Green Lantern (2011)....

[Warped9]

I finally got to see this today. I've read so many bad things of this film that imagine my surprise when I found it actually wasn't bad.

That said it wasn't awesome either. At best I'd say it was competent. There were quite nice visuals in it. The acting was serviceable. I don't think Ryan Reynolds was bad for the role, but I will say I think they could have done better. Might sound silly but I didn't find him square jawed enough. He just didn't fit my image of Hal Jordan. Like I said, not bad but could've been better.

The movie unfolded in something of a paint-by-numbers way with no real surprise. I didn't find the Hector Hammond angle particularly interesting. Like many have said before the best parts seemed to be off Earth.

The one overriding thing I didn't care for and left me cold was the cgi costume and mask, especially the mask. It just didn't work for me.


Not bad, but could have been better. I wouldn't mind seeing a decent reboot. For now I think the animated Green Lantern: First Flight is a better effort.

 

[Gojira]

I liked the CGI Costume and mask, other than that I do agree with you. The Hector Hamnond story line was the weakest part of the story imo.

 

[davejames]

I thought it was a lot of fun, but I agree the First Flight movie was a much cooler introduction to the character (especially with that kickass theme music).

 

[Turtletrekker]

I don't regret seeing it in the theater, but won't get the DVD. I agree that it could have been a lot better, but as I've said in the past, if this were released in the era of Daredevil/Elektra, Fantastic Four, Catwoman, ect; it might have been a bit better received. The credits scene with Sinestro was my favorite part, and it made wish that they had made that movie instead.

 

[Warped9]

Yeah, it might be considered better in a world where we hadn't gotten some genuine good superhero films, particularly recently.

 

[JD]

I had pretty much the same reaction you did, Warped9. It wasn't as bad as some of the stuff I'd heard made it out to be, but it wasn't anything spectacular. I would have been very curious to see where they would have gone with Sinestro, but I guess we'll never find out now.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

I enjoyed it. I especially liked how they handled the girl & secret identity.

 

[BDJ]

I enjoyed it also! My biggest fuss with the movie was that I'd have liked to seen Parallax like he looks in the comics. The big smoke monster was a bit dissapointing, although the Parallax in the city scenes were kinda ominous.

I got used to Ryan Reynolds, being as I had no choice.

I agree with everyone else who said that "First Flight" was better though. Much more epic!

But when I left the theater I said to myself "My gosh, I just got to see Green Lantern on the big screen!". I've been waiting for that for a long time!

 

[Mr Light]

Parallax looked more like a giant turd storm to me, personally...

Green Lantern is probably my favorite comic and it's what got me back into comics with the Sinestro Corps War. I was really disappointed with the movie. It wasn't terrible, it was just... there. Bad villains. Bad Hal Jordan. Unnecessary fake looking CGI uniforms.

 

[Shazam!]

Parallax looked more like a giant turd storm to me

You would have though after FF2, filmmakers would have learned a lesson.

 

[Starbreaker]

There was no Green Lantern movie.... These aren't the droids you're looking for.

I thought the film was a complete disappointment. It's like nobody learned from the good superhero movies they've put out recently. Aside from Batman, DC just keeps shooting itself in the foot.

 

[Dream]

This movie really should've been done as Training Day IN SPACE! Sinestro would have been the bad cop obviously. It would have written itself.

That's what Green Lantern: First Flight did and why it seemed to work better as an origin movie.

 

[C_Miller]

I saw it recently as well and you're right, it wasn't as bad as it was made out to be, but there were a lot of significant problems with it.

First of all, yes, Ryan Reynolds was miscast, but more over his role was poorly written. I'd say he was actually fine for the standard dumb comedic action hero that they wrote him as. But that's not Hal Jordan for me.

I thought it was too early to bring in Parallax. That should be the thing that they build up to. Like how you don't lead with the greatest threat. Joker and Bane weren't in Begins, Avengers didn't lead with Ultron. And these new Spider-Man movies aren't starting with the Green Goblin.

But at the same time Hector Hammond is a very weak villain and he's not able to carry his own film. I'm not sure what I'd do to replace both the villains. Maybe the Manhunters. Unfortunately since Geoff Johns began writing Green Lantern, the style of the threats have been Epic x Infinity without really giving clear lead up. Yet, they are built on a mythology that was 50 years in the making. So it would be hard to do a Geoff Johns style movie and do a first movie at the same time, which was evident in the film.

