Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)

I finally just got done watching Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the Warner Premier straight-to-DVD animated movie. Like all Warner Premier animated films based on DC comics characters and stories, this one was top-notch. Revolving around an alternate universe where all of the superheroes we know are bad (like Superman, who is renamed Ultraman, and Batman who is renamed Owlman) and all the villains we know are good (like Joker who is renamed Jester, and Lex Luther who is ... well, Lex Luther). Good Lex travels to the Earth of Superman and the Justice League in order to recruit them to fight the evil versions of themselves from good Lex’s home planet, where the evil Justice League (known as the Crime Syndicate) rules the planet by fear and random acts of violence. The only thing holding the evil Crime Syndicate at bay is the threat of a nuclear response, but Owlman comes up with a world-destroying bomb that would equalize the playing field and have the Syndicate taking the planet without the threat of nuclear reprisal – till Owlman hits upon an idea that would destroy all reality…

The Justice League, from left: Martian Manhunter, the President's daughter Rose Wilson, Superman, good Lex Luthor, Flash, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Wonder Woman.

The movie is chock-full of action, but paced in the usual DC animation style where it doesn’t seem rushed and forced. The same thing can be said for the movie’s running time, which is around 80 minutes, but doesn’t feel like they forcefully crammed info, including solo fights, team fights, a romance between Martian Manhunter and the President’s daughter, Batman’s eventual involvement after sitting out the first act, Owlman’s romance with Superwoman (the evil Wonder Woman), Owlman’s double cross, Batman’s idea of forming a larger Justice League and Wonder Woman’s discovery of the invisible plane. It is all presented breezily and never feels crammed, too busy or hard to follow. One complaint I would have is that the Justice League doesn’t seem all that phased by meeting their evil selves, or alternate versions of their friends (like when Superman meets the overly muscular and super powerful version of Jimmy Olsen). Still, this is a pretty good piece of entertainment, with well drawn characters and a great storyline that ends with a terrific Owlman vs. Batman confrontation where Batman makes a very astute observation of his evil self that reveals a lot about his own self (it’s a great line, I won’t spoil it here). Oh yeah, did I mention that Batman is in a Power Loader suit at one point fighting alternate universe versions of Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Uncle Marvel? Yeah, this movie rocks.

The Crime Syndicate, from left: Johnny Quick, Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman. 

If you were to place this in the continuity of the Justice League cartoon series, it looks like it should be placed just before the first season of Justice League Unlimited as the Justice League satellite space station is being built in the movie and the Justice League decides to recruit new members by the end of the film. Still, it’s a loose fitting as Green Lantern in this movie is Hal Jordan, while the show featured the character of John Stewart in the show. Still it’s a pretty cool movie and a great addition to the DC comics animated library.

5/5

-Deceptisean

How Captain America can change the modern screen hero

I was thinking the other day how the superhero movie landscape has changed with the success of the Marvel-produced superhero movies. One non-Marvel hero I really love from my childhood is Superman (a DC comics character), but I've been dismayed by talk from Warner Bros., and even fandom, that Superman is an antiquated character with an outdated do-gooder, boyscout personality that wouldn't appeal to today's audience. People who make this argument labour under the assumption that society is so bad that we cannot accept characters in our fiction that do good deeds and help people simply because People who make this point believe that characters like Superman are not believable, because if you had powers, would you help people or would it be more believable that you would go on a power trip of death and destruction simply because you can? People who think that Superman is too much of a do-gooder might also think that cops, firefighters and doctors help people simply to get paid, rather than sincerly wanting to save lives, and people like Gandhi and Mother Teresa are merely anomalies. Batman is believable because he's prepetually tortured by tradgedy and beats up villains, and Superman is not believable because he doesn't have angst and uses his powers to help rather than hinder -- and who the hell would do that if they had super powers? Right?

I've always been troubled by the assumption that Superman could not work on screen anymore (even though he has in the past --  to legendary success) because nobody believes in moral superheroes anymore. And then Captain America: The First Avenger came out last year and, frankly, showed how to do a moral character right.

Steve Rogers (a.k.a. Captain America) was depicted in Captain America: The First Avenger as an honest, true hero who didn't want to kill but would still fight for his country because he "hates bullies". He's shown defending the troops in combat during WWII when a heckler disparages the war effort in a movie theatre during rousing images of troops fighting Nazis in a news reel. Rogers is a skinny, short guy and has no chance against this heckler, gets beat up by him eventually, but still stood his ground. Later, a grenade is tossed at Rogers and a bunch of army recruits, and while the grenade is not live (unbeknownst to anyone), every troop scatters to save themselves while Steve Rogers throws himself on the grenade, sacrificing himself to save his comrades. Through out Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers is portrayed as an honest hero with morals and ethics who would lay down his life for truth, justice and the American way -- and at no time at all was there an eye-rolling moment of cheesiness, corniness or jingoism. There was not one uncomfortable moment which felt out-dated or out of touch with today's view of heroism. Captain America: The First Avenger proved that there is room for morally altruistic heroes at the box office. It doesn't have to be protrayed in a corny way. People lay down their lives to save others every day, from the Red Cross sergeon in a war torn country to the cop on the street.

Superman: The Man of Steel is currently in production (as of this writing) for a 2013 release. So far, the Marvel-produced films have displayed heart and an uncanny ability to portray their characters with personality, charm and heroism in a way that isn't forced. I really hope Warner Bros. is taking notes and that Superman isn't needlessly "edgey" and panderingly "cool" in a manufactured way in Superman: The Man of Steel. I really hope the character is good natured, moral and fights for truth, justice and the American way. Captain America: The First Avenger proved that a superhero doesn't have to be dark and brooding to be a success at the box-office. Hopefully, Superman can follow suit next year.

-Deceptisean