issue 19// vol 46 Lex Luthor versus a toy bear » Ranking the five episodes of DC’s ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover special Jonathan Pabico Contributor f you're a DC comic book fan, then the current superhero television shows from Batwoman all the way to Arrow are a perfect pastime. What’s even more fun are the crossover series—featuring heroes from all these shows! With the recent ensemble TV special Crisis on Infinite Earths having concluded this January, here is a list ranking its five episodes from best to worst. The best: “Batwoman” Part two stands out the most in the entire series because of how it develops the story arc of Batwoman (Ruby Rose). The episode adds more layers to this young vigilante through a growing friendship with Supergirl (Melissa Benoist). Moreover, Rose explores her character's convictions as a hero— developing her growth from the TV series that aired last year. In addition to Batwoman, the episode has the most memorable cameos of icons from DC Comics films or TV. Each cameo has substantial screen time, allowing viewers to appreciate their interactions with the main characters. Part two also has a main plot balanced with its subplots, thanks to adequate editing and screenwriting. The action sequences are decent and the soundtrack that conveys the right tone for each scene. On top of that, Jon Cryer plays supervillain Lex Luthor surprisingly well— he’s quite the charismatic schemer. Overall, this episode surpasses the other parts of the series with all its enjoyable takeaways. Second best: “The Flash” Part three raises the stakes of the story well and has even pacing. There is also some tension between characters—it is used to humanize them, making them imperfect superheroes. However, there are some supporting characters, such as Tom Cavanagh as Pariah—the emotionally detached ally of the heroes—that are two- dimensional. In addition, the story has some twists, but bears similarities to the plot from Avengers: Infinity War. The best things the episode has to offer are the appearance of Cress Williams as Black Lightning, and Flash (Grant Gustin) working with his own team of heroes: Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). The cooperation of the gang brings fun to the episode, especially with the empowering soundtrack that keeps you excited. Moreover, Williams’ performance is cool and confident. Black Lighting and the Flash bond through their shared pain and struggles as superheroes, giving the episode great emotional depth. Average: “Arrow” Part four provides the much-needed background of the heroes’ stoic and Promotional image for 'Arrow' via CW omniscient ally, the Monitor (LaMonica Garrett). However, there are many scenes with sudden and misplaced one-liners from characters that hinder the story’s pacing. The episode suffers due to awkward editing and a weak script. In addition to these issues, the Anti-Monitor (also played by Garrett) as the main villain draws irksome parallels to Thanos from the Avengers franchise. Contrary to the title of the episode, the focus is less on the titular Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and more on the Flash— his personal journey is the center. The Green Arrow is featured through the relatable friendship the two heroes share. The action sequences suffer from fast camera movements that make it hard to process what is unfolding; smoother shots should have been used for better flow. Furthermore, part four has the most hilarious cameo of the series from Ezra Miller as the Flash from Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaque. However, Miller’s presence raises a lot of questions from fans about the validity of his character’s connection to the series. Eh Rw AA CO Second worst: “Supergirl” The major problem with this episode is that there are so many overwhelming visuals. Abrupt cuts between scenes rush the story's world building in favour of quickly gathering all the heroes for their crossovers. Despite some cool cameos for fans, the visual effects are at best passable. The plot has bland exposition and dry supporting characters. Even the action sequences are difficult to process due to unsteady camera work and editing (once again). On the bright side, the cast has good chemistry that allows for meaningful light- hearted moments—and even the more serious scenes. The saving grace of part one is the family bond between Supergirl and Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), it adds some genuine realism to the story. The worst: “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” Part five is the weakest of the series because of its ridiculous elements. In one sequence, the heroes contend with a giant toy bear that causes mayhem on the city streets. Regardless of the intentions of the story to be campy, this bizarre plot point has no place in the crossover. If that is not enough, the characters even fight an equally giant Anti-Monitor that makes the climax