–The Anti-Monitor!
–That doesn’t even sound like a real name.
The CWTVDCU’s version of Crisis on Infinite Earths nears a conclusion, and nothing will ever be the same again….
…except for all the stuff that hasn’t changed.
Title: Crisis on Infinite Earths (4)
Cast and Crew
Directed by Glen Winter
Written by Marv Wolfman and Marc Guggenheim
Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen
Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / The Flash
Ruby Rose as Kate Kane / Batwoman
Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers / Supergirl
Osric Chau as Ryan Choi
Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer / The Atom
Caity Lotz as Sara Lance / White Canary
David Harewood as J’onn J’onzz / Martian Manhunter
Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent / Superman
LaMonica Garrett as Mar Novu / The Monitor / The Anti-Monitor
Melanie Merkosky as Xneen Novu
Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake / Black Canary
Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning
Stephen Lobo as Jim Corrigan
David Ramsey as John Diggle / Spartan
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison ‘Nash’ Wells / Pariah
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers
Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane
Audrey Marie Anderson as Lyla Michaels / Harbinger
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
Premise
We see the origin of the Monitor, the multiverse, and the AntiMonitor, before a Spectre-ized Oliver Queen uses the Speed Force and leads the “Paragons” to save reality. At the Dawn of Time (which looks surprisingly like a rock quarry), our heroes make a stand…
High Point
“I’m asking myself the same question.”
The episode delivers (and kept from leaking) a cameo I did not expect to see. It doesn’t really serve any purpose except to foreshadow the epilogue of Part Five, but it remains a great crossover moment between two universes.
Low Point
Supergirl and Dr. Choi turn their backs on Lex Luthor, and then take awhile to find him when he disappers. I guess he used more Book of Destiny magic. In any case, Luthor should occasionally get the better of the heroes because he’s smart, not because they are idiots.
The Scores:
Originality: 3/6 We have an adaptation inspired by the original comic-book Crisis, but which follows its own route to the Dawn of Time and the Rebirth of the Universe.
Effects: 4/6 The effects vary quite a bit– even the same effects. Sometimes the Shadow Demons are the product of credible CGI. Other times, they appear to be the product of a retired Hanna-Barbera animator who needed work.
Acting: 5/6 The acting varies, and it must be watched in its frequently campy context, but the characters generally work for what they are supposed to be. Jon Cryer makes an entertaining Lex Luthor.
Emotional Response: 4/6
Production: 5/6 We have an epic on a budget. It lacks the scope, complexity, and sheer craziness of its inspiration…
Story: 3/6 ….but it makes marginally more sense. Nevertheless, events often happen, as in the source, for the benefit of cameo shots, fight sequences, and preordained conclusions.
Overall: 4/6 The final scene directly echoes the opening Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it will head for a similar conclusion. First, however, we need to take a detour through a rampaging plush toy. That, however, is `Lex Pendragon’s department.
In total, Arrow‘s “Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Four”, receives 28/42