Green Lantern: Grading, Review, Discuss, Tracking, Sequel?

Link

 

GL did about 3.35 million midnight at the boxoffice, which is about the same that Thor did. Off to an OK start.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/green-lantern-makes-3-35m-midnights/

 

My minimal research before posting in the other Green Lantern topic led me to think that First Class opened slightly stronger than GL. According to Nikki this is not the case.

 

You can't really compare GL to FC. GL has 3D, which costs more, and FC didn't.

The best comparison to GL is Thor. Both have 3D and will probably make around the same amount during its first weekend.

 

Yikes! 21% on Rotten Tomatoes, so far. That's like Ghost Rider numbers. Ouch.

 

I agree the close of the moment was suppose to be funny, the whole "I've seen you in your underwear..." not the voice change moment, she doesn't even comment on that.

 

Transformers 2 has a 20% score at RT, but it still made 400 million!

 

Yeah what a travesty. I'm hoping Tranny 3 will be fantastic.

 

True, but (much like the Pirates sequels) that was all based on the enormous good will created by the first movie.

 

The first two Transformers movies were self-evidently crap, why should a third be worth a shit?

In fact, Revenge Of The Fallen outperformed the first movie both domestically and worldwide. That militates against crediting good WOM from the first movie all that much, as you'd expect pretty massive falloff if the movie had really disappointed TF fans nearly as much as the squeaky wheels maintain.

And the notion that good will from one Pirates movie has carried the franchise through three more is a nonstarter. You explain an initial sales bump that way, not continued good business.

 

Do we need to break out the Nicholas Cage threat meter?

 

THR is calling the midnight take 3.4 million now.

 

Guardian review

Though their critic is an ass...

 

Here's a review from MovieBob from the Escapist magazine

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/3557-Green-Lantern

WARNING!!! MAJOR NERD RAGE!!

It's still pretty entertaining.

 

It has been hammered by every major critic in the UK. The BBC news guy thought that it was just plain stupid.

 

interesting comment about Johns over at deadline:

 

Just saw it. Givin' it a B. Gut reactions:

-The main reason for me to see any superhero movie is to see the superhero stuff. The creators did pretty good with the ring stuff. (I thought it was cute the way Sinestro conjured Cap's shield to deflect Hal's "Painless" vulcan cannon rounds.)

-I had reservations about Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordan. Now that I've seen him in the part...I still have them. Sorry, but I remember this guy from "2 guys, A girl and a Pizza Place" and Michael Bergin's about the extent of his range as an actor. He had no business playing Hal Jordan.

-Blake Lively was dull. Milquetoast dull. Not quite January Jones dull, but as if she's just started taking the same acting class Jones graduated from. She might have been able to pass herself off as Carol Ferris it were just Businesswoman Carol. Trying to turn her into a tough-as-nails test pilot just made her look ridiculous. (and before the feminists pile on, I have no trouble believing in a female tough as nails test pilot...just not played Blake Lively.)

-Thank God for actors Like Peter Saarsgard who will put their all into the silliest of roles. (F'rinstance, I couldn't have sat all the way through the first Hulk movie if Sam Elliot hadn't been playing "Thunderbolt" Ross...)

-Okay, so the casting people couldn't find a single fat Black woman capable of playing Amanda Waller? Really? Did they look, or just hope purists wouldn't notice the weight loss?

-I am sick and tired of the "Giant Alien Space Cloud" bullshit. Yes, Hollywood, I get that you all think giant aliens are silly, but howzabout youse let the audience decide, huh?! "Galactus can't be a giant! Oh! We'll make him a space cloud!" "Parallax is a giant? That's silly! I know! We'll make him a space cloud! We're so clever!"

And yet, I award a "B" because catching a helicopter with a dragster on a toy car racetrack is Green Lantern coolness...and Kilowog rules!

 

I saw it last night. Critics are nuts. I thought it was great. Not as good as X-Men: First Class, but it was still very entertaining. Good performances, great action, a slightly undercooked story, but it never felt rushed.

 

I give it a B+. It's definitely not fanboy proof (what is anyway?), but I thought it was a good take on the Green Lantern mythos that people who don't know the first thing about it can enjoy. While Hal Jordan isn't my favorite Green Lantern, I found myself liking Ryan Reynolds' average joe take on the role. Mark Strong as Sinestro was a scene stealer, IMO. Loved seeing the Corps all 3600 members strong on Oa as well as Jordan gradually mastering his ring.

But one thing for sure is that this movie was written with a sequel in mind, and nothing hammers that more is the clip that comes in after the closing credits.