Green Lantern: First Flight Grading and Discussion

[davejames]

But, if done right, I think GREEN LANTERN can tap into the SUPERHERO and SCIFI fans (not always on the same page, if any of you at Comic-con can atest to)

Rob

It certainly worked on me. After not really getting this character for the longest time, I suddenly find myself a huge fan, and hungry for more Green Lantern stories.

Unfortunately I have a feeling most of the ones out there are so thick with continuity and mythology I'd never be able to understand them anyway. lol

 

[RobertScorpio]

But, if done right, I think GREEN LANTERN can tap into the SUPERHERO and SCIFI fans (not always on the same page, if any of you at Comic-con can atest to)

Rob

It certainly worked on me. After not really getting this character for the longest time, I suddenly find myself a huge fan, and hungry for more Green Lantern stories.

Unfortunately I have a feeling most of the ones out there are so thick with continuity and mythology I'd never be able to understand them anyway. lol

True...Hal Jordan is, what, 50 years old now in terms of that's how long he has been around. They tried to replace him with other GLS, like Kyle (yawn) and John ( who I liked)...but Hal Jordan is back as the main green lantern, and that is how it should be...

Rob

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I don't think anything has been announced after Superman/Batman which I'm seriously looking forward to obviously since the DVD cover is my avatar! I agree with Superman/Doomsday about the look of Superman. I just liked the take on the Fortress of Solitude it looked like it was a merger of the Donner one and Bryne Fortress. Kelex was there I think or a version of him. I want When Worlds Collide too....Crime Syndicate baby.

I can't remember where, but I seem to recall talk about another JL based DTDVD (NOT Timm-verse though), and maybe an Aquaman one.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I was over at IMDB looking at the voices for the characters. Is this DVD considered to take placein the JLU universe? Because the vocal talent of BATMAN/SUPERMAN is the same.

No, the DTDVDs are each "stand alones" and in their OWN continuity.

 

[JD]

I just finished the movie, and even though I no almost nothing about Green Lantern (I've seen JL: New Frontier, and read a bit on wikipedia, but that's it) I loved it. So being a newbie, I do want to ask how close the characterisations, background, ect were to the actual comics?
I can also see why people were nervous about a live action version of the character/corps. It seems to me that for it to be done right the movie would need at least a $100-$200 million budget, and I don't know if the character is popular enough for someone to spend that much on a movie.

EDIT: I was just looking at GL stuff on wikipedia, and apparently the movie will have a $150M budget, and as of last August it was going to have all of these characters:
Martin Jordan
Hal Jordan/Green Lantern
Thomas Kalmuka
Carl Ferris
Carol Ferris
Kilowog
Tomar-Re
Abin Sur
Thaal Sinestro
The Guardians
Legion
Hector Hammond

So with a budget that big, there actually is a chance that effects/aliens wise at least, it could be prett cool.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I would say that the characters relations with each other in First Flight were pretty accurate and faithful to their comic book counterparts but then I'm a fairly recent conversion into the Hal Jordan GL world.

Having a chance to read the script a while back I will confirm that those characters were in the version of the screenplay I read. I'm expecting the Oan scenes to be big, soap opera, epic type stuff. I agree this movie will most likely exceed its budget. I've always envisioned a HUGE Green Lantern movie.

 

[DBR]

C

It suffered from the same problem as Doomsday: no heart.

 

[Thrall]

C

It suffered from the same problem as Doomsday: no heart.

And a lead with no charisma. This was basically just "Sinestro: The Movie". It's a recreation of Emerald Twilight with Sinestro and no Parallax. Every time he's on screen he just oozes menace and coolness. He just dominates this film, and that's not a bad thing.

Hal is just a big, boring, blah with nothing there. Coma-inducing doesn't even begin to describe him. It's no wonder they cast someone as cool and exciting as Ryan Reynolds to play him. If they wanted an authentic comic book version most of the audience would be asleep half-way through. They got rid of most of his backstory and exposition in order to move the plot along. On one had, it's a good thing because it gets right into the action. On the other hand, there's nothing there to relate to and empathize with character-wise. Sinestro at least has proper motivation. You actually give a shit about him. Hal could have been killed off half-way through and no one would notice. All the Green Lantern revamps they've done recently could have easily been done with Jon Stewart or Kyle Rayner in the lead. If there's anything holding that franchise back, it's their choice of lead character.

 

[davejames]

C

It suffered from the same problem as Doomsday: no heart.

And a lead with no charisma. This was basically just "Sinestro: The Movie". It's a recreation of Emerald Twilight with Sinestro and no Parallax. Every time he's on screen he just oozes menace and coolness. He just dominates this film, and that's not a bad thing.

Hal is just a big, boring, blah with nothing there. Coma-inducing doesn't even begin to describe him. It's no wonder they cast someone as cool and exciting as Ryan Reynolds to play him. If they wanted an authentic comic book version most of the audience would be asleep half-way through. They got rid of most of his backstory and exposition in order to move the plot along. On one had, it's a good thing because it gets right into the action. On the other hand, there's nothing there to relate to and empathize with character-wise. Sinestro at least has proper motivation. You actually give a shit about him. Hal could have been killed off half-way through and no one would notice. All the Green Lantern revamps they've done recently could have easily been done with Jon Stewart or Kyle Rayner in the lead. If there's anything holding that franchise back, it's their choice of lead character.