akin to that of a Power Rangers movie. Still, the episode briefly explores the consequences of the events from part four and the personal hurts the characters experience. In doing so, the story’s offers a perspective on what it means to cope with changes made in our lives. Despite even more good cameos and a heartwarming conclusion, this episode feels unnecessary, since part four technically already brought the entire series full circle. Share laughs and love at ‘Shrek the Musical’ » Local theatre company performs popular Broadway show Cheryl Minns Senior Columnist A lign Entertainment kicks off its rst show of the new year with the Broadway hit Shrek The Musical at Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby. Based on the DreamWorks animated film, the musical follows everyone's favourite ogre Shrek (Charlie Deagnon), his pal Donkey (Daniel Curalli), Princess Fiona (Maddie Livland), and Lord Farquaad (Stuart Barkley, a Douglas College graduate) as they perform catchy musical numbers, go on epic quests, and discover who they're meant to be. Shrek The Musical begins with seven- year-old Shrek (Owen Scott) and seven- year-old Princess Fiona (Ava Gil) being sent away by their families to an unknown future—including a secluded swamp for Shrek and a dragon-guarded tower for Princess Fiona. Many years later, a crowd of fairy-tale creatures take up residence in the swamp, so adult Shrek goes to find Lord Farquaad to make him remove the creatures. Along the way he meets Donkey, a lonely talking donkey in need of a friend. Lord Farquaad makes a deal with Shrek that if the ogre can rescue Princess Fiona from the tower for him, he'll give Shrek the deed to the swamp. Shrek rescues Princess Fiona, but she isn’t the typical damsel in distress and has more in common with Shrek than meets the eye. There were brightly coloured and elaborate set designs for Shrek’s swamp, Princess Fiona’s tower, Lord Farquaad’s castle, a variety of forests, and more. The stage is spacious enough for large choreographed dance numbers such as “Morning Person”: early-riser Princess Fiona meets the Pied Piper (Thomas Chan) and a bunch of tap dancers with plush rats on their tap shoes, and they all dance around the stage. There are also several numbers where all of the fairy tale creatures perform together, and the final numbers feature the entire cast. When the show requires characters to move around even more, they venture out into the aisles—immersing audience members in the performance. Some of the musical numbers will be familiar to fans of the film, such as “What’s Up Duloc?”—an extended version of the film's “Welcome to Duloc”—and closing number, The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer.” The show also introduces new character backstories through songs, such as “Big Bright Beautiful World” for Shrek, “I Know it’s Today” for Princess Fiona, and the “Ballad of Farquaad” for Lord Farquaad. Curalli, a local actor and instructor at Place des Arts in Coquitlam, joined Align Entertainment as Rooster in the company’s production of Annie in February 2o19. After having a great experience with the team, he auditioned for Shrek The Musical and landed the role of his favourite character, Donkey. “He's such a loveable little ball of energy, and he does and says such wild things, so it is really fun to play,” he said to the Other Press. “The characters from the film are so iconic now, so you do have to walk a fine line of trying to pay homage to the original characters so that the audience gets what they expect, but also make the character your own, because it is a slightly different story.” Portraying Donkey is the first time Curalli has played an animal on stage, which he found requires a different style of acting from the usual human roles. “The physicality is what made this role different from a lot of others,” he said. “As a tall actor, I didn’t want to stand taller than Shrek, so I had to bend my knees, but the constant knee bend added something to the way Donkey moved around. It mimicked the kind of hind legs you would see on a donkey. I also knew that I wouldn't have any hands to speak of, so everything had to be done without fingers.” Shrek The Musical was Align Entertainment’s first show in 2014. The Illustttration by Athena Little company decided to return to the classic to celebrate its tenth show, which has drawn in crowds for multiple sold-out shows this month. “Tt’s a great story,’ Curalli said. “The clever jokes that are all over the place, the wonderful story of brotherhood between Donkey and Shrek, and the timeless message of just being yourself and people loving you for who you are.” Align Entertainment’s next production will be in September 2020. It is an original show called Revue-sical The Musical, and it will feature a compilation of the company’s previous shows—such as Legally Blonde The Musical and The Addams Family Musical Comedy. Next February, the company will present Seussical The Musical.