Warner Bros, out now

It’s the end – but has the moment been prepared for?

Yes, I’m borrowing a line there from another SF franchise, but it does seem appropriate for this final instalment of the latest DC animated universes, brought to a premature end by the changes in the storytelling hierarchy. I suspect that this will pay off far more if you’ve watched every single one of the releases (as it should – maybe major plotlines shouldn’t be dependent on seeing all the shorts etc. but certainly those who have invested their time and money over the past few years should get some extra satisfaction).

The Crisis story has been told in various different forms over the last nearly 40 years, and this one does the job it’s set out to do, although I honestly expect its greatest legacy will be of Kevin Conroy’s final performance as Batman (Jensen Ackles continues to voice the Great Detective in most of the versions seen here). There are some good moments but there’s a lot crammed in, which takes some of the power away from times where you’d just like that chance to linger (let’s just say certain sacrifices are required by the storytelling gods in Crisis – one of them at least is so well known it can feature on the cover!).

As with the previous parts, the voice cast do a good job, but there’s a slight feeling of the visuals being rushed, which is very noticeable in HD.

Verdict: Crisis is a story about death and resurrection, and it will be interesting to see what follows the Tomorrowverse’s end here. It doesn’t go out with a whimper, but it’s not perhaps the bang that might have been expected. 6/10

Paul Simpson