FILM REVIEW: Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part Three

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three is the final all-out push for the DC multiverse as the Anti-Monitor surfaces like the shark from Jaws and the cosmos is his ocean and the infinite Earths his prey. This epic finale both celebrates the vast DC multiverse but also condemns it. Most of all, we get the most iconic Supergirl moment of all time straight from the comic it was adapted from.

As opposed to a panel-to-panel adaption, the team of director Jeff Wamester, writer Jim Krieg, and producers Kimberly S. Moreau, Butch Lukic, Sam Register, and Michael E. Uslan found a way to adapt this into what feels like a monster movie but with superheroes. This is the case as we enter the third and final act as the Anti-Monitor finally shows up and forces the surviving Earths into a safe zone that will only hold for so long. While the last two entries really focus on certain characters and their key roles in the Crisis overall like The Flash (Matt Bomer), Supergirl (Meg Donnelly), and Psycho Pirate (Geoffrey Arend) –all key players in the comic story, this one focuses on the lighter hero team of Superman (Darren Criss) and company aboard the Monitor’s ship fending off the Anti-Monitor and the darker team of Batman (Jensen Ackles) and Constantine (Matt Ryan) as they get to the bottom of why exactly this is happening and even if it can be stopped.

We last left off with the reveal of the Anti-Monitor and the death of the Monitor. Kara killing the Monitor triggered the escape the infinite Earth needed to escape into the Bleed – a dimensional space existing outside of the multiverse. Worlds as well as time converge here as evidenced by the dinosaur attack in Metropolis and Nazi attack in Gotham. Of course, these are all nice intro scenes to see our heroes back in action. Mr. Terrific (Ato Essandoh) continues to coordinate the multiple superhero groups from the ship. Dr Light (Erika Ishii) also maintains her role at the ship’s bridge. The real problem is that the Earths are trapped like rats in the Bleed with resources and time running out as well as the Anti-Monitor occasionally breaking in to take a world with him. The big, metal celestial doesn’t even say a word –he just points at them.

It isn’t long before the Legion of Doom gets involved with Lex Luthor (Zachary Qunito) joining the group holding out in the Bleed which includes the two Supermen, Lois Lane (Alexandra Daddario), Wonder Woman (Stana Katic), Green Arrow (Jimmi Simpson), and more of the many heroes Harbinger enlisted. Meanwhile, Batman enlists the help of Dr. Fate (Keith Ferguson) as he and John Constantine try to get to the bottom of why this is happening to the multiverse. And in order to do that, they’re going to have to follow some clues that The Flash left behind before he disappeared. Constantine, as he used to be aware, is a major key in all this himself.

This feels like a monster movie in the sense that the Anti-Monitor is obviously the monster and the infinite Earths are its victims. Meanwhile, the superheroes across the multiverse take on the role of the angry townspeople or authorities as they try to formulate a plan to deal with this monster picking them off only to find themselves at its mercy by the skin of their teeth. Many would be disappointed to know that the Anti-Monitor doesn’t even resemble his comic book appearance. That works more in the monster characterization’s favor, but Warner Bros. could do better than making him just a sleek, metal golem.

So, who steals the show and who’s the character you root for the hardest? Honestly, Super fans are going to love Crisis On Infinite Earths Part Three, which has cool action and emotional scenes with Superman and Supergirl. Lois is even a powerful voice on the space station, especially with how she deals with Luthor (who helps the situation in the only way he knows how) now in their wake. Supergirl’s arc comes full circle here. It’s all been leading up to this since her debut in Legion of Superheroes. Many knew she was going to be special in this new animated universe. Really, the whole Superman cast here shines. Constantine and Batman also learn some things about themselves on their quest for answers.

Compared to previous animations, the Tomorrowverse is known for being more static. So, for a lot of fans, it’s either hit or miss. Still, when action is required, they don’t hold back. It’s honestly hard to have a good fight scene with the Anti-Monitor because of how big and powerful he is so the best action scenes are often those that don’t include him –save for the last act. Kevin Riepl has been scoring these movies since Man of Tomorrow and he does a good job of mimicking that high-budget superhero film sound. Another great aspect of this film is the legacy characters across DC animation. Can you spot them all?

Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths, Part Three is the crisis we were promised from the start as the ball is entirely in the Anti-Monitor’s court here, and he’s waiting to crush it. For a Superman fan, what’s not to love about a movie with two Supermen and one of Supergirl’s greatest moments ever? It’s the end, but the Tomorrowverse still has a few more twists and turns for its last dance.