Close

Blu-ray Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS – PART THREE

Sep 08 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three is the third/final installment of the new animated trilogy adapting the iconic 12-issue DC comic book crossover story of the same name, which originally ran from 1985–1986. Part Three picks up immediately where Part Two left off. Supergirl (Meg Donnelly) has killed the Monitor, releasing his energy into the Satellite. Meanwhile, the other heroes have banded together, trying to fight off the Anti-Monitor’s massive shadow demon creature, which easily adapts to their attack. But they manage to use the Monitor’s released energy to transport the remaining Earths and their suns into The Bleed, an unstable dimension that exists outside of the multiverse, and which is hidden from the Anti-Monitor.

For the next 8 months, the heroes search for survivors, and finally locate and thaw the frozen body of Wonder Woman (Stana Katic). While they may be hidden from the Anti-Monitor, The Bleed is not necessarily a safe or stale place to remain. It is very chaotic and unpredictable, with the rate of anomalies increasing and getting worse by the day. The latest of which finds dinosaurs rampaging through downtown Metropolis. The heroes need to figure out how to stop all of this once and for all, and the answer comes when Batman (Jensen Ackles) has a vision of The Flash after being exposed to fear gas. In this vision, Barry tells Bruce that they must go back to before the beginning, and by beginning, he is referring to the multiverse. The person who may be able to identify the source of the multiverse is Constantine (Matt Ryan), but these memories are locked away somewhere in his mind. As the group works out a way to extract these memories, they discover that the Anti-Monitor has somehow figured out about The Bleed, and he keeps popping in just long enough to destroy another planet. With The Bleed growing more and more unstable, and no longer a place to hide, time is running short to formulate and execute a plan stop the Anti-Monitor, and it appears that it may take a hero’s sacrifice in order to do so.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three provides a solid ending to the trilogy, bringing the events and characters to a somewhat satisfying and definite conclusion. While the first two installments sometimes felt like a bunch of shorter episodes joined together to hit 90 minutes, this final part feels more like a single feature-length story arc. As a non comic-book reader and someone who didn’t see the 7 direct-to-video movies that led up to this trilogy, I would be lying if I said I fully understood what was going on. There are so many different characters in this 3-part event (and so many versions of the same characters) that I sometimes found it a bit difficult to identify and keep track of all of them. Though it definitely helps to turn on the subtitles, so you can see the character names.

Some of the main characters who get a bit of a focus in this third installment include Supergirl, who’s feeling guilty about killing the Monitor; Superman (Darren Criss), who tries to comfort her; Batman, who talks with the older version of The Flash, who sacrificed everything in Part One; Wonder Woman, who feels guilty watching other people die while she’s immortal; Constantine, whose memories may help save the planet(s); Green Lantern John Stewart (Aldis Hodge); and Martian Manhunter (Ike Amadi), who has a new role. But there are so many other familiar and cameo characters that pop up throughout Part Three as well as the trilogy as a whole—even folks like The Losers, the Super Friends! I think comic-book fans and those who have watched all of the various animated movies and series over the decades are going to have a blast with this, and will want to re-watch over and over to catch all the cameos.

The vocal performances are excellent, and the cast is fantastic, with so many recognizable TV actors providing the voices for these iconic heroes. I also really enjoyed the aesthetic and look of the animation, which finds this sweet spot between modern and classic. Warner Bros. has released Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Three on Blu-ray and SteelBook 4K disc. This time around, I was sent the Blu-ray for review. The picture looks quite amazing, with a pristine, clear picture. Lines look sharp, colors really pop, detail is great—it’s just a really beautiful presentation, and I can’t imagine it actually looking any better on the 4K release. The soundtrack is also well done, providing clear dialogue and a really immersive experience. There is extensive use of the surround channel to make the viewer feel like they are right in the middle of the action.

The single Blu-ray disc resides on the right side of standard HD keepcase, case, covered in a glossy carboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions for redeeming an HD Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. The disc contains about 19 minutes of bonus material with the filmmakers.



What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:13)

    Blu-ray:

    • 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
    • Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
    • Subtitles: English SDH, French, Dutch, Spanish

    Digital (code may not be valid after 9/30/2025):

    • HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

    Extras:

    • A Multiverse of Inspiration (9:23)
      The filmmakers discuss choosing which characters to use in the miniseries and combining their different styles&mdash the original Earth-2 characters, the Silver Age characters, Kamandi, Super Friends, Batman: The Animated Series, and more. Includes artwork, clips, and interviews with executive producer Butch Lukic, director Jeff Wamester, producer/writer Jim Krieg, DC Group editor Kate Kubert, DC archivist Benjamin LaClear, & DC writer Geoff Johns.
    • John and John: Stewart and Constantine (8:21)
      The filmmakers discuss these two sci-fi characters—John Stewart and John Constantine. They talk about how John Stewart fits in with the Green Lanterns and his journey in the miniseries, John Constantine’s chaotic supernatural elements and his role as Pariah, and the relationship between these two characters. Includes artwork, clips, and interviews with DC writer Geoff Johns, DC archivist Benjamin LaClear, producer/writer Jim Krieg, DC Group editor Kate Kubert, director Jeff Wamester & executive producer Butch Lukic.

    Final Thoughts:

    My Rating
    Film:
    Video:
    Audio:
    Extras:
    Worth a Look
    for DC Animation Fans

    The entire Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths trilogy feels like it was made for the die-hard fans of the DC animated movies and comics, bringing together loads of characters for one big epic crossover. This final installment brings everything to a satisfying conclusion, telling more of a single feature-length story than the first two parts did. Fans who have stuck around for Part Three should find that it builds to a solid and definite conclusion, rather than leaving viewers on a cliffhanger. Those who haven’t seen the previous 7 direct-to-video films that led up to this trilogy should probably spend the time checking those out first, but you can still watch the trilogy without them. Die hard fans will want to pick up the 4K release for the stellar presentation, beautiful animation, and wonderful SteelBook packaging, but the Blu-ray presentation still looks and sounds fantastic, and both versions include some entertaining bonus material with the film’s creators. Now that all three parts of this trilogy are available, I think it would be beneficial to watch them as a binge.



    Get it on Apple TV

    Explore all of these titles on Amazon.com