The CW’s Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 1 Review

Director: Jesse Warn
Starring: Melissa Benoist, Stephen Amell, Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Katherine McNamara, Ruby Rose, Grant Gustin

Crisis On Infinite Earths is finally here. It’s the biggest crossover event The CW has ever done with their DC Comics-based TV shows, and it’s been a long time coming, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s exactly what’s these shows exactly needed.

Let me explain where I’m coming from when I say that. These The CW DC Comics TV shows have been really interesting. If you had told me a few years ago that the likes of The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Batwoman would be getting their own TV shows, I would have laughed in your face.

“It’s going to cost too much money to make!” I would have replied, but I never took into consideration what The CW could do with these DC Comics properties.

They have succeeded in making really popular shows, and some of them are actually very good. Arrow started off brilliantly, and The Flash has remained solid for quite some time now.

Crisis On Infinite Earths has been a long time coming

Superman, The Flash and Supergirl in Crisis On Infinite Earths (Credit: The CW)

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However, there has been quite a lot of bad over the years. The later seasons on Arrow haven’t been great, and I’m not the biggest Supergirl fan, but then again, I’m not really that show’s core demographic.

That’s what The CW has done so well with these shows. They know who they want to target with each show, and I do wonder whether that’s the problem with these crossover events.

When they started off, it was two episodes where Arrow and The Flash’s universes collided, but then the multiverse was introduced, and I found it all a bit too confusing, but it was the only way they could bring in the likes of Supergirl, Batwoman, the Legends of Tomorrow and even John Constantine all on-screen together.

The first thing I thought whilst watching this first part of The CW’s Crisis On Infinite Earths was “I have no idea what’s going on”, and the reason is because in order to be able to keep a handle on the crossover event’s plot is if you watch every single one of The CW shows, and are up to date on each and every one of them.

I’m going to admit that I’m very much behind on Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow. The main CW show I follow closely is The Flash, and that’s not enough to be able to know what’s happening in this episode.

Crisis On Infinite Earths part 1 starts off with the Monitor explaining that an anti-matter wave was decimating all universes across the multiverse and that he’s been preparing the multiverse’s great heroes to prevent this from happening.

There’s just too much explanation and not much plot

Batwoman and Supergirl in Crisis On Infinite Earths (Credit: The CW)

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Back on Earth-1, Harbinger brings Barry, Kate Kane, and Sara Lance and Ray Palmer of the Legends to Earth-38 as well as rescues the Kents from the planet Argo which was the first casualty of the anti-matter wave.

Harbinger then reveals to the gathered heroes that the Anti-Monitor is behind this and it’s up to them to save all universes in the multiverse from this unparalleled threat.

That’s the beginning of the episode, and it took me a while to write that brief synopsis because much of what’s going on didn’t really make much sense to this, and it’s because there’s a lot of a CW ‘science’ speak going on in this episode which is very difficult to get a firm grasp of.

This is Crisis On Infinite Earths’ biggest problem. The plot is just far too complex and I can’t help but feel that The CW’s writers have written themselves into a hole by trying to be far too clever for their own good.

Now, I realise that I haven’t been keeping up-to-date with every single episode, which is one reason why I didn’t understand much, but the fact that most of this episode is one big information dump and I still didn’t understand what’s going on is proof that the writers came up with a plot that’s far too convoluted.

There’s an awful lot of people standing around in rooms and talking about what’s happening. It’s very much a case of tell, don’t show, and that’s been an issue with many of these The CW TV shows.

Thank God for Oliver Queen in Crisis On Infinite Earths

Superman and The Flash in Crisis On Infinite Earths (Credit: The CW)

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Thank God for some standout moments involving Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, who puts in a fine performance in this episode.

He’s the episode’s saving grace because without him, there’s really not much to write home about, and that pains me to say.

I’ve been looking forward to Crisis On Infinite Earths for such a long time now, and I can’t help but feel disappointed by the show’s first episode.

I’m still going to watch the others and write reviews of them, but I’m not holding much hope.

What did you make of Crisis On Infinite Earths part 1? Let us know in the comments below.

Crisis On Infinite Earths airs on The CW in the US and Sky One will air the crossover event in part in the UK.

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