Well, it's here! I finally got to witness the first episode of Crisis on Infinite Earths, and I gotta say, I’m not as impressed as I thought I’d be. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve illogically lost all excitement for what’s to come as this is the most massive crossover event in the history of this 7+ year franchise. So, what exactly did I like and dislike so far about Part 1? Side Note: I won't get to every single detail of the episode as I'm only highlighting the major things that stood out to me personally.
Pros:
The Magnitude of Crisis Is Felt
-The stakes feel genuinely high boldly showing Argo’s destruction followed by the implication of Earth-38’s. Just the idea that an entire show's setting just got wiped out in the first part of this crossover speaks volumes of the massive consequences of this particular arc. What does that mean for Leviathan (the current season villain of Supergirl) or the Mars related story with J'onn and his brother? Better yet, what does that mean for the Arrowverse itself in regards to the Supergirl series now being Earth-less with the possibility of having to remain on Earth-1? These are pretty huge questions which already makes Crisis quite a game changer for the CW's superhero line of shows. Also, loved the Kal-El and Kara baby pod escape callback with now Superman and Lois having to send their baby away during Argo's demise.
Part 1's Greatest Visual
-The imagery of the Monitor’s tower emerging on Earth-38 looked pretty impressive from a visual FX and design perspective. I loved the idea that the Monitor had already established these structures on various Earths long before any of our heroes were even established summoning them for the first time. It not only adds to the urgency of the Anti-Monitor threat, but also the ancient mythology of this crossover's arc.
The Invasion Force
-The army of wraiths that we see our heroes fend off in this first episode perfectly conveyed what the future Flash newspaper article described as "shadow demons". The CGI on the creatures were serviceable and their design was decent enough although I do hope we get to see them a little bit more up close. The time wraiths from the Flash series have an intriguing detail of actually looking like the ghosts of deceased speedsters with their outfits when seen up close, so I wonder if we'll get any interesting character design elements with the Anti-Monitor's minions.
Star City 2046 Tie-In
Loved the Legends of Tomorrow tie-in with the Star City 2046 episode. Seeing that doom and gloom version of Oliver again was interesting especially with the new explanation of it being another Earth as opposed to an alternate timeline for Earth-1. Having this Oliver show up in the crossover also opened up a great window of opportunity to highlight Sara's destiny from being lost on the Queen's Gambit to becoming a deadly assassin/captain of a time traveling ship (boy have we come a long way with these characters). Having Sara tell this version of Oliver how his tragic loss of Sara was actually an incredible kickstarting point for a heroic journey with her story added a multi-layered sense of closure with their relationship (despite it not being Earth-1's Oliver). Honestly, I'd actually like to see us return to this Oliver in the future somehow even if in the form of a one shot comic book chronicling his story. Although, I'm admittedly still a tiny bit confused on the time traveling/multiverse element of this Oliver and what we saw on Legends.
A Few Moments To Breathe With Our Characters
-This episode, although very fast paced at times, does offer up a few character discussion scenes that felt meaningful. There's a pretty solid scene between Superman and Supergirl speaking about the conundrum of trying to make a life outside of being a superhero. It's nice to see a now parent Superman reflecting on whether or not he ever deserved this new lifestyle now in the wake of the apocalypse with Supergirl being able to relate on her end. Also, as a side note, I've always enjoyed seeing these 2 characters onscreen together. It was one of the highlights of Season 2 and continues to be for the series overall. On the Arrow end of things, Oliver giving Mia her official Green Arrow suit was a nice touching moment of a mantle officially being handed down from one generation of heroes to another. It's a nice conclusive moment for the Arrow series itself emphasizing on its current theme of legacy.
New Roles For Characters
-Lyla being Harbinger was pretty cool as her character gave off a strong Silver Surfer-Galactus vibe that I absolutely loved. The same can be said for how Nash Wells was transformed into Pariah after his connection to the Anti-Monitor. There's something about the overall concept of transforming these side characters into cosmic servants of sorts that I find very fascinating. The suits are great, but more so, it's good that we have these characters that are specifically designed to inform our heroes and the audience about particular story components. By transforming Lyla and Nash, the crossover highlights how every hero does indeed have a larger role to play in this event. Some continue on their typical path but larger stakes and others are completely repurposed. This may actually be my favorite element of the crossover so far specifically in regards to the story concepts being conveyed.
Great Fan Service Is Always Welcomed
-Was that Titans that I saw? I’m pretty sure that I saw Jason Todd and Hawk which is insane coming from someone who basically watches nearly all of the recent superhero shows on the market. Much like the Elseworlds crossover, Part 1 of Crisis delivers several drops of fan service in the form of Easter eggs and cameos scattered across the multiverse. Aside from Titans characters appearing, we also witness other awesome familiar faces like Robert Wuhl from Tim Burton’s Batman and Burt Ward from the 60’s Adam West Batman series. If that wasn't geek out worthy enough, as icing on the cake, they even use some of the musical cues from those respected properties as well as line up the Earth's number with the year of those property release dates. These are the types of Easter eggs that I was hoping to get with this crossover, so consider me satisfied in that department.
