Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Flash, Flash, hundred-year dash.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 24, 2024

Warner Bros.' new DCAU film, Crisis on Infinite Earths, is divided into three parts and intended as the summation of their "Tomorrowverse" films released between 2020-23. Ironically mirroring the drastic social ups and downs of those years, this uneven slate included Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Justice Society: World War II, the two-part Batman: The Long Halloween, Green Lantern: Beware My Power, The Legion of Super-Heroes, and Justice League: Warworld. (Minor back roads and detours also exist in films like 2022's Constantine: The House of Mystery as well.) So while my optimistic side hoped for a big payoff with this first 96-minute chapter, the odds were clearly not in its favor.

Crisis on Infinite Earths is of course based on the iconic 1985-86 comic book series by Marv Wolfman and the late George Perez... but only loosely, at least for now, as Barry Allen AKA The Flash (Matt Bomer) is used as a narrative framing device. Someone or something has been destroying entire planets in different multiverse realities; Flash's Earth might be next, and he's been experiencing random time jumps that force him to revisit crucial events in his life, many involving his relationship with future wife Iris West (Ashleigh LaThrop) including their wedding. Its path also includes the formation of The Justice League alongside super-colleagues such as Superman (Darren Criss), Batman (Jensen Ackles), Green Arrow (Jimmi Simpson), Martian Manhunter (Ike Amadi), and Token Vixen (Keesha Sharp).

Unfortunately, the bulk of this 96-minute first chapter is bogged down by severe pacing issues, feeling less like the measured setup for a satisfying story and more like filler to justify a three-part "event". I daresay that more than half of this film could be skipped entirely and nothing of real importance would be lost, and the remaining portion -- which, to be fair, does offer a handful of admittedly cool "gotcha" moments and other reveals -- treads water as a direct result. It's probably closest in execution to the last "Tomorrowverse" outing, Justice League: Warworld, in that its drastically noticeable highs and lows feel more like a slapped-together anthology film rather than tightly-woven fabric. Worse yet, it just kind of fizzles out with a fairly weak cliffhanger, further exacerbating those glaring problems with pacing. While I wouldn't consider Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One a total loss and the follow-up almost has to be better in direct comparison, DC's extremely uneven track record still doesn't give me an abundance of hope going forward.

Warner Bros. nonetheless treats this first chapter as a pretty big deal on home video, continuing two disparate trends: actually offering a 4K edition (and in Steelbook packaging to boot) and avoiding combo packs like the plague, forcing consumers to pick their preferred format. While the technical differences between both won't be as evident on smaller displays, both editions offer identical audio options and bonus features, the latter of which are pretty limited.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One follows the trend of previous "Tomorrowverse" films in both its animation style (mostly attractive, if not more than a little stiff at times) and its appearance on home video, so you'll forgive me if I'm a little brief here. The long and short of this 2160p/HDR transfer is that it clearly beats the Blu-ray edition in overall stability and textural detail, not to mention color accuracy and contrast levels, for three reasons: more efficient HEVC encoding, a greater amount of disc space, and of course HDR enhancement. All three work in equal measure to deliver an image that will show noticeable improvements on medium to larger displays and, while Crisis' limited animation isn't the most obvious showcase for the benefits of UHD, it's the version to get if you're equipped for the format.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix doesn't consistently offer mind-melting bursts of discrete activity or a whopping low end, but is perfectly acceptable for small-screen entertainment that attempts a larger scale. Dialogue is clean and crisp, while the surround channels open up decently during sporadic fight sequences, superpower displays, and in cavernous locales. Like the previous "Tomorrowverse" films linked above, this is more of a "gets the job done" presentation than a truly revelatory sonic standout, and under the circumstances that's just fine.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and both extras listed below.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in standard-issue Steelbook packaging, which simply repurposes the regular cover art while continuing its outer space motif on the back. Inside, there's a nice two-panel spread of key characters (Flash being the most prominent, obviously) and a Digital Copy is also included. Extras are predictably minimal but at least offer some valuable context for those who hasn't been keeping up with the past 2-3 years of DCAU releases.

• Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One: Crisis Prime(r) (9:39) - Executive producer Butch Lukic, producer/writer Jim Krieg, director Jeff Wamester, and former DC Animation creative director Mike Carlin offer a quick tour of the seven "Tomorrowverse" DCAU films that Crisis on Infinite Earths was built upon, from 2020's terrific Superman: Man of Tomorrow to the uneven Justice League: Warworld just a few months ago. It'll be a helpful refresher for anyone who hasn't seen them all recently, although it unsurprisingly doesn't go into much depth.

• The Selfless Speedster (8:02) - Jim Krieg and Jeff Wamester return with DC head honcho Jim Lee, original Crisis inker Jerry Ordway, original Crisis associate editor Robert Greenberger, original writer Marv Wolfman, and voice actor Matt Bomer (The Flash / Barry Allen), who separately discuss the 1985-86 comic series and the use of Flash as a framing device, and we also get to see a few storyboards and voice acting sessions.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One wants to be the start of something big. Maybe it will be. But despite the promise (threat?) of two more chapters this year, this 93-minute opener is frankly a slog to get through at times. Pacing issues are its biggest flaw, which impacts everything from character intros and dynamics to what should be more memorable revelations, and the limited animation and visuals also undercut some of the drama. Perhaps it'll rebound with the next chapter in a presumed few months (the trailer is already out), but my mixed reaction to the seven "Tomorrowverse" films that built up to it don't signal extreme confidence. Warner Bros.' home video treatment offers modest support, including a solid A/V presentation and two short but welcome extras, but it carries a high price tag for "Part 1 of 3". Quite honestly, I wouldn't even blame die-hard fans for holding off to see where this story goes next.