Hey there Ladies/Gentleman,
Welcome to the FIRST Cosmic Movie Review! I can see no better film I would tackle first than the most anticipated film of not only this summer, but possibly my entire comic film experience (at least until the sequel) GREEN LANTERN! Let's cover something really important first before we get started, I am a big big fan of Green Lantern. The film was pitched before it's release of being adapted from the Geoff Johns run of "Green Lantern: Secret Origins", available in graphic form just about anywhere comics are sold. This being said, I walked into the theater with that plot in mind and of course the rational mindset that this was the child of Hollywood and geared towards NON-READERS first and foremost. All these truths are fine with me, and I understand their relevance in the execution and plot of the film, so before you dismiss any of my points as the product of a raging fanboy, let it be known that I do understand the disconnect between forms of media and that the Movie format will NEVER be as good as the pages that give the hero life. Alright, I think I have given an adequate view of things to come, let us get started!
(The cast, plot summary, and film details can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/)
To those who know and love Green Lantern let me be the first to say you will likely walk away disappointed from this film. I know, it's not what you want to hear but the film will serve to show you the evils of Hollywood and their inability to bring to life Green Lantern in all his ring-slinging glory. On that note let us start with the characters. Now even myself as an avid Corps member has got to give the movie it's credit when it comes to acknowledging the character relationships within the film. This was one thing myself and my party of Lantern devotees acknowledged unanimously. Reynolds does a GOOD Hal Jordan. Not fantastic, but FAR from terrible. Blake Lively, though more accessorized to Hal's character than I would have liked, does capture the tension that Hal and Carol experience in their star crossed (literally) love life. Even Sarsgaard brings a believable Hector Hammond to life on the big screen, showcasing his tension with Hal and their rival dynamic. The problem I feel lies in the time frame given to these actors to express these relationships. The movie's run time was 105min or just shy of 2 hours. Those who read Green Lantern know that even in the origin story, 2 hours is like putting the story development on the Autobahn in a Mclaren F1. To the non-reader just as you started to understand one aspect of the Green Lantern mythos you were pulled away into something else, while for the avid ring-slinger you may find yourself rushed and wanting to see more of what you just witnessed rather than move into the next scene. On this note we move onto the "Heart" of the film, Hal's first trip to Oa.
Any Green Lantern fan worth their ring knows how absolutely pivotal the Oa experience was to this film. This was the crown jewel of the film, and visually the CGI artists on this film deserve a hearty handshake and honorary Green Lantern Ring for their work in this part of the film. Stunning visuals brought to me the Oa I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams. I truly felt on the edge of my seat, and wanting to see more, More, MORE! Which brings me to possibly the biggest complaint I have about this entire film. The Oa experience, from the writer. Rushed is the best word to describe it. The writers straight out, in the most polite way I can express this, failed new and old readers alike on this. The vastness of the corps was briefly explored, and the training montage was in my opinion very lacking. I feel that if the training was approached as it was in "Secret Origin" the audience would have been able to get a better sense of not only Hal, but the Corps as a whole. I am doing my best to express my thoughts on this WITHOUT giving ANY spoilers, but you must understand how incredibly difficult it is for me to do so, I am literally getting disappointed just remembering this scene. The relationship between Hal, Sinestro, Kilowog. Tomar-Re, and the Corps as a whole could have been executed much smoother than it was. The Hal-Sinestro relationship will hopefully be better addressed in the next film (should it even happen). The Guardians, in all honesty, I have no quarrels with. The cold rational beings they are was made abundantly clear and I don't think many would be able to argue that. Overall, Oa was brought to life visually like nothing else, however in terms of writing it was severely lacking and as such served to disappoint many many fans and lose the interest of future patrons that may have come to love Green Lantern as I do.
Alright, I suppose I should wrap this up before it goes any longer. Overall I think opening weekend will come to show the collective disappointment of many avid Green Lantern fans over this movie. What could have been our Brightest Day, may have been our Blackest Night. I still recommend you all see it yourselves to make up your own opinion on this. The actors/artists who worked on this movie did a great job and deserve credit for their hard work. The writers, though I am certain they had a difficult time bringing this film to the screen within the limited time frame given to them, will be hard pressed to find praise among the comic book community. As stated earlier, I understand that the Green Lantern origin story has a lot to cover within a 105minute run time, but it was the key scenes that fell short and by doing so brought down the ENTIRE film for me. To those who venture out to see this movie, stick around after the credits for the teaser scene that MANY foresaw and I must admit WILL guarantee my ticket for the sequel should it make it to the screen in the future. Love it or hate it, that was Green Lantern. Until next time, take care and happy reading!
Final Review: 6/10
- Fantastic Visuals
- Actors do GOOD job at bringing characters to life, limited only by film pace.
- Not. Enough. Corps.
- Overall Rushed Story (105m run)
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