by the numbers, formulaic, uninspired?

Actually, if you want to say that that is the definition of "rote", then I probably should have said "photostatic" which is far more on the button.

The crossover story is archetypical, however you could also argue that either this movie, Dwayne's original script and Earth II were all just subtle redressings of the Seven Samurai.

 

[Admiral_Young]

It does come out next week but I have a friend that works at Blockbuster and they already have copies in and she it kindly put it aside for me. I'm sure it's also online somewhere if you're into watching it online.

 

[Guy Gardener]

It all ends up in your brain anyway.

Which is the same logic that has us mixing up breakfast, lunch and dinner in a trough into a conscientious gruel so as poor people can keep their liquor down.

 

[Quantum]

Beware of spoilers in this post!

Interesting! I am not sure what I think about this movie. It was certainly was entertaining and was the best animated superhero movie I have seen in a while. It was well worth the price of admission as they say, but the plot seemed to unravel about half way through and the plot came to an anticlimactic and contrived ending that left me with wanting.

The Good

For one Owlman and Superwoman seemed to steal the show. This was a surprise but not necessarily a bad thing because both of these characters where so great.

There were some good fight scenes especially at the beginning of and I found the premise intriguing. I know a significantly less that benevolent Justice League has been done before see "A Better World" part 1 and 2, but I still find these what if scenarios fascinating. I feel the artwork and animation was done well and I liked some of the costume designs such as Owlman and Superwoman. I also liked a few of the voice choices as well such as Owlman and Superwoman. See a pattern here? There were some nice cameos by both Justice Leaguers and lower ranking members of the Crime Syndicate. There were also some nice one liners by the Flash....

The Bad

I felt that the trailer was a bit misleading (as the often are). For one the whole good guys don’t kill thing didn't come into play. Also the CSA didn't really have full control of the planet. The where not as authoritarian and merciless as the probably could have been. They conducted themselves more like the mob, so much so that it was almost laughable. I feel that if they had operated more like an inner city street gang would have been more effective.

Superman seemed to play a supporting role an occurrence which I found more that a little disappointing seeing that he is the iconic superhero. Batman and Lex Luthor seemed to be the lead heroes. I also noticed that Wonder Woman seemed a bit underpowered. She seemed weaker than Owlman, and was challenged by the evil version of Hawkgirl. In her defense she did manage to get the upper hand on the powerhouse of evil Superwoman.

The movie did a poor job identifying the CSA member’s names along with some of the JLA member’s names. The latter not being so bad because many of them where easily recognizable. The same cannot be said for the CSA as many members go unnamed throughout the movie.

I also believe that the movie suffered from various plot holes or perhaps bad moves or poor judgment on the part of some of the characters. For one hiding the power source on the bomb in the JLA Watchtower seemed like a bad move to me. Throwing it the Metropolis harbor may have been a better move. Superwoman breathing in the gas instead of blowing it away seemed to be a boneheaded move. President Wilson not wanting the JLA help seemed unthinkable. The JLA challenging the CSA against the wishes of the Commander in Chief seemed out of character to me. Owlman wanting to blow up the entire galaxy and himself along with it to start with seemed crazy even for a mad man, and the obviously extremely vain Superwoman for going along with a plot that would lead to her own demise seemed even less likely. Perhaps most off all the CSA not taking the threat of the JLA more seriously seemed foolish seeing that JLA where owning them in skirmishes. You'd think they would have mobilized and hunted the JLA down.

Also I found myself disagreeing with Rose Wilson's (the first kid) disparagement of her father. It seemed to me like he had little choice but to give in to the demands of the CSA. They government didn't have the power or technology to fight them, the alternate justice league was all but wiped out, and the populace was terrified of them. While I agree that they were in a horrible situation and should be doing all they could to get out of it until they found a way to effectively combat the CSA they had to appease them if for no other reason than to by time until they could free themselves. Rose’s speech sounded good on an emotional level but I found myself question the wisdom and feasibility of it. In the immortal words of Mr. Miyagi only fight when you can win.

The Ugly

For one there was no real climatic end battle where the CSA are defeated. One CSA member dies off screen with no real reason given, a second member is hoodwinked into sacrificing his self by Batman, and the third member is out maneuvered by Batman and left out in the "cold".
At the end of the movie the remaining CSA members just give up. Ultraman could have a good chance at escaping despite the circumstances, and so did Power Ring (who can fly in outer space with the aid of his ring) and Superwoman. This was a curious move by some of the toughest, most powerful, and hardened criminals on the plant.
It is stated that the CSA is being held at bay buy the threat of a nuclear retaliation, however I haven't a clue how the US government would have made good on this threat. The USA could have target the CSA moon base but I am sure that such an attack would be detected and either avoided or thwarted. The point is I didn't really see why the threat of nuclear weapons was so effective that it halted the complete takeover of the planet by the CSA.

Lastly I realize that this a cartoon aimed at children but some of the CSA tactics seemed silly. In several instances the CSA members purposely targeted Luthor’s chest instead of his exposed head. Since they were trying to kill him the made absolutely no sense. The CSA just seemed to lack the killer instinct that I was expecting.
Other Notes
The movie also implied in subtle ways that the Justice League members where weaker that there evil counterparts. Superman lost a head on heat laser battle with Ultraman. Owlman was obviously stronger than Batman and apparently Wonder Woman and Batman stated that Jonny Quick was faster than The Flash (a statement he later recanted). I think it would have been better if they were more evenly matched and where portrayed at the right power level and the CSA had won the first head on battle only to lose the war to the JLA in the end when the JLA by mere virtue of being the good guys somehow managed to get the upper hand..

