Crisis on Earth-X

Bionic Bob fanedits = fun. Plain and simple. Whenever I settle down to watch an edit by BB, I know I'm in for a hell of a ride. Unsurprisingly, Crisis On Earth X is no exception to this.

Initially I was big fan of DC's TV shows. I religiously followed Smallville from start to end, and was quickly hooked on Arrow when it came out. Same for The Flash. However, things in your life change, and the sheer ability to keep up with various seasons of what would become to be known as the "Arrowverse" was too much for my wife and I. So, we bowed out. In many ways I regret it, as there's a lot in the various shows that I love, but hey, at least with fanedits like this I can occasionally dip my superhero toe back into the world of the Arrowverse.
With this edit of Crisis on Earth X, there are some characters who appear that I just wasn't familiar with - mainly from DC's Legends series - but the sheer rollercoaster ride which Bob secures you on doesn't give you much time to dwell on such things, and there's no doubt in my mind that the story works perfectly well for us more casual fans. It also doesn't outstay it's welcome. At 145 minutes it's still lengthy I suppose, but it never feels like this. There's so much going on that I was definitely along for the ride and in many ways I didn't want to get off.

From what I'm told, many fans have problems with the whole Felicity and Oliver relationship, primarily in the way Felicity acts towards Oliver, but whilst I am aware of some of this when watching some of Arrow, Bob reels this in nicely in Crisis on Earth X. Their relationship and the mirroring with Barry's and Iris' marriage coms across very well I thought and both couples come out very well in this edit.

I loved all the reverse versions of characters from the parallel nazi world - all of them really got into the roles, and makes for some very interesting face offs with their counterparts as the story unfolds. However, the star of the show for me is Victor Garber as Martin Stein/Firestorm. His character arc here is very emotional and shows just how good an actor Garber is.

Special mention goes to the action scenes here too. Considering these are TV productions, some of the staging and photography of the fight scenes are quite something to behold. Creative, interesting and very exciting without resorting to loads of annoying shaky cam or overly quick cuts.

In terms of the edit, this near perfect. Picture looks great, no bad audio cuts, and if I was really nit picking I would just say that I didn't like one of the fade to blacks near the end, but only because it reminded me I was watching a TV Series that was going to go to a commerical break - I kinda liked the illusion of this being a feature film I suppose. But, I realise why Bob did it, and it does make sense in that way.

All in all though, a terrific edit and I look forward to watching more Crisis edits from BB!!

The Peak of the Arrowverse! This edit made the 4 part crossover into quite an enjoyable movie and one that went by with the speed of the Flash leaving me hopeful like Supergirl for more to come and ready for more comic action like Arrow. This edit is a LEGEND!

Every cut was seamless and the audio was well done considering how the music always has a bit of a swell before a commercial break. The Olicity drama has been minimized (personal preference would've been to cut back a little more, but that's because of my feelings in regards to that relationship) and without all of the inner workings of each shows drama being scaled back, we get to be fully immersed in the tragic and heroic exit of a favorite character. If you don't shed a tear, double check that you have a pulse!

In all honesty, there is literally nothing I can say to be more constructive. This is was I want to see in a major crossover event and I'm SUPER excited for Bob's Crisis on Infinite Earths movies.

Bob's love for these comic book heroes shines through and makes us believe an Arrowverse can fly (when the melodrama is scaled back and the character interactions are highlighted).

So much fun! From the perspective of someone who doesn't regularly watch the Arrowverse (a bit too heavy on the soap opera side for my tastes) but has had a lifelong love for these characters from the comics, I really appreciate Bob's distillation of the big event episodes to make them more easily palatable to casual viewers. A previous review seems to miss some of the character bits that have been removed, while if anything I still felt some parts were a bit too soapy (what worked for me character-wise? The poignant Jax/Stein subplot and the Snart/Ray moments that help paint a bigger picture of life under the Earth-X Nazi tyranny. The rest... not really so much), so your mileage may vary.

I also admit that I initially found this to be a bit of a slow starter. Up until the end, I was thinking that it should have opened with the wedding, as there's where it really kicks in. But the ending proved me wrong: you absolutely need those early scenes to make the ending work. In any case, once I kicked it I was glued to the screen all through. So very compelling, exciting, and energetic! By the point Supergirl gets to say a certain iconic line associated to her cousin (let me thank the show for the reference) I actually cheered. Felt like going out there myself to punch some Nazis!

Gotta thank Bob for giving me the opportunity to enjoy all the likable characters (and likable they are) and the energy with less soap opera. Keep 'em coming! The mid-credits sequence with two certain classic characters (one from an earlier TV incarnation, one from a milestone comic book) got me all nostalgic and excited for the next one already!