adminFilm Review,Tinashe Kusema
Well, that was anti-climatic.”
That was my first thought when l finished watching the first instalments of the DC’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” five-part television crossover.
Two weeks and three instalments in, I am still nowhere near understanding where the story is coming from and going.
Yes, all three episodes managed to marginally live up to expectation, but that mostly had to do with some super-sized fan service, great individual performances and a couple of stellar direction, rather than any actual storytelling.
But before we get into that, let us get into the gripes I have with the crossover so far.
Let’s start with a game I like to call ‘‘what do we know’.’ Our big bad guy is a god-like super-being by the name ‘‘Anti-monitor’.’ He has been plotting for the annihilation of the entire multi-verse for some time now.
His goal is to create one universe, one that only he can control.
Another ‘‘bein’g’ by the name ‘‘The Monitor’’ has set out to stop this inevitable catastrophic event. He has assembled a group of super-powered heroes from across the multi-verse.
This cataclysmic event is the very crisis in which the two biggest heroes in the Arrow-verse in Barry Allen/ Flash (Grant Gustin) and Oliver Queen/ Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) are destined to die.
Sadly, halfway through the crisis, there has been very few developments on the aforementioned facts, with the exception being that we finally managed to get our first glimpse of the so-called ‘‘Anti-monitor’’.
The dude is super ugly. And one of our beloved heroes dies in the very first hour.
In terms of the Anti-Monitor’s back-story, motives and power, we know very little.
It is becoming so difficult for me to persuade non-comic geeks to watch and enjoy some these television adaptations. This particular crossover hasn’t helped my plight in that regard.
The word ‘‘hero’’ was used, used again, over-used and then some; and it got to the extent that I actually invented a new drinking game, in which one takes a shot every time the word is used.
If I was a tippler, which I am not regardless of what anyone else might say, I would have gotten extremely wasted during this crossover.
However, it was not all bad. One of the main draws of this so-called ‘‘biggest television event’’ was the star-studded ensemble, which included some known and secret cameos as well as homages to other DC and CW shows.
Tom Welling, of the ‘‘Smallville’’ fame, stars in a short but memorable cameo. Other notables include Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Alan Ritchson Curran Walters (Hawk and Robin), Burt Ward (Dick Grayson), Wil Wheaton (Doomsday Prophet), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Johnathon Schaech (Jonah Hex), Cress Williams (Black Lightning) and Matt Ryan (Constantine).
The MVP crown, however, goes to the duo of John Wesley Shipp and Tom Ellis (Lucifer), who reprise their roles of Barry Allen and Lucifer Morningstar.
While Shipp’s appearance was all but a guarantee given his involvement in ‘‘The Flash’’ series, it was the very first time that his Barry Allen from ‘‘Earth 99’’ actually paid homage to the 90s television series of the same name.
It even included a scene, opposite co-star Amanda Pays (Tina McGee), who ironically has also appeared in the reboot, albeit in a different capacity.
Ellis’ role, however, came as a delightful suprise.
The guy simply oozes charisma and totally steals the show, in the few minutes he is on screen as Lucifer.
Last, but certainly not least, let’s give a round of applause to the directors.
Yes, this was a crossover and the biggest one so far, but it was always going to be difficult to do justice to the shows involved.
Jess Warn, Laura Beasly and David McWhirter did justice to their respective shows, keeping the different tones of the shows while also keeping the story connected and moving at a swift pace.
The writers also did an excellent job in balancing the numerous supporting casts, who are often given a raw deal in terms of storyline and material in these crossovers.
I liked the fact that there was room to fit in the likes of Iris West (Candice Patton), Catlin Snow aka Frost (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon/Vibe (Carlos Valdes) and even Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and Brainiac 5 (Jesse Rath).
Jon Cyer and Ryan were also given their time in the sun and really deserve to get more going forward. The two guys have mastered the essence of their characters. They really deserve their own shows. So that’s it for now. We will get the ‘Crisis’ last two instalments on January 14, 2020. They are slated for Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.
Given the cliff-hanger they left us with, it promises to be one heck of a conclusion of the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ multi-episode crossover.
Online Reporter