‘Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths’ is what a superhero movie should be

We may never get a live-action film where Superman, Batman and the rest of the Justice League work together to save the day, but, thankfully, DC Animated has apparently made it its duty to give fans plenty of animated movies of just that.

The latest, "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" focuses on two worlds, one where the Justice League act as their heroic selves and another where they have evil doppelgangers ruling through fear.

These two worlds don't know about the other until the evil dimension's Lex Luthor, a hero in his native dimension, crosses over to ask for help.

The Justice League must then face off against a world full of super powered criminals, villains led by Ultraman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick, Power Ring and Owlman.

However, Owlman has a more sinister motive then his fellow crime lords, one that may destroy humanity in every universe.

"Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" has a fantastic story going for it, forcing DC Animated's biggest heroes into fighting themselves and twisted versions of some of their closest friends.

The subplot about Martian Manhunter trying to find love is sweet without being creepy, something hard to do with a shape changing alien.

This film features many cameos as well, with the evil universe laden with alternate versions of B- and C-list heroes I never expected to be animated.

An evil version of the hero Looker made it into this film.

The fact that any version of Looker even got animated is kind of mind-blowing for me; writer Dwayne McDuffie really places these neat little surprises for fans.

The animation in this film is also top-notch as well, with character designs combining classic elements with a unique twist – something small to make it their own.

Most of the fight scenes are absolutely brilliant as well, with characters utilizing their abilities in flashy and exciting ways that look a lot better in animation then they ever did on the pages of a comic book.

The best fight of the movie may be Wonder Woman fighting Superwoman, each using their raw strength and agility to hurt each other in ways that are painful to watch.

While this film features a relatively famous cast with names like Mark Harmon, Chris Noth and Billy Baldwin, few performances are truly memorable.

It's hard to support a Batman that isn't being done by Kevin Conroy.

However, James Woods as Owlman and Gina Torres as Superwoman both do fantastic jobs as the villainous couple.

If either of them show up in future DC Animated works, it would be a plus.

The DVD also includes a short film about the spirit of vengeance, The Spectre, as he solves a crime and punishes the guilty.

It's a nice short featuring a good performance from comedic actor Gary Cole as beat cop Jim Corrigan and the title character, combining spooky with a '70s action flick feel.

The other special features aren't anything special, although it does give a behind-the-scenes look on several of DC Animated's other films, including the upcoming "Batman: Under the Red Hood."

They also discuss how this movie was originally scripted for the old television show "justice League Unlimited," and the connections are clear.

"Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" is one of the best films DC has released and much better than anything Marvel has released under its own animated banner.

Hopefully its other direct-to-DVD films will continue this trend.

Grade: A