In Conclusion

The movie was good but with flaws. Don’t let the general negative tone of this review fool you I liked the movie and would gladly watch it again. A few parts left me wanting, but I believe it to be a great addition to the ever growing Superhero movie collection.

B/B+

 

[Christopher]

Lastly I realize that this a cartoon aimed at children...

No, it isn't. The DVD movies are specifically made to be PG-13, targeted at an older demographic than WB's television animation.

 

[Quantum]

Lastly I realize that this a cartoon aimed at children...

No, it isn't. The DVD movies are specifically made to be PG-13, targeted at an older demographic than WB's television animation.

lol That was the most interesting point you could find in my review to comment on? I feel bad now... Anyway teenagers last time I checked where kids. In hindsight perhaps the youth or adolescents would have been a better word choice. Despite the fact I am in latter half of my twenties I don't foresee a lot of 30 plus year olds picking this up for themselves. Especially 30 plus year olds ones that don't live in their parents basements.

 

[Christopher]

lol That was the most interesting point you could find in my review to comment on? I feel bad now...

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't comment in detail.

Anyway teenagers last time I checked where kids.

But the rating PG-13 specifically means material that's considered too intense for children. It doesn't mean "this is for 13-year-olds," it means "Nobody under 13 should see this without parental supervision." PG-13 is the rating of movies like Terminator Salvation, The Dark Knight, Quantum of Solace, and Beowulf, and nobody would say those movies were made for children. These DC Universe movies are made for older teens and adults, and if your intent was to imply that they'd avoid depictions of violence because the film was "made for children," that's just not true. These are being made for DVD specifically so that they won't be subject to the same restrictions on content as their television productions. These are marketed to the same demographic that reads the comic books, and that's a demographic that does not include a lot of children anymore.

Despite the fact I am in latter half of my twenties I don't foresee a lot of 30 plus year olds picking this up for themselves. Especially 30 plus year olds ones that don't live in their parents basements.

I'm over 40, I live in my own apartment, and I rent every DC Universe movie. I know a lot of my colleagues and peers follow comics and animation just as much as I do. Heck, the people making these movies are in their 40s and 50s and they're avid fans of the comics themselves. The "parents' basement" thing is a hackneyed stereotype that's particularly ridiculous in this day and age when comic-book films so dominate the industry.

 

[Checkmate]

Owlman was obviously stronger than Batman and apparently Wonder Woman

Owlman was clearly wearing power armor similar to Lex's.

 

[Greg Cox]

So how is the Spectre short? I admit that intrigues me the most.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I liked it. Better than public enemies, not as good as new frontier. Not forgettable like the green lantern one. Not lame like doomsday.

Never understood the love for New Frontier, an adequate "period piece" at best. Get past the "hey look, it's Silver Age!" vibe and it has precious little to offer.

Green Lantern, while not great, was far from "forgettable". Great voice work and animation, and a nice heel-turn from Boudikka as a surprise. It also gets points for showcasing some of the secondary Corpsmen (like Ch'ip) that could easily have been left out.

Doomsday lame? I'd like to know what you were on when you wrote that. One of THE great fights in modern superhero animation! Would have liked to see ALL of Reign used, but between running time and license issues of course that wasn't going to happen.

Public Enemies is by far the best of the DC DTDVDs. Superb performances by The Trio (as always). Nice character moments for Supes and Bats, and if you look at it sidewas and squint, it could fit into the DCAU.

 

[Christopher]

To each one's own, I guess. I liked Green Lantern: First Flight a lot; it has a good story, good music, and is by far the most gorgeously animated of the DCU movies (the animation was done by a subsidiary company of TMS, probably the best animation studio in Asia; they did many episodes of Batman and Superman as well as Return of the Joker). It's probably my favorite DCU movie to date. I liked New Frontier and Wonder Woman, but didn't love them. I found Doomsday mediocre, and Public Enemies was overblown, shallow, and stupid, a waste of the talent behind it. (I guess we're not discussing Gotham Knight because it was kind of a separate beast from the rest.)

 

[RobertScorpio]

lol That was the most interesting point you could find in my review to comment on? I feel bad now...

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't comment in detail.

Anyway teenagers last time I checked where kids.

But the rating PG-13 specifically means material that's considered too intense for children. It doesn't mean "this is for 13-year-olds," it means "Nobody under 13 should see this without parental supervision." PG-13 is the rating of movies like Terminator Salvation, The Dark Knight, Quantum of Solace, and Beowulf, and nobody would say those movies were made for children. These DC Universe movies are made for older teens and adults, and if your intent was to imply that they'd avoid depictions of violence because the film was "made for children," that's just not true. These are being made for DVD specifically so that they won't be subject to the same restrictions on content as their television productions. These are marketed to the same demographic that reads the comic books, and that's a demographic that does not include a lot of children anymore.

Despite the fact I am in latter half of my twenties I don't foresee a lot of 30 plus year olds picking this up for themselves. Especially 30 plus year olds ones that don't live in their parents basements.

I'm over 40, I live in my own apartment, and I rent every DC Universe movie. I know a lot of my colleagues and peers follow comics and animation just as much as I do. Heck, the people making these movies are in their 40s and 50s and they're avid fans of the comics themselves. The "parents' basement" thing is a hackneyed stereotype that's particularly ridiculous in this day and age when comic-book films so dominate the industry.

..and yet, garners much laughter when evoked by late night hosts like Letterman/Leno/Obrien (not to mention THE BIG BANG theory's Howard). It may be a stereotype, but I went to all three days of comic-con last summer and from what I saw? There must be a lot of multi-generational homes out there in the world.

Rob