Cameos aside, there's also some great in-universe Easter eggs that I loved such as Kelly using Guardian's shield, the Legion's ship making a return as an evacuation vehicle, Doomsday and Zod being name dropped as old enemies from Superman's past, and Lena being utilized to help create Earth-38's evacuation portal. This being a Supergirl episode, I felt the crossover did a great job at giving geek out worthy nods to the fans. Boy would I like to see what that Doomsday battle was like with Earth-38's Superman. Also, was that “End is Nigh” sign being waved around by Will Wheaton a Watchmen nod? Just wondering since it's all in the DC wheelhouse.
Cons:
Take Your Time Crisis, You Have 5 Episodes!
One of the biggest negatives that stood out to me immediately was how highly rushed this episode felt overall in its set up of conflict, multiverse traversing, and certain character interaction scenes. Even if the individual shows themselves have taken the time to set up particular character arcs leading into the Crisis, the event still has quite a bit of content to toss at the audience. Such a massively ambitious concept for a franchise/universe should be handled with much care especially in its sense of pacing. For this, I really wished the writers would've found a way to lay everything out to the audience without feeling like someone was behind the scenes constantly yelling at the characters to talk a little faster or for the editor to hurry up due to a strict deadline.
I Know. I Know. This Is A CW Production & Not HBO
Lower production values than I expected in the visual direction and action scenes. What can I say? After some of Crisis on Earth-X’s grand scope action scenes and Elseworlds’ reality shifting direction and AMAZO fight, with this being the biggest event of the franchise, I was expecting to be constantly blown away by the spectacle elements. Instead, what we got with the fight against the Anti-Monitor's army was merely “serviceable enough” by Arrowverse standards. Better yet, Id say it was passable by Supergirl standards which I suppose sort of makes sense here. I do have to remind myself that this is indeed only Part 1 of a 5-Episode event, so who knows what we'll get to experience in the following days to come. However, first impressions are important, so in that sense, I can't say that my excitement levels pertaining to epic action scenes are as high as they were going in. But I'd also be a fool to think that this is the "peak" of what Crisis has to offer.
Oliver's Big Sacrifice. You Sure That's The One?
Stephen Amell’s acting has gotten better over the years (especially starting from Season 5 of Arrow) as the character itself has underwent some significant phases in his vigilante hero career. I can confidently tell you as a huge Arrow fan that his performance during the scene where he's lying on the table speaking his “final words” to the team was not the best take to have left us off on. With such emotional stakes involved, let's just say that I've seen much better from previous scenes with Amell having to deliver dramatically impactful character moments. Also, Oliver has always been a physical combat centered hero, so having his big epic final battle be an offscreen attack feels off and anticlimactic. The imagery of him dropping the bow after running out of arrows was great as was his run towards the army with no weapons but his fists, but not actually showing him fighting his way through them was a big mistake. So, please CW...please don't let this be the end of what is arguably the most important character of your successful franchise.
Overall Thoughts
If I'm being honest here, I think I may have unfortunately overhyped myself for this crossover which hurt more than help with my initial viewing experience of Part 1. I was so excited to see what the creative heads behind the scenes had in store for us since Elseworlds and Crisis on Earth-X were pretty amazing stepping stones for what epic crossover events can be in the Arrowverse. Considering the scope of what Crisis is and the fact that we had our individual shows actually building it up since the previous crossover was massively ambitious. With that in mind, I kept thinking to myself how this was going to be one groundbreaking, eye popping, and jaw dropping episode after another. After seeing Part 1 now, I'd have to say that my levels of hype have withered down to cautious optimism.
Perhaps this is a good thing. It's time to cut my expectations in half, remind myself that this is a CW production at the end of the day and not an episode of Game of Thrones in regards to visuals, and just enjoy what is given in the fan service department. This is the first episode after all, so maybe they’re saving the "good stuff" for later? There goes that optimism. Every crossover event out did the previous in the spectacle department to some degree, so I’m hoping that Crisis delivers on that track record significantly. We have more heroes to play with here and a much bigger threat to battle. There must be something worthy of the word "epic" on the horizon right? Alright, safely positioned excitement from here on out. Let's see what Part 2-5 has to offer.
Side Note: If this felt like one massive rant coming from someone with ridiculous expectations, this is all simply tough love from a massive fan of the shows. When I know a series can do better after a certain standard is set, I judge it by such. So any nitpicks or major negatives listed here are all just criticism coming from pure geeky love. There are several nitpicks that I decided to leave out such as Brainy's overacting at times amongst other things because I realized that what really matters at the end of the day is the effectiveness of the storytelling and entertainment value. In that case, this isn't a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination. Just one that could have been a whole lot better as our kicking off point.
Episode Rating: 7/10
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