Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two is a tedious and hollow waste of time that at points feels like an insult to its source material.
Director: Jeff Wamester
Genre: Superhero, Animation
Run Time: 194′
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Where to watch: on Max, digital, 4K UHD, & Blu-Ray
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two is barely a movie. The second chapter of DC’s newest animated crossover trilogy, loosely based on the iconic 1980s comic series of the same name written by Marv Wolfman, constantly feels like it’s in this battle to prove that it’s actually worthy of existing in the first place.
Whilst the initial premise of getting to see different versions of classic DC characters meet is certainly an exciting one on paper, in execution there’s very little that Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two does that doesn’t feel like, at this point, a rehash of a tired trope. If there’s anything I got from this frankly hollow experience, it’s that it’s probably a good thing that the Tomorrowverse, the shared cinematic universe that this movie is a part of, is coming to an end with its next entry.
The film positions Monitor (Jonathan Adams) and Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) as its two main characters for the majority of its runtime, with the latter in disarray following the conclusion of the previous chapter. The decision to focus on these two characters is a fine one, especially given that there’s still plenty of time given to other DC fan-favourites, but what lets it down is this sense that there’s absolutely nothing for them to do. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two feels like it spends the majority of its runtime stuck in autopilot, spinning its wheel without actually moving forward at all. There’s no exciting setpieces, no interesting or impactful character beats, it’s just a lot of familiar DC characters… existing.
This is, of course, almost entirely due to it being the second part of a trilogy. Now, why exactly does this story need to be told in three separate parts? Well, I’ll be honest, I don’t have an answer to that. See, there’s nothing in Part Two that convinced me that the film was necessary at all, and couldn’t have just been shoved into the other entries. It’s not like they use the extra time to delve deeper into their cast, or give us more interesting and inventive action scenes, so it starts to feel like the movie only exists so that they can label Crisis on Infinite Earths a trilogy. This disjointed, elongated way of telling the story results in an incredibly messy rendition of what is generally considered to be a pretty excellent and iconic comic book series.
What makes Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two even more frustrating is that they don’t even do anything interesting with the whole multiverse concept. The source material is arguably the definitive classic multiverse tale, and whilst this adaptation was never going to feel as inventive or fresh due to just how many stories in that vein we get today, it could have at least attempted something interesting, rather than just using the idea to give us a couple more “Bat-Men” than usual. It’s unfortunately the exact kind of film that makes me hope for the end of this multiverse obsession that’s taken over studio executives recently, as none of them, except for those in charge of the excellent Spider-Verse films, seem to have a clue on how to utilise it in an interesting way.
At the end of it all, we’re left with one of the most hollow and tedious film-watching experiences I’ve ever had. There’s nothing to be gained from watching this, and I imagine you wouldn’t lose too much just skipping straight to the upcoming Part Three. If it’s true that the Tomorrowverse is coming to an end, then honestly, I’m glad. The last few DC animated films have left me with this lingering sense that something needs to change. Perhaps the company should take a new approach with their animated content, and try something that isn’t just another bog-standard cinematic universe. Give us some interesting adaptations or some exciting original stories. Just please DC, give us something that doesn’t feel like it’s wasting our time.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two is now available to watch on Max, on digital, and Blu-ray. Read our review of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One.