Also the Hal Jordan/Sinestro relationship was done poorly. I don't care about their relationship so his betrayal will be lame in the second one that's probably not happening.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

I've said before, the villain should have been Atrocitus. Do an expanded version of Secret Origin. Have Atrocitus kill Abin Sur and then jump planets to Korugar. Sinestro trains Hal while they hunt down Abin Sur's killer together. Then, Hal gets to see how Sinestro has essentially conquered his own home planet, and sees his brutal methods in their search. At the end, Jordan captures Atrocitus and he gets placed in a sciencell (so he can escape and we can get Red Lanterns in a sequel.) He also exposes Sinestro to the Guardians they banish him to Qward. Credit stinger is almost exactly as before, only this time Sinestro is speaking to the Weaponer who gives him his yellow ring.

And for the love of god, show more of the Corps. Kilowog, Tomar-Re, Arisia, etc. All of them are absolutely vital characters to the Green Lantern mythos, and their lack of screen time (or even mere existence in the case of Arisia) was a travesty. If they were to go to Korugar, they could introduce Katma Tui, or Soranik Natu for the sequel while they were there.

 

[JD]

^That is what the movie should have been. I had just read SO a few weeks before I saw the movie, and I had the same thought about Atrocitus. Honestly, I really think it should have been almost a Predator type thing, with Sinestro and Hal hunting down Atrocitus while he's going on a rampage through Coast City. And they should have at least given us some cameos or something for more of the popular GLs from the comics, like Arisia, Ch'p (ok, I know he's kind of a goofy character, but I really liked him in First Flight) Salakk, and maybe a fly by of Mogo.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

That would be nice, but I do feel that we really need to have Hal and Sinestro go to Korugar. We need to see what kind of person Sinestro truly is, and set him up as the villain for the next film. In fact, Atrocitus should probably be caught earlier in the film, leaving Hal vs. Sinestro (still as a Green Lantern) as the climactic battle.

 

[DarKush]

^
I'm of the opinion that the first film should've set up Sinestro and Hal's friendship, and hunting Atrocitus could've, a la Secret Origin could've done. I wouldn't have rushed taking them to Korugar until the second film. And the transformation from friend to enemy could've been what that second film was about.

As for Green Lantern, the cast wasn't bad, though the direction left a lot to be desired. As did the script and production design. I thought too many of the alien designed just looked ugly for no reason, especially Kilowog and Parallax. I didn't like the CGI Lantern suit either.

And the film didn't show enough of Oa or the Green Lantern Corps coming together. After watching a much better take of an alien invasion and a team effort in Avengers, it lowers Green Lantern even more in my estimation.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Maybe that would work better. Part of me just wants to be able to jump to the Sinestro Corps War as quickly as possible. We definitely still need to have Hal seeing Sinestro act brutally in the search. Perhaps have Sinestro comment on how disorderly Earth is, and that if they were on his world things would be different. Then have Sinestro be evasive when Hal asks what he means by that.

 

[Morpheus 02]

This was a movie i was excited about, as i was the Star Wars prequels when i heard they were actually going through with them.

To me the first half of the movie was good, but the second just sputtered out. i mean, really.. Parallax is the greatest threat the Corps has seen, and NONE of them go to Earth to fight him/it? Really? Just a rookie GL?

What i would have liked to see is Hal fighting WITH the Corps...but one of the things that makes Hal unique is his imagination. Maybe in the GL training, they come up with generic items, but Hal comes up with some crazy stuff (maybe something from cartoons , or whatever). It would be that creativity that helps him save the earth AND also MORE EXPERIENCED GL's.

Regarding Ryan Reynolds...i think he was fine, just the "significance" of Hal just wasnt there, and that was just about the writing, not the acting.

I alos loved the set up for SInestro and was brilliantly played.

 

[Mr Light]

Hal Jordan is supposed to be the ultimate cocky bad ass, so seeing him hesitant and fearful and goofy in this movie was a real misinterpretation of the character. I know it's supposed to be a character arc of him becoming the way he should be, but even in Johns' recent "Secret Origin" storyline Hal was still a confident ass kicker from the get go.