Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part Two Review

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two begins directly after Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One, an unexpectedly moving entry, ends, continuing the story of the Monitor (Jonathan Adams) and the multiverse of superheroes who are doing everything in their power to stop the destruction of their earths. The film is two of three that will close out the DC Universe Animated Movies’ Tomorrowverse, but while Part One had plenty of action and a lot of heart, Part Two falters and loses steam. The stakes aren’t as high and the characters are more scattered without focus.

Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part Two Lacks Heart

There’s little development of character relationships

The first film had a lot going on, but it was grounded by The Flash and Iris West. Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two writer James Krieg chooses to center Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) and her time with the Monitor (instead of with Brainy and others) after her ship is pulled in by his satellite (David Kaye). The Monitor grows fond of Supergirl, and they have a father-daughter relationship, but it’s one that barely registers. When she discovers the Monitor’s task is to observe and not interfere in multiversal happenings, their relationship takes a hit.

Their dynamic is an intriguing one, but it’s barely explored. Time passes, but we don’t get that same sense of heart or emotional investment that was so critical to Part One’s success. Supergirl and the Monitor’s relationship, as well as Supergirl’s overall journey, are devoid of emotion and neither are strong enough to carry the film through to the end. Elsewhere, Earth-3 Batman (Jensen Ackles) interacts with his multiverse family — Robin (Zach Callison), Batgirl (Gideon Adlon), Batman Beyond (Will Friedle), among others — but he’s resistant to their help and their affection.

There’s so little time spent on the Bat Family in general that, by the time they start fighting each other (influenced by an external source), the investment isn’t there to care very much about the outcome. There are scenes filled with potential, especially when it comes to the Monitor being influenced by Supergirl’s presence and conviction to help, but they ultimately fall flat. When Supergirl has a nightmare involving Brainy, a relationship that is largely talked about but not fully shown, I was unmoved by the horror she felt, but was obviously meant to stir something in us.

Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths – Part Two Has Low Stakes

It’s also not as exciting as Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One

The underwhelming character dynamics affect the stakes of the mission. Saving the multiverse can start to feel a bit tedious when there’s little investment in everything else. Superheroes, including Wonder Woman and Superman, battle shadow demons, but there is no sense of urgency. It’s as though the film, directed by Jeff Wamester, is stalling. The multiverse, for all its vastness, feels small. With The Flash running around to different worlds, Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One actually felt like the multiverse was ending. Part Two offers little interconnection between characters or intrigue in what’s happening that doesn’t quickly grow tiresome.

Even the drama involving Psycho-Pirate (Geoffrey Arand), a character who has the most interesting storyline and flair, can’t save Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two from being a subpar superhero outing. With so many characters to service and various earths to visit, DC’s animated film falls short of greatness because it doesn’t fully engage with all its moving parts. It drags on for too long and, when the Monitor discovers there is something more sinister going on behind the multiverse’s collapse, the interest in finding out what’ll happen (even if many already know) has deflated.

As it stands, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two is a disappointing entry, failing to truly and comprehensively build a bridge between the first film and the third film. I was excited to see how the rest of the story would unfold, but with an overall lack of focus, stakes, and thrill, the second installment is weaker than the first film. Here’s hoping the third film in the trilogy can pick up the slack and deliver a solid conclusion.