Yeah he probably was too much of just the "stoic good guy". Still though, I found him engaging and likeable enough (especially in comparison to the deadly dull GL of JLU), and had no trouble rooting for him throughout the story.

 

[Newski]

I'm not going to post my review. I'll just say that I liked it...


But these DC animated films always fall apart in conception.... They consciously make an effort to scale things back before the script is even completed. None of the films have been great, Justice League New Frontier was so Goddamn cheap everyone looked like the same person with different hair color....

They need to put a little bit more into these movies. I'm not expecting "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" here. But more than what we are getting.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

Watched it last night...rated it as a "B" on here. Lots of great animation, voice acting, etc....but the movie/story just seemed dull and predictable. I will also echo some other comments on here that Hal Jordan came across as a dull and boring character. I much preferred the Wonder Woman movie.

 

[davejames]

I'm not going to post my review. I'll just say that I liked it...


But these DC animated films always fall apart in conception.... They consciously make an effort to scale things back before the script is even completed. None of the films have been great, Justice League New Frontier was so Goddamn cheap everyone looked like the same person with different hair color....

They need to put a little bit more into these movies. I'm not expecting "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" here. But more than what we are getting.

I definitely thought Doomsday felt too scaled back (with so few characters and such a limited focus, the impact of the story was completely lost), but the others I thought felt as big and epic as they needed to be.

In fact I have a hard time imagining how WW and GL could have been any BIGGER.

 

[Thrall]

Watched it last night...rated it as a "B" on here. Lots of great animation, voice acting, etc....but the movie/story just seemed dull and predictable. I will also echo some other comments on here that Hal Jordan came across as a dull and boring character. I much preferred the Wonder Woman movie.

I don't it's so much as "he comes across" as a boring character as he IS a boring character. He's just kind of a standard, generic hero. There's just not really a whole lot going on there in terms of character. There's really no reason there for us to root for him, other then the fact that he's the good guy. He's kind of like John Wayne, minus the natural charisma. People like him because he's a great hero and because so much of the stories and mythology is based around him. Sinestro and Star Saphire just do not work as Jon Stewart or Kyle Rayner enemies. He also has a huge cast of wonderfully exciting characters - and Geoff Johns's writing - to make up for the character's lack of dimension. But once the focus is solely on him, the characters weaknesses are kind of laid bare for all to see. I still maintain getting rid of him 12 years ago was the right call. Even though the implementation and execution of the Rayner years was glaringly incompetent, creatively speaking.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Having not been familar with "young" Hal Jordan until seeing Green Lantern First Flight myself I wasn't sure what to expect from Chris Meloni's performance. I had no idea that he was so non chalant and care free. Hal seems to have evolved over the years, the first expsoure I really had with Hal was during the Parallax storyline and his fall after the destruction of Coast City by Mongul. The Sinestro Corps War has introduced me to Hal...and I really like him older but didn't like how care free and irresponsible he seemed. I can see why Ryan Reynolds was chosen to play him. He'll do a good job in Green Lantern movie proper.

 

[Luminus]

Green Lantern: First Flight contradiction SPOILERS!!!

Okay, I saw this movie yesterday and it was a pretty violent movie. It was also very well done, as DC is gaining a reputation for. The problem I have is at the end, when the Green Lanterns lose their power.

When Hal is falling down to the planet, Kilowog suddenly has power in his ring and goes to save Hal. What the heck was that?

 

[Auriq]

Re: Green Lantern: First Flight contradiction SPOILERS!!!

The reason Kilowog had power and none of the other Green Lanterns did was because Hal had reenergized the power battery and Kilowog was the only other Lantern left with a ring. (You saw Kilowog's ring start to glow earlier, what I want to know is why didn't he go help Hal as soon as his ring reenergized?)

The reason Hal had no powers when he was falling was because he had used up all of his ring's energy in the fight against Sinestro.

 

[Luminus]

Re: Green Lantern: First Flight contradiction SPOILERS!!!

The reason Kilowog had power and none of the other Green Lanterns did was because Hal had reenergized the power battery and Kilowog was the only other Lantern left with a ring. (You saw Kilowog's ring start to glow earlier, what I want to know is why didn't he go help Hal as soon as his ring reenergized?)

The reason Hal had no powers when he was falling was because he had used up all of his ring's energy in the fight against Sinestro.

I know why Hal had no powers. I just didn't see that power battery being recharged, or Kilowog's ring glowing. Thanks!

 

[Admiral_Young]

Re: Green Lantern: First Flight contradiction SPOILERS!!!

They show the power battery being charged and Kilowog's reaction to it...the only reason I can think of that he didn't immediately go save Hal was he was thinking what the hell was going on? Michael Madsen was perfect as Kilowog.

 

[Luminus]

Re: Green Lantern: First Flight contradiction SPOILERS!!!

They show the power battery being charged and Kilowog's reaction to it...the only reason I can think of that he didn't immediately go save Hal was he was thinking what the hell was going on? Michael Madsen was perfect as Kilowog.

Yeah, he was pretty intense. Especially, when he power-grabbed Hal's arm and said something to the tune of "I want that ring off your finger."

 

[Broccoli]

It was okay, but, as others have pointed out, Hal Jordan is an almost non-character in the movie. He is very one-dimensional. We know almost nothing about him other than the events in the movie.

Also, was it me, or did he just take everything in too easily. Dead alien? No biggie. Going into space and visiting other words? Meh. Learning about the universe at large? Whatever.

This really was "Sinestro: The Movie!"