Based on DC Comics’ 12-issue miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, which was previously adapted in the Arrowverse as a five-part TV miniseries (2019), Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two is the second in a trilogy of animated films that adapts the classic story that forever altered the DC Multiverse. Not only is this not the place to jump into the story, I was confused after having watched Part One and grew disinterested as the storylines played out.
Buy Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two Blu-rayPart Two opens with Batman battling the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime is so crazy he plans to destroy the tower that contributed to stopping the Antimatter wave that swept through the Multiverse. Batman is helped by members of the Bat-Family, which includes fun cameos, but he’s not appreciative that they got involved. A search for the Flash is occurring but Batman believes him dead.
An empath who manipulates the emotions of others tells his story to a man who is dead or close to it. The viewer might recognize his costume or his name (or have the subtitles on), but it’s 28 minutes before he is identified as the Psycho Pirate. He joins the Nazis and unites them with Atlantean forces. The man he was talking to gives him power to travel through the Multiverse, which is still being obliterated.
The Monitor, a being from a race that observes and records without involvement, encounters Supergirl traveling in an escape pod after Krypton was destroyed. Her admirable spirit causes him to give up his duties and he works with the heroes in stopping the Antimatter wave. He brings Psycho Pirate to him with the intention that the villain could calm populations. To accomplish this, the Monitor gives Psycho Pirate a portion of his power, so apparently over the countless years the Monitor has never observed a villain remaining a villain. The Psycho Pirate then works with the Anti-Monitor, and causes emotional mayhem that gets the heroes fighting amongst themselves.
In Part One, the Multiverse was being destroyed by a antimatter wave. Now, multiple waves are occurring. Batman returns to the story almost an hour later. A wave passes by but doesn’t wipe things out, which also happens on multiple Earths. Instead, some type of shadow demons, manifestations of a single creature, are attacking all reality. The heroes head to different worlds and have repetitive battles. Part Two concludes with a cliffhanger as the Anti-Monitor forms before them.
The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.As in Part One, the image exhibits strong colors from across the spectrum can be seen.There’s a strong contrast thanks to the inky blacks and bright whites.The details of the animators’ artwork can be seen in the character design and settings.The audio is available in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio.The character dialogue is clear throughout. In the surrounds, composer Kevin Riepl’s score and the sound effects are apparent and balanced well in the mix.
The Special Features are:
- Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two: Voices in Crisis (8 min) – The audience gets to see the faces behind the voices of Supergirl (Meg Donnelly), Monitor (Jonathan Adams), and Green Lantern (Aldis Hodge).
- Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two: The Bat-Family of the Multiverse (8 min) – A look at the various characters being brought together.
- Part Three Sneak Peek (1 min)
While the Crisis story is of epic size, I am not sure the reasons behind releasing it in three separate parts. Part One is a good introduction and succeeds as the Flash draws the audience through the story. Unfortunately, Part Two doesn’t stand on its own. It’s a tad confusing with the introduction of new characters that don’t offer the same connection and scenes run too long. I might have a different reaction seeing it as part of the whole, but until then, Part Two is disappointing. For those committed to the story, the Blu-ray’s high-definition presentation is equal to the previous part.
